How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life

by Chris Balish and Chris Balish -

You don't need to own a car to live well in America. In fact, you'd probably be better off without one. In this groundbreaking guide, award-winning journalist Chris Balish exposes the true costs of car ownership and shows how car-free living can put anyone on the path to financial freedom. Using the book's car cost worksheet, first figure out how much owning a car really costs-you'll be surprised. Then, see how easy it is to transition to a car-free...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580087574
• ISBN13: 9781580087575
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A fun and positive book with great common sense tips

Anyone who's looking for a way to save money fast should read How to Live Well Without Owning A Car. But that's not all. Chris Balish breaks down and challenges the assumptions about car ownership, then offers step-by-step suggestions for getting out of the car-ownership trap -- including suggestions for dealing with the mindset (of ourselves and others) that it's somehow abnormal to not want a car. The book examines the seductive advertising claims of automakers and juxtaposes those claims against real-world car-ownership needs. Chris shows us how getting rid of one's car doesn't mean "giving up," it means getting free. Besides, the book is just an enjoyable read. It's filled with testimonials from people all over the place who have reduced their car dependence and the subsequent rewards they've realized by doing so. Comedic and pointed illustrations and quotes kept me turning pages of a book that takes a serious yet lighthearted look at car ownership and alternatives to it. If you're thinking of buying a car, first read this book, then decide.

Just what I needed, just when I needed it

A natural disaster recently totalled my car, and left me scrambling to figure out how the local buses worked, etc. About a week later, I found this book and read it almost overnight. It is filled with some good math on why being car free makes sense, lots of suggestions on how to explain going car-free to incredulous friends and family, and importantly for me, information on dating and socializing ideas. I thought things were really going to stink for a while when my car first died, but now I am out and about more than ever, enjoying the extra money and better health being car-free has brought me, and its only been six weeks so far!

An upbeat story of going car-free

This book tells the story of a guy who accidentally went car-free and was amazed at the savings! Most people don't realize how much they pay for their cars when you add up all of the costs. This book is fun to read. If you want or need to save money, giving up the car is well worth considering. I am not car-free, but my husband and I gave away our second car about ten months ago. I take the bus to work, and we have found it really easy to share a car.

If you do the math, it is amazing!

First off, I am NOT car-free. I'll admit that up front. But I would LIKE to be and this book has convinced me that I'd save a TON of money if I were able to reduce or eliminate my dependence on our car. The author saved about 40K or more in 4 years of living without a car. To say he did not EVER USE a car, however, would not be totally true. He bumped up against reality sometime and had to rent a car on occasion...but mostly he made do by bicycling, walking or using public transportation or taxis. "Wait", you might say, "Take a taxi? Aren't they expensive?" Not as part of an overall plan that allows one to stop paying for auto insurance, car maintenance, buying a car, etc. The author makes a convincing argument and I have cut down on my use of our auto as a result, walking as much as possible. I'd do away with it forever if we had reliable public transportation and if our kids weren't involved in activities that were out of the public transportation loop, sometimes out of the city. But I still have hope of living "car free" and I am aiming for a life where using our car isn't necessary, in a town with good public transportation and mild winters...someday. In the meantime, this book has given me a road map (pun intended) for a simpler, less auto-dependent lifestyle.

This book impacted me in a big way

Before reading this book, I scoffed at the idea of surviving without an automobile. A victim of our "car-as-necessity" culture, I was curious to see HOW someone could actually do it. Balish not only shows you how to do it, but how to DO IT WELL! If you are fed up with shelling out over $800 per month... nagging neck and back pain... being stuck in traffic staring at billboards... BUY THIS BOOK NOW! I'm seriously considering trading in my SUV for a car-free, stress-free life.