BAM! The car is gone! After months of work trying to rid ourselves of this leech, we have turned over the keys! I cannot describe my happiness. The sudden feeling of freedom and sudden wealth. No more $300 car payment or $125 insurance bill each month, along with the other hidden costs of having a car--parking, maintenance, gas, more gas, fines, registration, fees, and more gas. I think we're living within our means for once. Amazing! 

We did have to fork over $950 to sell our car (ridiculous, right?) but within two months, we'll be back on top. 

Obviously, our main form of transportation is our bikes. We had already transitioned to 95% carless mobility. Now, we are forced to fill up the last gap with mostly car free methods. We don't have the easy fallback of a car at our front door. Being car-free does take an extra step of planning to make sure our trips are covered as needed. We have not tapped into the bus network here in Sacramento yet. Our Light Rail system is decent for specific longer trips but have limited directions and stops. We have a Zip Car spot close by but we are going to hold off signing up until we can see if we really need it or not. Our real car-sharing program is with my parents. They have a Prius that is completely paid off and barely used and because they live just three miles away, it's a pretty convenient option. We have gotten rid of our anchor but gained plenty of options. One of my favorite things about being car-free is the fact that we are more dependent on our community. Also, when you're not paying $500 a month for car related expenses, a $100 car rental or bus ticket every once and a while seems terribly reasonable. 

I know we'll be just fine. We're following in the footsteps (literally walking the walk) of some fantastic inspirations. ibikeubike proves that going car-free is the best option for her family, check out this great write-up by her 12-year-old. My uncle, Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, and his family have lived car-free for most of their married lives, they even funded their boys' elite university educations with their savings. Tim Castleman, co-owner of Practical Cycle has lived car-free for almost three years, commutes 20 miles a day on his self-built BionX'ed and Xtracycle'd cruiser. I just learned that Vincent Kartheiser of Mad Men fame rides the bus (full disclosure, I have no idea who he is, I just Google'd "car free celebrities"). 


Stay tuned for our new adventures of Car Freedom! 

The bumper has been repaired! After a mess of losing the registration bill, late payment, and agonizing trip to the DMV with my little ones (who hadn't had a nap), we are well on our way to ditching the car!

Jose got an initial quote from Carmax and learned that we can deal directly with them to lessen our loss. Turning it into the dealer would cost us te rest of our lease: $3300. Going to our credit union to finance our purchasing the car to sell it would probably net us a $2000 loss after paying the loan costs. Carmax pays us whatever they appraise our car to be worth ($17,000 last time) and then we pay the balance of our payoff--hopefully $500-$1000. Still, our car payments are $300 plus $150 for insurance and right now has costs about $4.25/gallon. We'll recoup our loss within two to three months easily.

I dropped of our carseats to 'Nama's house. We are planning to sharing their Prius that they rarely use, as needed.

I'm not against cars. I'm just against the way they are frivolously used. I'm against the idea that everyone in the family needs at least one car each because we need to be able to drive somewhere at the drop of a hat. I'm against the way cars have become the only viable way for people to get around.

"I can't ride my bike, there's too much traffic!"

I'm ready to take my stance against a system I can't stand. I don't need a car, I can do without so off it goes!

I feel like it's Christmas! I can't wait to get rid of this burden and we're so close now!

UPDATE: We just made it back from Carmax. We got the same appraisal as before but our payoff is a bit higher than I had thought. We're just shy of owing $1000. Not bad though. Sad part was when we realized that the Toyota leasing office was closed and they wouldn't be able to buy our car until tomorrow. One more day. Certainly feels like the car-gods are working against us. Keep sending us fluffy car-free thoughts, please! 

I got a chance to meet my Twitter friend, Kristi, and her wonderful family yesterday when they all stopped by Practical Cycle to buy their new Boda Boda cargo cruiser. Kristi's husband, Pete, had been in the market to upgrade from his Target bike so he could commute 12 miles to work and back. Pretty impressive! They chose the Boda Boda for its practical kid- and stuff-carrying capability, as well as the comfortable ride. Cassidy added some fenders to complete the bike and they're still waiting on some stoker bars for the kids to hang on to. For now, they just have a rumble strap and soft spot, although that worked for their first rides.

They were nice enough to share their awesome boys with me since my decided to stay home and nap with papa.

Pete took Kristi for a ride first. We rode along the American River Parkway and then they swapped halfway. Being that both are on the tall side, it was a pretty awesome sight! It was the first time I had seen the BB in action. I was very impressed since many people had been worried about the high deck. Didn't seem to be a problem for either.

We rode about 8 miles and then they had to head home. They strapped the BB to the van's roof and ride off. I love getting a chance to meet these amazing online bikey people in real life! I look forward to hearing about their future adventures with the bike (which share a garage with their Madsen charge bike). They're hoping to add a BionX assist in the near future.

In other news, our Mundo joined the "I dropped my kids" cargo bike club. I always told people that it happens to everyone but up until now (7 months later) we had managed to avoid it. Big Brother was climbing up the side loaders with Little Brother in the Peanut Shell and Jose was just out of reach. The parking lot might have been uneven, Big Brother might just be too big to climb up, or maybe Little Brother leaned over at the wrong time. Next thing I knew (I was across the parking lot), there was a crash and a couple of stunned boys. No tears, no screams, no bruises, no blood--not too bad. The only part that was a bit damaged was one of my blinky grip lights. I think Big Brother's giant handlebars helped buffer in the fall. Awesome. We're now in the club of those who know that dropping your kids is not the worst thing in the world. Glad to have gotten that out of the way! 

We rode around a bit in John Phillip's Cycle Truck, too. The boys love getting a bit more freedom. John is going to let us test out a prototype tricycle he plans to build, similar to a Nihola, to see if that helps my mom feel comfortable taking the boys around. She tried the trailer once and was too scared. The trailer is too far behind and difficult to pull. I know she wouldn't attempt to put them on the bike so I think this could be a great alternative. John says it might even be ready in a week or two!

Finally, one more awesome mention--Pablo had bought an Xtracycle kit from Practical Cycle and brought his finished bike back to show us last week. I hear they made it to Folsome Lake on their inaugural ride.

He even made a homemade Hooptie to protect his boys (aged 3 an 4). It was so strong and stable! It definitely makes me want to try something like that when Little Brother is too big for the Peanut Shell. Pablo's enthusiasm is contagious! He is so excited to have a fun option for riding with his kids.

Next, he just has to pick up a Boda Boda for his wife and they'll be able to all ride together! I hear that she might get the electric version, the El Bo. I'm jealous!

You know how everyone says jet lag is worse coming back? It's not because of the time zones, it's because you don't have an awesome new location to distract you from your exhaustion. You have the screaming kids, the dirty dishes, and the crazy dog to deal with again and suddenly you're 10 times more tired. You know what normal people do when they're tired? The use the weekend to rest. You know what I do? Bike all weekend and push our limits. You know what I found out this weekend? I have limits to my biking abilities.

Normal people would have figure this out earlier.

Friday and Saturday were pretty calm. It was great getting back to my precious Mundo and its lovely saddle. We rode to Doughbots, the Farmer's market, my mom's house, the usual.

However, Sunday was the Mustard Seed Spin. I was really happy that I had made it back in time to join! This is a fantastic ride for a fantastic cause. The trouble starte when I decided to bring both kids on my own. It was an 11 mile ride just to get to the start of the ride. Then, my next problem was deciding to do the longer route. The ride had been listed as a 20km and a 40km. When we got there, the signs said 13 miles and 20 miles. I decided that wasn't enough of a difference and let my ego take over. I picked the 20 mile side.

It wasn't 20 miles. It was a full 40km--25 miles. That extra 5 pushed me over the edge but we kept moving to get to the free Dos Coyotes at the end--and because I'm pretty darn stubborn.

Then, we still had 11 miles to ride home. Little Brother was out of diapers and rode home without (we got lucky, actually, and didn't have any messes). He also refused to sit in front so he took the Peanut Shell, forcing Big Brother to sit on the deck. He hadn't had a nap and was fairly delirious at that point. Somehow, we got home wih minimal screaming (even from me). The little one pushed and kicked the big one from behind, the big one wiggled, wobbled, and rubbed his face into my back (which is very loving but gets a little creepy after a half hour or so). I almost moved Big Brother to the Mini Yepp, he is only about 2 pounds over the limit, but I restrained myself--and I didn't want to stop the bike any more than I had to.

Forty-eight miles later, we were back home. That was the longest I had ever taken the boys on my own. Usually, there's someone else to help distract them. At least we had been fed really well. Snacks are always our saving grace. I allowed more jelly beans than I would have normally but this was desperate measures.

We survived. We got over our misery pretty quickly--the boys played in the sprinkler and I ate ice cream. I learned my lesson--listen to that little voice that says "you don't have to prove anything."

Although, that little voice is also whispering "hey, look what you did! What will we do next?..."

I just made that little voice quiet by eating a bar of chocolate. Shhhh...

It's great to be back!