How to save serious $$$$$$$$$ (prices, value, old, price)
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Total up how much you spend on cars/trucks (add everything not just gas) you own then read the story to see if you can keep all that car $$$$ for yourself...........
You will find that total to be shocking kings ransom!!
You can save $$$ by not holding down shift and hitting the "4" key so much.
Most of these types of articles are written by people living in major cities on the coasts. For someone in a small town in the Midwest it's completely impractical to consider.
Total up how much you spend on cars/trucks (add everything not just gas) you own then read the story to see if you can keep all that car $$$$ for yourself...........
You will find that total to be shocking kings ransom!!
That is fine for urban dwellers. But for those of us who live rurally, a car is a necessity (agreeing with Pitt Chick on this one).
Our house is 17 miles to the nearest grocery store on very narrow two-lane roads (no shoulders). There is no way, safety wise, that you could ride a bicycle even if it were closer. We do not have any type of public transportation available to us. Having a car is definitely a must.
In order to help with auto expenses, we have old cars (18 and 11 years, respectively), and we keep them well maintained. It would be nice if they got better gas mileage (20 and 24 mpg respectively), but we try to avoid driving except when necessary.
The housing costs for "urban dwellers" is going to be dramatically higher, in fact the more compact and public-transit friendly the more expensive its going to be.
Anyhow, you can't look at costs in isolation like this...
Like someone else mentioned, we have 2 older vehicles, a 1993 Ford van and 1995 Lincoln. While mileage isn't good, we only fill the tanks once per month and have only liability insurance at this point. We have saved a ton of money by just not buying new vehicles and running them until lay down and peacefully go to sleep but that takes awhile because we keep them healthy! Not to mention that Kansas, especially our county, taxes the crap out of you if you have any vehicle of presumed "value".
Total up how much you spend on cars/trucks (add everything not just gas) you own then read the story to see if you can keep all that car $$$$ for yourself...........
You will find that total to be shocking kings ransom!!
I have older cars that are either worth very little, or are even going UP in value (M3, MG-B), I take care of them myself, so I don't spend like a drunken sailor on them.
That said, when I lived in downtown Atlanta, I did avoid the typical American Motoring Doofus habit of driving my truck everywhere I wanted to go - instead mostly walking and/or taking the bus.
This may help narrow the focus of this thread......
"Keep it Simple: Live Locally
When you take the time to look around you and stop spending so much time behind the wheel, you'll find that your neighborhood is a rich area.
The real gift of being car-free is discovering that much of what you need is available within a mile or two of your home"
I don't believe that rural living will be practical as a bicycle only way of life until the number of vehicles on our two lane roads declines due to super high fuel prices.
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