Living Car-free

Until a year and a half ago I had never envisioned living without a car.  My last car was a gem, it never broke down even at ten years of age.  I loved my car, but the rising costs of gas had me reconsider this possession.  I made a huge life change at this time moving from the country to a small town where everything I could need was within two and a half miles of my home. Most within half a mile.  It was time to now look at living car-free.


Instead of selling my car I gifted it to my son and his wife to replace their gas guzzler.  My life has improved more than I could ever imagine and I wish I had done this years ago. 

Noticing what I have been missing

 It is amazing what you will see and do when you don't have a car.   Here's what I encounter during the warmer months while I am out:

• Going at a slower pace I was able to take in the beautiful scenery I usually miss.
• Residents have already been out working in their gardens and mowing the yards
• I need to keep to my shopping list.  If I purchase too much I won't be able to carry it home.
• My town is special, there are plenty of opportunities for bikes, joggers, and wheelchairs to easily access all the amenities.
• I am meeting others who are out and getting to know people in my community.

Knowing I need to be able to get my purchases home I needed to keep my grocery list simple.  Here's of what I may can bring home in one trip.

• Rice and black beans
• Vegetable broth to make a soup
• Edamame to use in my soup
• bananas,  raspberries, and small bag of grapes
• leafy greens and spinach for salads
• Raw almonds
• Raw sunflower seeds
• Greek yogurt for my grand-children
• dish soap

As you can see,  I will be eating pretty darn healthy.  Usually I tend to over buy, especially fresh produce, it's been a difficult transition to shopping for one person after feeding a family for 21 years!  By buying only for a few days I was able to limit the amount of food that may end up in the compost pile!  There is also no room for impulsive purchasing keeping me to a list and my budget.

I know what you are going to say, sure if you are single it would be easy to live car free but what about families?  Families are going car free too.  Follow the experiment of one family as they experiment with living car free for one year. It hasn't all been rosy, but it can be done.