Episode-86- Live Better With Less Car

live with less care
Live better with less car
image credit: 1lesscar.com

        

How To Live Better With Less Car

  1. Opening discussion for ideas on improving living conditions through less use of cars
  2. The fading American lifestyle
  3. The benefits of driving less
  4. How to ease into a life of less driving

This is not about doing away with cars but rather opening discussion for ideas on improving living conditions through less use of cars. My experience of living without a car. I used to be poor and without money for a car. I got a car when in the army. Sold it to get to Japan. Living in Japan. World’s most efficient public transportation system. home to work without walking more than a quarter of mile and i lived in 4 different places during the 8 years I was there. Finding a place here had to be close to the metro. I did drive a lot because of day care and it cost a lot. parking, gas, weariness.  First thing I did was to buy a bike.

Once we were established in the USA we didn’t need child care as much and I could bike more to work. We didn’t develop a need for two cars. What I noticed about American living. Typical car costs $8,000 per year in USA. Every family of two or more I know has at least two cars. Benefits of less driving Avoid road rage. have yet to hear of bike rage or walking rage. My savings with just one car that is paid for. Half to deal with car salesman only half as much or less. Paid in cash to avoid monthly payments. More time at home because I can’t go anywhere.

my family has the car every Saturday so I’m left at home with the dog and that’s why I have 18 gardens around the home. A little practice now might pay dividends later if you learn how to incorporate less into your life. Here’s what you can do to start. First educate yourself about the future of global energy consumption, production and energy supplies. I have a link to Chris Martenson’s short video on peak oil and the implications for society and the planet.  I also link to his book called crash course and suggest you read it and then determine if the information makes you want to prepare for alternative future expectations.

If you do consider that your life would be better with some options for alternative means of transportation in the future then be sure to be aware of your reasoning because the changes you may make will affect how far you’re willing to go with this lifestyle choice. But no matter what your motivation is, one thing’s for sure: there will be tremendous cost savings. Ease into driving less don’t try to radically change your lifestyle over night or inconvenience others who may not be on-board with your enthusiasm. If eventually you can decrease car use to the point of having just one car for a family or none for a single person be sure to consider donating it to your favorite charity or sell it yourself to get some of your hard earned money back.

Find and use public transportation. Research routes, find out about special fares and programs, bookmark the local trip planner on your computer. Print schedules and carry them with you. Incorporate more biking or walking into your daily life. Learn to get around at a slower pace. Try to drive less by working from home more. Take advantage of telework policies and be good at it. Set a good example so that others may share the benefit as well. Get a bicycle. Listen to Episodes 1 and 43 at the todolisthome.com website and learn how to purchase a good bike for a fair price on craigslist. Get just the basic tools and learn to take care of it.

Find car pooling and ride share  buddies on social media and try out the slug lines for catching a ride. Find other commuters at work. Participate in car sharing programs, such as City Car-Share, i-Go, FlexCar, ZipCar or VanPoolHawaii. Take a taxi or rent or borrow a car but don’t be a pest about it. Try your hand at bartering for rides or car use. Remember this is about creating a better life and having less to make it complicated and expensive. Be creative and know that if you don’t do something about yiour driving habit it will cost you too much. That’s it for today now go and do something useful.

Resources

Song of The Day –  Nazareth – Hair Of The Dog – Live VIDEO

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