Going car free to pay off the mortgage

[Deleted User]

We're seriously thinking about selling our (2 year old) car, putting the money we get into a "pay for travel" fund and then doing without one until we've paid the mortage off (hopefully in 3 years, but maybe in 5). We both have bicycles (and are regular cyclists) and live within walking distance of shops. As a first step, we've decided to NOT use the car for 3 months and write down when we feel that we absolutely HAVE to (and then look for alternatives).

Some solutions we've come up with so far:

Order supermarket shop on-line once a month - buy lots of the bulky stuff (loo rolls, bottles of bleach & detergent, tins, etc.) that way, and then just shop locally, and at our local market for the weeks in between.

We can both cycle to work.

If we absolutely HAVE to use a car - hire one, join our local car sharing scheme or occasionally use a taxi.

Hairdressing (me) - go to the training days of a swanky hairdresser in the city centre (much cheaper).



Some other problems ...

How do we transport our dog around, e.g. to the vet (she's about 12 kg)?

How do we get bulky stuff back from DIY stores and garden shops?

I buy a lot of stuff from supermarkets (e.g. clothes) as they seems to be so much cheaper than elsewhere; will be more difficult to get to; will I just end up spending more on clothes, groceries, etc.? Will this turn out to be a false economy?


Anyone-else done something similar and have any advice? We've had a car for 10 years so it feels like it's a BIG step, and everyone we tell is horrified! But it makes good financial sense and we reckon we'll even be able to lose weight and get fitter from all that extra cycling and walking). But it's also worrying ....

tomstickland

Why not sell the car and buy a £1K backup car? There's loads of tidy and reliable cars for that sort of money.

groatie_queen

when I was married and had two children we did it.... no car for a couple of years. We were within walking distance of shops, it was before the days that supermarkets delivered, but I don't recall being particularly stuck or feeling we spent any more money - we hired a car occasionally for longer trips, and we were lent a car on one occasion for a short holiday up north.

Use a DIY store which delivers large / bulky items. Chances are you'll spend less if you have to think twice about how to get things home. With a mortgage-free goal in mind, maybe a good thing?

We had a cat, so no worries about getting her to the vet, she was reasonably portable! Re your dog, if that's a concern you can't cover any other way, you might need to consider tomstickland's suggestion in the post above. But then you'll have MOT, tax, petrol etc to factor in.

Good luck with your decision making - let us know what you decide to do and how it works out.

G-G_4

Can you find a local taxi firm that would give you a ride with a dog at all?

How often do you need to go to the vets?

Can any family help for the day..?

Good Luck, really good idea! :T

ceridwen

...not quite sure where the problem lies? Any temporary requirement for a car can easily be solved by combination of lifts/having shops deliver things/carshare schemes/taxis/just plain doing without going wherever.....

Ignore other people being "horrified"...feel smug at all the money you are saving and "doing your bit environment-wise".

Personally...I manage just fine....rarely even think about it - even though I dont have a bicycle.

sparklymessygirl

Hi there,

I can understand that it seems like a huge step. I very much appreciate the independence a car gives me - I do an hour long commute to work and don't cycle (too scared) so I would not really be able to fit in going to the gym which I love. I might also have to give up the occasional night time dance class (or get a taxi = too expensive to justify) However, it seems as if your set up is different - I think you are sensible to be doing a "dummy run" for a few months.

If you sell and it doesn't work out - no harm done - you can buy another one.

As for the dog - when my car was out of action I had to take her to the vets in a hackney cab - I made sure I told the cab company when booking. An alternative that seems available nowadays is getting a pet courier - I have seen quite a few advertised in my area.

As for supermarket clothes - Sainsburys Tu range is advertised online I think so you could see if anything grabs your fancy before making a special trip.

Keep us posted on what you decide - I am keen to find out what decision you make (very nosy!)

BTW - I am doing without a new cooker to get MF more quickly - I am reduced to using my microwave/combination bit which is a pain as it is not quite big enough. (Hope it isn't a false economy because of the running cost :rolleyes: - sure someone will have done the calculation!)

Sparkly

happymonday_2

Sorry if its already been suggested, but what about a bicycle trailer for the dog? You could ask on freecycle if anyone is getting rid of one or see if there's any going in the local paper. It'd also be useful for doing 'biggish' shops as they generally are designed to hold two children up to the age of 5ish so can carry a fair amount of weight.
Just an idea! Something I'm considering too although I can't cycle to work unfortunately (nor a train station ) but for local shopping the bike is perfect.

wymondham

excellent idea - we got rid of our car as it was just used to get to the park and ride (what is the logic behind these schemes??!!!). this helped a lot to get rid of ourmortgage and saved us a fortune in silly bills/insurance etc...

Jillinoz

Another very recent member of the car-free club, although I'm in the fortunate position of being mortgage and debt-free too.

I sold my car - a four-year-old Golf GTi - a week ago today, 48 hours before it was due a major service and MOT and I would also have had to reinsure it and renew my road tax and my recovery service.

I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation and worked out what a money pit the vehicle was, given that I only tended to use it once a fortnight or less.
When I bought the car I was living in a house with a triple garage (:eek:) but have since downshifted to a town centre property, where I am blissfully happy, but have only on-street parking.

Oh, yes, and due to the retro crime epidemic of 'beastie-ing' or stealing VW badges which, according to my local policeman, is sweeping the UK again, my car had suffered vandalism to the tune of £400 (they didn't just take the badge, they stole the whole effing-jeffing grille :mad:)

I got a really fair price, have had no regrets (especially since I managed to stockpile enough toilet rolls to last me for the foreseeable future ) and I'm really looking forward to shopping locally and using my trusty old bike if I need to venture further afield.

Of course, everyone thinks I've lost the plot....;)

cyclonebri1

Phrrrough, the mind boggles, all this talk of getting rid of the car "cos I really didnt need it in the 1st place"


I can't help asking, even though I know it will gather flak, why did you's buy the car at all?

Lesson to be learnt? Don't buy a car unless you really do need one.

cupid_s

Use a pet taxi service for getting your dog to the vets. There are cards in our local vets or look in the yellow pages to find one near you.

I have no idea how much it would cost but it's not worth running a car for the very few occasions your dog would need to go to the vets.

For really bulky stuff see if you can get a friend to pick you up if it's close and give them a tenner for their trouble.