Living with no CAR!!!

duchy

I've been carfree for over three years now and I don't think I'll ever go back unless I move somewhere less accessible.
It all started when my car was too espensive to fix -I wasn't enjoying driving after a bad accident and decided to try a year car free.
I live close to both rail and bus services (which is crucial) and walking distance of a decent high street. Worst was food shopping until I realised that three of my local stores (Iceland Co-op and Somerfield) all do free delivery although I use Mr T for my big shops and cover the delivery charge with a money off code every time.
There was one time over that year I needed to get somewhere that a car was essential and I had a choice-hire a car for a day or cancel. I decided I didn't want to go THAT much and cancelled but car hire is inexpensive and if I'd really really wanted to go I'd have done it. I use cabs now and again and am still quids in. I noticed imediately how much more money I had when not forever putting money in the tank-paying parking-I was less stressed-no worries about parking tickets.
When the year was up I sat down and worked out what it would cost me to get back on the road and monthly running costs................and was horrified. Three years later I'm still car-less and have no regrets.

LittleTinker

Using our car costs us less than £800 a year. And thats including petrol for our normal use. Obviously we put more petrol in if we are doing something a bit more adventurous like when we decided to drive to Portugal LOL When you think that when 2 of us go to town for say 2 hours, the car park costs £1.20 for 2 hours. The bus costs £1.40 per person EACH way!!!! LOL so from a cost point of view, I personally find it cheaper to run a car than public transport........ I wont bother going into all the other benefits too. :-))

oldMcDonald

I have a mini-bus with disabled ramps and wheelchair fixings for one of my kids, so practical-wise I would find it very hard without my 'car'. We have a half-hourly bus service where I live, but our nearest train station is either a bus ride to the town on one side, or a bus and ferry ride to the town the other.

The other day my bus broke down and is now in the garage so we have been 'busing' everywhere. To go to town normally costs me around £2.50 in diesel there and back, no parking fees and apx 10 min drive. To take four of the kids to town yesterday took me 3/4 of an hour, cost just over £11 and I had to lug a load of shopping home on the bus - getting in everyones way and taking up an extra seat with it. I think I would have to be in very dire straights before I considered doing without. Well done to those that do!

pigpen

GET RID GET RID GET RID!!!!!

I have never had a car..

I have the big shop delivered.. I buy top up food from the local shops (less than a minutes walk) The childrens school is about 5 minutes walk (though before we moved it was 45 minutes.. and we still kept them at the same school!!!!!)

TBH the only thing I would like the convenience of a car is for.. erm... 'personal' days out.. so I could dump everyone and run away lol

I don't go on the commoner wagon very often either.. maybe 3 or 4 times a year.. I walk EVERYWHERE.. and have done forever.. even with a baby in a sling and a double buggy!

To make things more bizarre... I don't have a TV either!!!!!!!!

redmel1621

Ooooh no TV, definately not bizarre in my book, We are still under contract with sky but have unplugged the box as we HATE it's brainwashing rubbish that is continually spurned out of it!!!!(whole other thread i think) and we only use the TV for the Wii and PS3....

I know I will miss the spontineity of having a car, but the cost just doesn't justify itself.

I am still scared though, but like I say if I just keep my car for a couple of months (just as backup) then I can do it on a trial basis first.

Mel x

Gingham_Ribbon

You should get more replies in the motoring and public transport board so I've moved your thread over there.

oldMcDonald

pigpen wrote: »

To make things more bizarre... I don't have a TV either!!!!!!!!

Sorry, OT post

Well done for going without a telly. Our Virgin contract runs out the end of May and then we go telly free too, I can't wait - we waste far too much time watching rubbish on it rather than getting on with enjoying living. We would get rid of it tomorrow, but I am loathe to continue handing over money to Virgin for nothing, so we are weaning ourselves off it over the next few months!

celyn90

We don't have a car - we just don't need one. We live 3 miles from my work, 2 miles from OH's work and we couldn't park in Oxford if we wanted to! I cycle or walk everywhere - I get the bus if it's tipping it down, but that is quite rare. If we do need to travel anywhere then we hire one for the weekend - costs about £30 from enterprise (cheaper than the train fare to see my parents - which would be £72 for the both of us!). If we do have one for the weekend, then we often do a larger shop and bring back heavy things from the supermarket as use it all the time we have it in our posession. We get our heavy shopping delivered normally.

We don't have a TV either - I get so little free time, the last thing I want to do is waste it in front of a box. We use the computer to play DVD's on if we want to watch a movie.

calleyw

Sorry I could not do with out a car then I don't have a TV.

I work 8 miles from home but to do it by bus would mean 4 changes and I don't know what in fares.

Also my husband became disabled and was in hospital for nearly 3 months without a car I would not have been able to see him everyday and for one week not at all as he was moved to over 30 miles away with no direct buses. My husband also has a free bus pass as he has a blue badge.

We also have appointments that are a between 30 and 50 miles round trips away in different hospitals. My husband would not be able to attend on his own due to his health and the stress of traveling on the bus.

It is horses for course. We also live a mile and half away from town. When he was fit and healthy and the weather was good we would walk in town and walk back. Sadly those days are gone.

What works for one person would not work for another. If you think you can manage then go for it. I know of people who work a 5 minute walk away from where they live and they take there cars with them:eek: if they disabled I would understand but they are not.

All the best.

Yours


Calley