just went carless. a bicycle is now my only transportation!!

[UltraRunning]

                  I just sold my truck on Saturday.  Then used the capital from my truck sale and invested my first 9k  into vanguard taxable accounts (have a tsp already with a monthly allotment) .  Split it up between VTSMX, VBMFX,VGSIX.
                  Man does it feel great (21 years old so just starting the stash)  been reading the blog for over a year now and is a great feeling to finally be able to implement the practices and lifestyle that this blog along with many other early retirement blogs inform us readers about.

[Russ]

coo! have fun & ride safe!

remember with all the savings from no car, it's still cost effective to rent a car/truck or take a cab every so often if you need. just in case!

[bwall]

Congrats on taking the leap! It's a big step--(heck, it took you a year to do it) but the rewards will be enormous.

One of the many numerous side benefits that is often overlooked, by reducing the use of fossil fuels you increase energy security which helps increase national security.

[brandino29]

Badass, dude!  If (when) you start regretting your decision weeks or months down the road after unintentionally getting caught in a sudden rainstorm, be sure to post a call for help and the MMMers with years of living without a car will help settle your nerves.

[UltraRunning]

Badass, dude!  If (when) you start regretting your decision weeks or months down the road after unintentionally getting caught in a sudden rainstorm, be sure to post a call for help and the MMMers with years of living without a car will help settle your nerves.

haha appreciate it man im sure ill run into those days every so often but the freedom from  all the expenses that come with owning a car plus seeing the investments take a dramatic increase due to no car expenses will take the edge off :)

[bikebum]

Awesome, I'm planning on selling my jeep and being car-free too! My GF has a car though, so I'll still benefit from hers.

[UltraRunning]

Awesome, I'm planning on selling my jeep and being car-free too! My GF has a car though, so I'll still benefit from hers.

my wife has a car as well man i cant convince her to go car free just yet but have convinced her to bike to work when  the weather is nice outside though so its a step in the right direction.   maybe you can convince the gf to start biking on nice days and maybe it will  evolve from there. best of luck!!

[spoonman]

This is definitely badass!

If only I had started kicking ass at such an early age, I would have been FI years ago.

[Annamal]

Badass!!!

Human beings are really good at getting used to situations, and getting used to this one would be very valuable.

[bikebum]

Awesome, I'm planning on selling my jeep and being car-free too! My GF has a car though, so I'll still benefit from hers.

my wife has a car as well man i cant convince her to go car free just yet but have convinced her to bike to work when  the weather is nice outside though so its a step in the right direction.   maybe you can convince the gf to start biking on nice days and maybe it will  evolve from there. best of luck!!

Thanks for the encouragement, but my GF has a 1.5 hour commute to the nearest university. She tried living close to school for a semester, but it sucked being apart. Her commuting costs are probably less than what her rent would be, so it doesn't really cost her extra to commute and live with me. Maybe when she graduates I'll try what you said.

If your wife was down, would you go without either of you having a car?

[Thegoblinchief]

Congrats!

If I had no or fewer kids, I'd have already ditched the swagger wagon. If you need tips on biking in inclement weather, lots of us do it. It is actually quite fun once you know how to dress.

I don't think I'll ever get my DW on board, but we tease each other about it all the time :)

[YK-Phil]

Awesome, especially at your age. You will save a lot of money from not owning a car. It took me so long to realize I was completely stuck in the car clown culture, and I am still not completely weaned of it yet, but I am working on it. I am down to a Fiat 500 and with my new job arrangement, I will clock less than 5,000 mi this year. Almost time to get rid of it.

[UltraRunning]

Awesome, I'm planning on selling my jeep and being car-free too! My GF has a car though, so I'll still benefit from hers.

my wife has a car as well man i cant convince her to go car free just yet but have convinced her to bike to work when  the weather is nice outside though so its a step in the right direction.   maybe you can convince the gf to start biking on nice days and maybe it will  evolve from there. best of luck!!

Thanks for the encouragement, but my GF has a 1.5 hour commute to the nearest university. She tried living close to school for a semester, but it sucked being apart. Her commuting costs are probably less than what her rent would be, so it doesn't really cost her extra to commute and live with me. Maybe when she graduates I'll try what you said.

If your wife was down, would you go without either of you having a car?

that one is a little tricky as she lives in another state currently finishing up her double major in Spanish and social work and has an internship that is an hour away.  She will be finished with her internship and will graduate college this coming up December though and will move to where I am stationed ( we currently live 9 hours apart).  I  have learned though when it concerns the wife though that taking it with small steps is best with her.   Me biking and showing her that is possible to do it and  live a happy and fulfilling life over these next 9 months will be the proof that is in the pudding.  She is convinced way more when i actually step out and prove that my ideas although  not always mainstream ( retiring by age 40, hopefully not that late in life, and riding a bike as a only means of transportation,  living without tv, main entertainment being reading books and intriguing blogs like this one)  can be a  more enjoyable lifestyle then the 9-5 till your 65  lifestyle
                      When I sold my truck my wife had no issues with it and was excited for me cause she knew it would put  us one step closer to financial independence.   So with all this being said over the next 9 months of biking everywhere she will probably slowly see the positives and not just the negatives( she thinks it limits your freedom to do certain activities) and slowly bike more.  My biggest advice with your SO   is just live your  advice through yourself and then your SO  will want to do it more instead of just throwing reasons and facts at them all day without doing it yourself.  Finally, to answer your question yes i would love to be a car-less couple ( a definite chance in the future)  and a cellphone-less couple ( although i never think the wife will approve of that idea :(   )

[UltraRunning]

This is definitely badass!

If only I had started kicking ass at such an early age, I would have been FI years ago.

 I just thank blogs like this one, bnl, ere, and the guide to an early retirement in the military  as  what truly opened my  mind to this lifestyle.  Also, several books including the fan favorite ymoyl being a driving force as well.  The biggest one though has to be knowing that thousands of other people are striving and living the same lifestyle that i am.  Being an e-3 and in the military most of your peers are buying the 2014 mustang gt,  (enlisted are notorious for driving around the latest and greatest cars)   the latest game consoles and partying  every weekend it can get to be somewhat lonesome.  Money is taboo so no chance to talk about anyone's investment portfolios  and what they think should be the cornerstones of a great investment plan or any money talk at all :( .  The only thing to talk about seems to be how quickly you blew through your paycheck and cant wait for the next one to come cause your broke till then banter.  So having these blog forums to discuss and read of other peoples opinions and ideas is a great outlet for me and enjoy pursuing them every evening after work.

[UltraRunning]

Awesome, especially at your age. You will save a lot of money from not owning a car. It took me so long to realize I was completely stuck in the car clown culture, and I am still not completely weaned of it yet, but I am working on it. I am down to a Fiat 500 and with my new job arrangement, I will clock less than 5,000 mi this year. Almost time to get rid of it.

 that is awesome to hear! being close to a grocery store, library, and work seem to be the trifecta of being happy  with only a bike as transportation. And old habits die hard just keep chipping away and staying connected to people that push you in a positive direction and you will be  happy while being car-less in no time !!!

[bikebum]

My biggest advice with your SO   is just live your  advice through yourself and then your SO  will want to do it more instead of just throwing reasons and facts at them all day without doing it yourself.  Finally, to answer your question yes i would love to be a car-less couple ( a definite chance in the future)  and a cellphone-less couple ( although i never think the wife will approve of that idea :(   )

Good advice. Although I am good at not recommending things I don't do myself, I'm definitely guilty of throwing around reasons and facts, haha!

Car-free couple would be badasss! I think we'll always have one car, because my girlfriend's future career will probably require it, although she'll be reimbursed for the mileage. I'm totally fine with that though; I think it's a worthwhile expense for us.

[meadow lark]

Yay!  Excellent job!  We are within a week of being careless.  Actually driving out today to do a major grocery stock up before getting rid of it.  This last week we bought 6 months of dog food.  May hit Costco for a huge amount of toilet paper, too.

[UltraRunning]

Yay!  Excellent job!  We are within a week of being careless.  Actually driving out today to do a major grocery stock up before getting rid of it.  This last week we bought 6 months of dog food.  May hit Costco for a huge amount of toilet paper, too.

sweet thats awesome to hear i get a huge smile on my face whenever i hear of someone else going to a bike :)