Our car was stolen recently.
We have a "secure" parking space with our apartment. Somehow someone got it out of the car park. There is a gate which you need a fob key to get in and out from. I have no idea why they targeted our car, its a 15 year old vauxhall, there were much more fancier cars in the car park than hours.
But my little car had been a trojan over the years, I was sad to see him go, he was low maintenance, low insurance and of course paid for a long time ago. We used him for a run around at the weekends and also to escape into the countryside at the weekends.
Now we have no car. Its been four weeks and still no car.
And we have no immediate plans to get a new one.
DH and I walk to work, we have numerous supermarkets around us. We have been taking a train to the countryside at the weekends. And we do a lot more walking without a car. Last weekend we counted up we must have walked about 10 miles!
DH and I have talked about getting another car but we cant really come up with an excuse as to why we need a car. So why purchase a car when we will have to spend on the insurance, tax and the depreciation??
Talking about cutting costs, I've also cancelled my gym. Sorry but it has taken me a long time to realise that gym's don't work (for me) long term. I don't enjoy the gym and I see it as a chore. I feel that I have to go because I am paying for it. The truth is the gym makes me feel stressed. Running on a wheel and staring at a wall with other sweaty bodies makes me feel claustrophobic and anxious. I could rant on about gyms but I am sure that there are some people who enjoy the gym. I prefer to get my exercise in the fresh air hiking up a mountain. So that's more money saved. Actually I'm donating it to charity.
I've also started using cash only at its amazing how much less we spend. More on that to follow.
Perspectives on human performance
2 hours ago
4 comments:
Gosh. totally relate to this. Since returning to the UK we have stuck with the one car. Recently we thought about a little runaround for me, but realised that as I can walk everywhere and we can use the joint car the rest of time - what would be the point? You start thinking about tax, insurance, petrol, upkeep ... bah! forget it! Would be nice - but would also be a luxury we don't need. Also I go out running/walking. used to go to the gym and kind of liked it, but now - again - seems a bit of a waste. When you don't have much, you have to be so careful about what you do want to spend your spare cash on. I think that if we went back to our 'old life' with a healthy income, we wouldn't know what to do with it. Been living out of cash-filled - designated envelopes for too long now - and kinda like the way it makes us think harder and spend less and don't miss tooooo much. Although a nissan figaro would be nice one day ;-)
Alice, that is so true, we have been spending a lot less since we have been living on cash, it really makes you mindful and that is how I want to live, mindfully and gratefully. It does make you think harder and evaluate more. We are finding that we buy a lot less and its harder to go shopping without a car, if we cant carry it we dont buy it:)
Hi there, I agree - living mindfully and gratefully is what we aim to do. Tip for shopping without a car (and I know it sounds old-fashioned) is to buy a trolly on wheels! Oh how I laughed at my mum back in the day, but recently I purchased a FUNKY one (no tartan in my house!) and I tell you, can get all my shopping in with ease. Great buy.
Alice, I'd love a trolley on wheels! At the moment DH and I are using our hiking rucksacks!
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