CycleMonth Challenge: Completed...with interesting results

[Ultralight]

Wow, that is a great challenge!
I can see that it might be hard to do in winter. Are there other reasons why would you not want to continue?

I'm just starting to seriously bike for transportation. The biggest drawback to me is that I can't carry much on my bike. I added a rear basket and have bungie strapped a milk crate to my rack, but sometimes it's not quite enough. Then I end up heading back to the store in my car, which seems stupid. I have also found that I needed to tweak stuff on my bike - new handlebar grips, front and rear lights.

I checked out an electric power-assist trike with a big basket on the back, and I'm thinking that might be the way to go.

The Xtracycle is something worth looking into. http://www.xtracycle.com/

[Ultralight]

$3600 per year extra saved is a lot. Even if you ride eight months that is $2400. Plus your car will last longer. I would say reducing car use and not driving expensive cars was the # 2 thing that got us to early retirement. (Cooking everything from scratch every day was #1. ).

Just do do a little research on tweaking your diet a little to lose a little here and there if that is your goal. Not dieting, but making healthier substitutions and cutting down 100 or so calories a day. In a year that is ten pounds.

I would love to start cooking everything at home from scratch. I would be quite the hard ass frugal type then! My two problems are:
1. I get weak -- or sad and depressed -- or I have no grit after a tough day. Then I end up getting a pizza. :/ Though this does not happen much at all anymore. I used to go out to eat 4 times a week, sometimes more. But now it is way less frequent.

2. My girlfriend LOVES to go out to eat. So date night usually involve going out to eat. But this past weekend, for example, I made homemade pizza for her (deep dish) with four cheeses, tomatoes, two kinds of onion, and spicy pesto for her. I also made Tunisian shakshuka (yums!). I am hoping to show her that making food together can be more fun than a restaurant but still as tasty.

[Ultralight]

The auto industry has a little something to say about reversing the trend of Americans spending large percentages of their monthly net income on cars. It's called advertising but it is truly mind programming. I mean my favorite commercial right now is subaru, dog bucket list. So I looked at my daughters Subaru Crosstrac and thought, "yeah! I could be comfortable in this and it is all wheel drive". Never mind I already have a Ford Escape that is only 2 years old.

A bicycle is impractical in a lot of ways especially in the northeast. There are no berms to ride them on. You can't carry much with you. Inclement weather reduces you to seasonal use. I have two bicycles and a bike rack that fits on a tow hitch. Just what the auto industry would like to see......even if I ride my bike, I Have to drive it to the bike trail.

Check out How To Live Well Without Owning A Car by Christopher Balish. He has all sorts of work-arounds so that just about anyone could go very "car-light" and a huge swath of the population could go car-free.

I live in Columbus, OH where we do have a decent number of bike trails for joy riding. But as for commuting, the city is set up for CARS, CARS, and more CARS! It is like mania. And every other car is driven by a nimrod on a cell phone.

But here is how I am currently managing my car-light ways.

I live in a place where my doctor, dermatologist, Atheist community office, pharmacy, grocery (Krog's, Traders, Whole Paycheck, Big Bird, Aldi, and the Evil Empire) are all within an 8 mile ride (total, not one way). I am also within a couple miles of "little India" where my favorite restaurants are! There is also a sporting goods store with fishing stuff 2 miles away and a pet store. There are other things, but they don't spring to mind.

I mostly just have to drive long distances to go crappie fishing, to visit my girlfriend, to take my girlfriend on date nights, and to go to work.

Here is a little thought-of secret to living a car-light life:

Just live close to a major grocery store. They almost all have things like household stuff, school supplies, kitchenware, etc. and a pharmacy. Simply by living near a grocery store you can cut your driving way, way down!

[Gardenarian]

That Xtracycle is cool! I'm thinking of a trike for shopping and stuff because I'm almost entirely deaf and also have some balance issues. I'd love to be more visible and more stable! My regular bike is great for recreational riding, but it can be pretty scary on busy roads.

This is the one I'm looking at: http://ashlandelectricbikes.com/rogue-sherpa/ Pretty expensive, I know - but we are hoping to get down to just one car.

That'll be me, the crazy lady in the trike with the flags and the flowered basket!

Hmm, just had a thought...this would make a lovely Xmas gift, to me