The decision has been made

I've made my decision. I no longer own the Volvo that I've been driving for the past 3 years and am now officially "car-free".

As I thought about my decision to replace the Volvo, I realized that I really don't need my own car. I bike to work most days, ride the bus on others, and occasionally have Kent drop me off or pick me up. I can only think of a handful of times in the past year where I actually drove to work. It's so rare, it hardly justifies having a car sit in the driveway just in case I need it.

Looking purely at the economics, it really doesn't make sense for me to have a car however emotionally it's a harder decision to make. Having a car equates to freedom, independence, spontaneity, control - all positive qualities in my mind. But, I found a way to keep those things and do away with the cost, maintenance and hassle of owning a car. The answer - Zipcar!

If you haven't already heard of Zipcar, you should check them out. They run a car sharing program with cars parked all over town available for use. The cars are primarily rented on an hourly basis when a car is needed for quick errands (of course you can also rent them for daily or extended use). It's so cool. Zipcar covers the gas, insurance and maintenance. I just go online to reserve a car and put my smartcard on the windshield to open the car and drive away.

Zipcar just happened to launch a Low Car Diet promotion that I joined to help me make this work. In exchange for giving up my car for 30 days, I get access to their cars and get lots of free goodies. It's just the incentive I need to make going without a car work!

So, this urban gal is now car-free and excited. I'll continue let you know of my trials, tribulations and joys of being car-free!