Skip to main content

Day 11 - Going Car - Lite

I could just tell from this title that THIS was going to be a challenge. 


Sometimes I tell my husband that I feel like we own a car lot. Just too many vehicles, even though we drive each of them and they are all just about paid for. We plan to get rid of the excesses this year so hopefully, this will be an area that we can work on reducing.




But you want me to go "Car-Lite" for the assignment?


Daily Goal: Plan a time in the near future to do a tiny experiment: Keep your car parked in the garage and try going to your local grocery store through an alternative method (i.e. on foot, by bike, or by bus). Foot, bike or bus not an option? Plan a trip into town and coordinate a carpool with a friend or neighbor. Side note: If you take your bike,  it has a rack, a carrier, or a basket so you can bring your purchases home.


Oh, OK, I think this challenge is doable for us. Even though my hip prevents me from walking the 8 block round trip to the grocery store, I can and have riden my bike. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, we have a couple of E-moto electric assist bikes we found last year at Costco. We outfitted them with bike bags and can do a pretty good size trip between the two of us.




Here is the catch though.... these bikes cost us quite a bit. They were definitely an investment. We are both in our 50's and wanted to be able to continue riding our bikes and the electric assist helps us go up hills and pedal easier when the going gets difficult. But the cost of having to replace a stolen bike makes it very difficult for me to park my bike, even with a HUGE lock on it, in front of a grocery store and shop for 30 min. 


We have discussed getting a BOB to tow along behind one of us. That would make it easier to haul BIG groceries and the bike / trailer combo may appear too much to steal in a short time as well. We've been looking at our local Craigslist and garage sales for one since last summer. Hopefully we will find one soon.


Could you do it? Have you thought about other ways you may be able to commute around without driving? How would YOU complete the Daily Goal?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee T. Rice House

Isn't this a beautiful Victorian Style home? You can't see all of it because of the shrubbery and trailer park at the base of the house. It made me curious about the history of the house so I looked it up. Here is what I found. This is the historical information I found written  HERE . Coffee T. Rice House Oceano, California History and Description: Coffee T. Rice was a wealthy financier, with enterprises throughout the State, who migrated from Ohio to San Francisco. When a railroad was surveyed through this area he envisioned an industrial center here and acquired various properties close to the right of way. He introduced celery production to the area. Rice started construction on his home in 1885 using the same craftsmen that were working on the Pitkin House. The house originally had 20 rooms and was painted yellow. Surrounded by well-kept grounds with various trees and a sundial, the house was approached by an oval driveway and a stone-pillared entryway. The grounds also in

Norwegian Pancakes (Norska Pannekaken)

Every culture has its pancake and this is the Norwegian version, a very light, crepe-like pancake that goes with just about anything. These "pancakes" are light and eggy and go with both sweet and savory fillings. When my chickens start up laying eggs in the Spring, we LOVE to make these pancakes, freezing the excess for another day. Yes, they freeze and thaw perfectly! Most people have the simple ingredients on their shelves and in their refrigerators SO LET'S GO! Original Recipe Can Be Found on the Outside Oslo Website   Here . Norska Pannekaken 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon Scandinavian vanilla sugar* 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan Mix all ingredients except butter in a medium-sized bowl using a whisk or fork until the batter is smooth and you have no lumps. Stir in butter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the batter rest. Meanwhile, warm a

Remembering Loved Ones

Halloween...it's on the horizon. Stores are going all out with candy, costumes and decorations. Kids are practicing their very best, "Trick or Treats" and making costumes ready for the big night. Church's are organizing carnivals in an attempt to keep kids off the street and safe. My kids participated in Halloween until they were way to old to really get away with Trick or Treating and they loved every minute of it. Frankly, so did I! But now that they are grown, I've started a new tradition in my home. It's loosely based on El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. I spend October "re-membering." I read somewhere that as long as someone is alive to say your name and remember you, you are not truly dead. Dead here I think would mean forgotten and unknown. When October comes, I get out my Family Tree and as many pictures as I can find of family that has passed on, and I say their names and think about them and the stories I have heard. I'm k