C
C P
Guest
It started a little over a year ago, when I got a letter from the NC Department of Vehicles stating
that I had to prove to them that I had insurance during the time after I dumped my old insurance
company and signed up for a new one. Otherwise it would be a fifty dollar fine.
The letter went into the wastebasket.
A couple of weeks later a notice appeared from NCDMV that my plates were revoked and I was
instructed to send in the plates for 30 days, pay the fine and to not drive the car. I pick up a
beat up old Schwinn World at Goodwill for 10 bucks, and 50 dollars into a bike repair tool kit, and
am soon riding my bike to work daily.
By this time, I am happy riding my bike around, enjoy the exercise and low cost, so I decide the car
has to go. I have found that I get around just fine on the bike, and enjoy riding it immensely why
pay for travel inside a box anyway? I figure the yearly costs are as follows, (not including the
fines I have paid this year).
Depreciation - 500 Gas - 300 (+/- 100) Insurance - 600 Car 'Property' Taxes / Licensing Fees - 100
(or so) Repair / Maint (includes emissions inspection) - 500 +/- 100 (a conservative figure)
About 2000 dollars a year for a car, more if you have fines. But wait, there are other costs. There
is the cost of knowing that if you dont do this or that with the car by such and such time there
will be this and that happen to you with X financial penalties as result. That worry is gone once
the car is gone.
There is one other thing that should be considered. Oil prices will probably to go up in the next 5
to 10 years, and because of looting of taxpayer money, states will be looking for more ways to tax
the hell out of people to make up the difference. Odds are that car owners will be getting soaked
even more. So I figure it is best to get rid of the car now, before these costs take affect.
That puts an extra 2000 a year (or maybe more) in the bank to spend how I please when the car is
gone. So of the 2000 I save will be spent on occasionally renting a car on a as needed basis, If I
rent a car once a month for getting major things done, cats to the vet, big ticket shopping, etc,
the yearly cost is 500, still way less than what I am paying now by owning a car. The rest of the
money can be invested or blown on something I want.
But I save money in other ways too. I find that when I am on a bike I do a lot less shopping since
it is not so convenient to take off to the store as it is with a car. Therefore when I shop I only
buy the things I need and am able to carry. I ride home with groceries home in my backpack, so that
means when I buy groceries, the food I buy is usually the essentials I can make room for. There is
not a lot of money that goes unneccessary foods I am better off not eating, like cookies. So my
overall shopping costs are way down.
I find that I am getting more exercise, will there be lower health care costs as a result?
I think so.
Just curious, why don't more people think like this?
that I had to prove to them that I had insurance during the time after I dumped my old insurance
company and signed up for a new one. Otherwise it would be a fifty dollar fine.
The letter went into the wastebasket.
A couple of weeks later a notice appeared from NCDMV that my plates were revoked and I was
instructed to send in the plates for 30 days, pay the fine and to not drive the car. I pick up a
beat up old Schwinn World at Goodwill for 10 bucks, and 50 dollars into a bike repair tool kit, and
am soon riding my bike to work daily.
By this time, I am happy riding my bike around, enjoy the exercise and low cost, so I decide the car
has to go. I have found that I get around just fine on the bike, and enjoy riding it immensely why
pay for travel inside a box anyway? I figure the yearly costs are as follows, (not including the
fines I have paid this year).
Depreciation - 500 Gas - 300 (+/- 100) Insurance - 600 Car 'Property' Taxes / Licensing Fees - 100
(or so) Repair / Maint (includes emissions inspection) - 500 +/- 100 (a conservative figure)
About 2000 dollars a year for a car, more if you have fines. But wait, there are other costs. There
is the cost of knowing that if you dont do this or that with the car by such and such time there
will be this and that happen to you with X financial penalties as result. That worry is gone once
the car is gone.
There is one other thing that should be considered. Oil prices will probably to go up in the next 5
to 10 years, and because of looting of taxpayer money, states will be looking for more ways to tax
the hell out of people to make up the difference. Odds are that car owners will be getting soaked
even more. So I figure it is best to get rid of the car now, before these costs take affect.
That puts an extra 2000 a year (or maybe more) in the bank to spend how I please when the car is
gone. So of the 2000 I save will be spent on occasionally renting a car on a as needed basis, If I
rent a car once a month for getting major things done, cats to the vet, big ticket shopping, etc,
the yearly cost is 500, still way less than what I am paying now by owning a car. The rest of the
money can be invested or blown on something I want.
But I save money in other ways too. I find that when I am on a bike I do a lot less shopping since
it is not so convenient to take off to the store as it is with a car. Therefore when I shop I only
buy the things I need and am able to carry. I ride home with groceries home in my backpack, so that
means when I buy groceries, the food I buy is usually the essentials I can make room for. There is
not a lot of money that goes unneccessary foods I am better off not eating, like cookies. So my
overall shopping costs are way down.
I find that I am getting more exercise, will there be lower health care costs as a result?
I think so.
Just curious, why don't more people think like this?