OMG, please help - life is crumbling away!

seanparkin

Also don't forget to weigh in with your car costs, the cost of tax (as you've done, keep it under a 1.6 and you won't be paying extortionate rates), servicing which should be kept up so you don't end up with a banger again, properly serviced cars run forever!, MOT's etc.

Sounds to me like the car is the centre of your worries. If you tighten up the purse strings as my previous post, get a cheap loan and get a sound (get a professional opinion on this) cheap little motor that does a very good MPG, you probably wouldnt be paying any more than you are now but would be much, much happier.

And, wouldn't it be possible to SBT it to 0% on a CC?

no_debts_no_more

You live a whole eight miles from work, and you drive? Unless you are elderly or physically disabled you should be able to do that distance in 30 minutes or so on a bicycle. Believe me - I have a speedo on my bike, and 12mph is a gentle bimble, requiring barely any effort on the flat. The only cheaper method of travel is walking, and motoring costs are your biggest headache.

A £100 supermarket special with all the bling is a false economy and will fall apart in no time, but a £200 one with minimal extra features should provide excellent service. Second hand is a good route if you know your onions. Borrowing is even cheaper again - plenty of people have a burst of enthusiasm for exercise before laziness kicks in, and that bicycle gets consigned to the garage.

Voila! Shonky car problems are now irrelevant. It is pretty lazy to do this sort of short mileage in summer, and it's not as tough in winter as you might think, with decent clothing - the activity keeps you warm - just cover yourself from the wind. Whinging about hills does not count - you just need to get fitter. It's also not as dangerous as people think, and there may be legal shortcuts to reduce the distance too.

Poor starting is something bad in the ignition chain - battery, earth strap, HT leads, points/condensor (if car is old enough) distributor cap/rotor arm or plugs. None are that expensive on bread and butter cars, and all are easy to change so DIY is easily possible. If practical, you could invest in an "intelligent" battery charger (£25 in Halfords) that can be left attached to the car without risk of overcharging (except when you drive off) so that the batter is always fully charged - with those short journeys it may be depleted.

skintchick

Depends what sort of work you do - if your suit gets muddy and your hair ruined by the rushing wind, you won't look good at client meetings.

I admire your enthusiasm, no-debts-no-more, but cycling won't work for everyone and advising getting rid of the car for a 16-mile round trip is a bit radical for most people.

System

Well Im thinking (well have actioned actually) a cycle to work regime that starts tommorow. Mine is a 10 mile round trip, mostly through nice countryside but I dont really fancy paying over £1000 to keep the gas guzzler on the road.

seanparkin

I for one would love to be able to cycle to work, but not just the distance (64 mile round trip) stops me, but also the fact I need to be all smart for meetings with customers etc.

In most cases its not appropriate, but it would be nice. Its a little drastic.

Annie_Fanny

I totally agree with no_debts_no_more - I have cut my expenditure by £10 a week by not taking the bus to work - not much I know but it all counts. I now cycle about a 14 mile round trip and love it!!! OK it may be 'radical' but I think that most people on here that take on their debts sometimes need to get 'radical'. I wear my crappy old clothes to cycle in and take my suit/work clothes in my panniers.....easy peasy. I think a lot of people have totally lost touch with reality.....an 8 mile cycle to work is very VERY manageable but most people act like it is climbing Everest!!

Sorry am ranting!

I feel totally marvellous for the extra excercise though!

niceshoes_2

skintchick wrote:

Depends what sort of work you do - if your suit gets muddy and your hair ruined by the rushing wind, you won't look good at client meetings.

I admire your enthusiasm, no-debts-no-more, but cycling won't work for everyone and advising getting rid of the car for a 16-mile round trip is a bit radical for most people.

Exactly what I was thinking!

tomstickland

You can really cover distance fast on a bike and it's a lot less effort than most people realised.

happiness_fairy

Could you car share? Does anyone else do this same journey? I started this recently with a girl from my village, she has to have car to visit clients so I pay her £1 per day - much cheaper than the bus and safer than cycling!