My Car-Free Challenge to Save on Fuel Costs

Fuel costs are soaring, and everyone is looking for ways to pinch pennies and save money anywhere they can. In light of this, I decided to give up my car indefinitely. This is very difficult, as my two cars are fun to drive, and cute. I have a 2004 Ford SVT Focus, and a 1988 Ford Mustang LX 5.0L convertible. However, I challenged myself to leave both cars in the garage for the month of February, and have carried my challenge into March. It has been fairly easy, I just had to make a few lifestyle changes.

Walking

I started walking my kids to school and picking them up. We also take the dogs with us, to get their morning and afternoon walks in. On rainy days, they ride in a car with a friend, but the majority of the time, they are walking with me. I also make short trips on foot when possible. We combine a quick trip to the grocery store with a walk with the dogs. I walk to the post office every morning when I have packages to drop off. I also walk my dogs to doggie daycare twice a week, and to obedience class once a week. Anything within a mile becomes an opportunity to walk my dogs, and get the family out for exercise. This not only saves money on gas, but benefits us physically.

Bicycling

If a trip is over a mile, I ride my bicycle. I have a Trek 880 Mountain bike that rides like a dream. I go to the library, nail salon, pet supply store, City Hall, license branch and other places here in our suburb. I can also wear a backpack when I ride, to carry items that I can't have in my hands. I'll usually incorporate errands with a longer ride, to maximize the physical benefits. I also ride the 12-mile round trip to the local Air Force base during my once-monthly Reserve drill weekend.

Ridesharing

If we have to go to the "big city" of Wichita for any reason, I try to ride with a friend or neighbor who is going there anyway. This is a very rare occurrence, since we have everything we really need in our tiny suburb. I have only had to rideshare one time since my challenge began.

It is entirely possible to give up your car. You just have to be creative and determined. So far by my estimates, I have saved almost $1,000 on fuel since the first of February, and I have lost almost 10 pounds by walking and riding where I need to go. As my challenge progresses, I will update my readership with more stats.

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