That's me.
That's Shelly II.
Two years ago, I decided to say goodbye to her, and my life changed!
Dear Umbra: Does it make sense to get rid of my car?
Change is stressful, but it can also be really good for us.
That's especially true when it comes to going car-free!
I bought Shelly II in Chicago and then drove her all the way across the country
to Seattle where we lived for about two and a half years.
Then one morning, I split up with a guy I was seeing
and I decided to go for a nice long drive to clear my head.
Shelly II drew her dying breath outside a shrimp stand in Anacortes, and had to get
towed 80 miles back to Seattle.
She was too expensive to fix, so I sold her, and started to make some other changes in my life.
You don't need to wait for signs from God like a breakup and a shrimp stand to decide
to give up your vehicle.
We, the people on Earth, have about 12 years to cut our emissions by half.
The average American household's biggest contribution to climate change comes from car fuel.
And 91 percent of American households have at least one car.
But just for a second, let's talk money:
Mr. Money Mustache, personal finance blogger and popular frugal living champion, says that
going completely car-free will generally shave between $5,000 and $10,000 per year
off the typical person's expenses.
I calculated that over the course of my two-and-a-half year relationship with Shelly II, I spent
a total of $15,750
That's over $6,000 a year.
I used my car to go grocery shopping, take weekend trips, drive to my friends' houses.
But I didn't actually need to use her to take any of those trips.
I live in a city ostensibly so I don't need a car.
Why was I using Shelly II all the time?
I lived in a pretty walkable neighborhood.
It was affordable, but it wasn't super-central or dense. And it had a ton of hills.
And I had four roommates, who I did love.
They're all wearing matching shirts. I didn't have a matching shirt because they didn't think I would like it.
But it's fine. Whatever,
I realized with the money I would save by not having a car,
I could afford an apartment by myself right next to downtown.
That's me having a little bev with the space needle.
I found a big studio where I could walk to do all my errands or to work, and it was near
a lot of bus lines.
I could ride an e-bike or take the bus to friends' houses from my more central neighborhood.
If I wanted to take a weekend trip, I could rent a car with a friend or two, or take a
train or bus.
And then, there's the fact that I'm naturally very high-strung.
Like a violin.
A lot of driving is associated with psychological distress, mental health problems, and a generally
lower quality of life.
Biking, walking, and public transit calm you down, because you're either exercising or
like, reading.
So, I essentially offset what I had been spending on a car with the cost of living in a denser
area, while exchanging car stress for doing something to fight climate change.
Replacing your car trips with public transit, walking, and biking can reduce your total
carbon footprint by 30 percent.
This decision is way easier for some people than others!
Our cities and suburbs and towns are built in a way that keeps, say, families with kids,
or people with disabilities dependent on cars.
And that has to change.
But for people who don't have those obstacles, like me, and maybe you, it's a life change
that's worth considering.
I loved having a car.
I really did!
I actually love driving!
But when I took a hard look at the stress, money (seriously, it needed a lot of repairs),
and carbon impact of the whole car thing, it just wasn't worth it.
For me, the math was easy. Run the numbers yourself. See what happens.
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