Our Car-Free Life

Huffy Cranbrook Our First Bike

We gave up driving our car 603 days ago, and we love our new life. It is hard for most people to understand that we actually love not being in a car. It started on September 1st, 2012;  I was getting out of the car at a local home improvement store, and piles of fast food wrappers came tumbling out the door with me. We had realized that we needed a healthier lifestyle before this, but it didn't hit home until that moment. We decided no more fast food. And as luck would have it another idea came: what about biking everywhere close to home? So we went to Walmart and bought bikes. They weren't fancy- just basic single speed bikes with fenders and fat seats. The next day we drove them to work. We have purchased several accessories since  that has made cycling everywhere within our town easier. We purchased front and rear racks, pannier bags,  baskets, horns, European wheel locks, and a bike repair manual. We now are completely car free, we cycle to work, the grocery store, library, and anywhere else we need to be on a daily basis. We love being able to park near the door everywhere. We never have to look for parking spots. We don't worry if we are going to run out of gas in a traffic jam. We love the convenience of never worrying about expensive mechanical problems. We just don't have the worries_ we are happier people. So if you are considering a car free life_GO FOR IT!
Some things to note:
Get fenders or purchase a bike with them they are a worth every penny.
Single speeds might be harder for people in hilly communities, but they are easy to work on yourself.
Look for good racks, we like Wald but have since updated to Public racks.
We purchased wheel locks and use them in combination with a cable (we live in a relatively safe area)