living without a car

Doom_and_Gloom

Meh I don't have a car. I live near the heart of the town centre with my boyfriend (he has a motorbike as where he works is 9.7 miles away one way so a 19.4 round trip and he refuses to buy a moving casket, a car, which I'm in agreement with) and mostly everything we need is within a 30min walk of where we are anyway. There are supermarkets (try not to shop there too often), health food stores, butchers (for my boyfriend), bakers, grocers. The bus is about a 5min walk away as is the train station. The furthest anything is I'd say is the college I go to as it's 2 and a half miles away and more often than not I walk back (I usually get a lift to college from my sister though as it's on her way to work but otherwise I walk there).
It's cheaper for me as I don't have the money to afford a car and all of its needs although I would prefere a motorbike as it's more friendly than a car to the environment as it is hehe and I can't afford a motorbike at the moment either :rotfl: . Walking, pushbike, public transport and the odd lift has to do.

Daisies

I've had to go the other way. I got a car last year (I'm 27) after having years of living within 30 minutes walk of work. Now I'm freelance I do a lot more travelling to remote places and with equipment so need a car for that.

And I've lost so much time out of my day - walking I used to get exercise and fresh air (I've put on 2 stone since getting the car). I also used to use public transport a lot and got loads of knitting and reading done - so I've lost all of that time too. Driving still feels like such a waste of time!

And when the train was delayed I could go and sit in the waiting room with a nice hot cup of tea. Now I sit on A roads in traffic jams dreaming about having a cup of tea...

Hopefully once I've moved on from this work I'll be able to go back to not having a car.

chezmonster

Our car gave up the gost last week. I am very tempted not to get another one. I don't have enough saving to buy a good car and as I don't have any debt at the moment I really don't want to go get a loan just for a car.

We have been really lucky with our car and had 3 good years out of it,I worrie that if I brought an old car for a few hundred I'd spend that amount again on repairs and MOT's.

I have two small children and work part time so I think I could make a go of it though my DH thinks Ill only last a month :rolleyes: .

I think the thought of saving over £100 a month not buying petrol will spur me on.

I could spend that £100 on chocolate or clothes :T

DH has a motor bike for work, the only time it will be hard is when the snow comes, for some reason he doesn't like to ride the 30 miles to work in the snow.

nzmegs

We just traded our car and van (my husband needs it for work) for a crew cab van which we can use as a family car and a work van. I don't drive and so we couldn't possibly use both vehicles at once so why have two?
I manage really well not driving although people look at me like I am weird when walking. I am 34 with two kids and have never driven.
We take the bus and I got a job within walking distance. I walk 3 miles a day and this keeps me fit. I swear I would get fat if I had a car!!
The fact is that if you have no choice you just manage. I have never been late for anything because I allow extra time because I have no control over the bus timetable etc. Whereas my husband leaves everything till the last minute. Jumps in the car and then realises he can't get a park...
I prefer to be early and not stressed. Let the bus driver do the hard work. Also I can always have a few drinks (or more) if I go out!

code-a-holic

I feel so jealous towards thouse that are living without a car. I would save so much money and the family would get al lot more exercise. I dont think it would be possible for us at all.... with 3 children under 6 and the school being 6 miles away. So is the nearest Shop. Nearest town is 15 miles away. We dont have a bus service within a 6 miles radius. A taxi from town to here - one way was £25..... No definatly not parting with the car!!! Hubby will never part with his either, 20 miles to work and then visitng clients in every corner of the county.
I often think living out in the sticks is cheaper than in town.... Even with my car considering the miles i do i think it would still be cheaper than public transport. Saying that i hvae never been on a bus service and been on a train once about 7 years ago and never had a taxi ride so not too clued up on fare prices!

chezmonster

We took the children to London yester day
£6 in taxi to the station and home again
£34 return train and tube.

The children 3 and 4 had never been on a train before. They loved it more than the national history musem .

We only saw one thing but the children had a fantastic time, we were also able to jump on the tube and visit covent garden. The day was stress free and there were no fights like the ones they would have on a car trip.

I need to be a bit more organised with the food shop but on the whole it's not too bad, 2 weeks in so far.

ejh18

As you're in Leeds I would really recommend WhizzGo, like the previous poster suggested. They are a car club with vehicles all over the city, you just book a car for the number of hours you need, and collect the car from its designated parking space. I don't use it often, as I get around pretty efficiently on two wheels and the train, but it's been useful when I visit a friend who lives a little way out of the city, and when I wanted to do some out of town shopping, as taxis can be expensive for journeys of more than a few miles. The website is www.whizzgo.co.uk.

P.S thank you for making the city just a little friendlier for all us cyclists!:T

TJ27

I worked out that for the four years I had my last car it cost me twenty two thousand pounds. The biggest losses were depreciation and lost interest on the money I paid for it.

For a couple of months I used my bike for work, walked the kids to school, had groceries delivered, went long distances by train, hired the odd car and jumped in the odd taxi. It was absolutely brilliant.

However my employers then took my "essential car user allowance" off me. So I bought a banger. It actually works out cheaper for me to have a banger and keep my allowance than the cycle and lose it!!!!

However, I so enjoyed not having a car that I fully intend to get rid of it again in a few months.

samf1971

We live on the outskirts of Leeds and have managed since December without a car. There is a bus service every 10 minutes to Leeds or the other direction to Wakefield. We're pretty rubbish for local shops so it does mean you have to carry stuff but I pile it under my DS's pushchair, which is a 3 wheel all terrain and a godsend for comfort and ease of pushing. If we want to go further afield we use the train and I must say that IMO the £7.50 day tickt covering a family for the whole of West Yorks on bus or train is fantastic value

mussgo

I have not had a car for around 15 years.

You just adapt and change, I dont have young children now, though I used to the 'taxi sevice' when I did!! I spent hours driving them or waiting there for them! I also used to call the car the travelling dustbin!

I dont shop in the big supermarkets, I shop in the small shops close to my work. I walk every where!

When I visit the relatives I get the bus, as none live closer than 100 miles away.

On occaisions I think it would be great to have the freedom of car but I cannot afford it and now would not want to be a slave to the cost of keeping one!