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Quite a few threads have me wondering what your lifestyle is like that it doesn’t necessitate owning a car.   I think it is great that you are able to live car free, but I am wondering how this is. Many people have expressed the feeling of freedom that comes with not owning car, but for me it feels like a lack of.

Do you work in the city or commute to the suburbs? Are you otherwise required to commute to areas outside the city on a frequent basis?  Is your family local and how often do you see them?  Would you describe your lifestyle as minimalistic?  This is the part of me wondering how I would have gotten that all-in-one printer home the other day or the cans of paint and bbq I just bought.  When I run my weekly errands, I get everything done in one shot.  How is that possible on a bike?  Do you use car-sharing services?  How often would you say not owning a car creates a hindrance?  Do you ever feel like you are losing time in your day due to a reliance on public transportation or that it is more of a hassle?  

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H3N3 said:
"Elitist?" "People claiming that their lifestyle is superior?"
I haven't seen that here-- can you give me an example?
What I see is people making defeatist and hopeless statements that cars are "necessary", and when anyone speaks up to share their experience and say they're not, they're labeled as simplistic, judgmental, short-sighted, condescending . . .

So, I gather that you currently don't have a commute because you "choose" not to work?

I really don't want to turn this thread into a debate, but I would be more than happy to do so elsewhere.

I do work and am fortunate to do so from home. ; )
OK, I was just trying to piece things together from what you posted, and you said "if I chose to work."
Glad this is not going to be a debate. Some good answers so far.
Are you able to apply any of the responses to your own situation?

milesperhour said:
H3N3 said:
"Elitist?" "People claiming that their lifestyle is superior?"
I haven't seen that here-- can you give me an example?
What I see is people making defeatist and hopeless statements that cars are "necessary", and when anyone speaks up to share their experience and say they're not, they're labeled as simplistic, judgmental, short-sighted, condescending . . .

So, I gather that you currently don't have a commute because you "choose" not to work?

I really don't want to turn this thread into a debate, but I would be more than happy to do so elsewhere.

I do work and am fortunate to do so from home. ; )
Car-free for about 5 years, now. 1 mile walk/bike to work. Bike trailer for groceries up to 100 lbs. Borrow a heavy-duty trailer for loads up to 500 lbs. Bike or transit to see relatives in the city.

On the 5-10 days a year that I actually need a motor vehicle, I rent one. I take taxis occasionally. I don't worry about the cost, because all of my transportation costs combined add up to a minute fraction of the costs of car ownership. I also benefit from the absence of car-related hassles like parking tickets or worrying about whether my windows will be smashed for the 32 cents in my change cup.

Speed is not an issue. If I want to get somewhere on time I leave a few minutes earlier. Because traffic is so unpredictable in Chicago, I find that biking or taking the El are almost always more reliable and less stressful than driving ever was.

I do not miss owning a car. Ever. Additionally, I like having several thousand dollars more in my savings every year. The annualized cost of owning a car, in my experience, was $4-5k/year. My current transit costs, as described above, amount to about $1k/year. I look at the difference as a tax-free bonus of $3-4k a year. At my current salary, it is the equivalent of a 5-7% raise. Beats the cost-of-living adjustments at my work hands down. Like money? Ditch the car.

There are appropriate uses for motor vehicles. Are you a building contractor or a tradesman? Do you make heavy deliveries for a living? Are you caring for elderly relatives that are too ill to get around on their own? Are you a farmer? The list goes on, however, the majority of urban Americans do not need a car. They have been conditioned to think that they need one.
I always compare not having a car to not eating meat. If you don't like meat, don't eat it. If you dislike factory farming, the environmental consequences of meat eating, etc. but like meat, just eat less of it, and get it from better sources.

For me, not having a car makes sense; for others, it won't. It's probably better to worry less about being car free than about driving just as much as is necessary and no more. Car use is a spectrum, not an either/or.
It seems to me that if you thought about your time and schedule a little differently, being carfree wouldn't seem so crazy. For example, it would definitely be inconvenient and challenging to do all of your weekly shopping and errands in the same trip if you're biking or walking. The easy and obvious solution to that problem is to split it up so you're buying fewer things at any given time. Since you work from home and presumably set your own hours (?) this shouldn't be very much of a challenge. You might say to that, but it takes more time to make multiple shopping trips. But the difference is, you're spending that time doing something fun and enjoyable, whereas when you drive you're just sitting around in a box, waiting for traffic. Occasionally I do need something that is too big or unwieldy to carry on my bike. Usually you can get stuff like that delivered, though. For the few times when you really need something that's too big to carry on your bike or the bus/el, you could take a cab and still save money overall. A barbecue is like a once-a-decade purchase, right? You don't need to have a vehicle just for stuff like that.

I used to commute from La Grange, and the Metra ride plus walking from my house to the station and to my job took over hour. But it was generally really pleasant-- I got to read for half an hour and have a nice walk at either end. I don't really see why you consider using transit to be 'losing time' but driving is not. Think about all the time you spend moving your car around so you won't get tickets, or digging it out of the snow, or filling it up with gas. Those moments add up. I imagine you're spending more time than you actually think you are maintaining a vehicle, and maybe you don't recognize it because those tasks seem so normal to you.

I don't consider myself a minimalist. I consider myself someone who doesn't like to spend time worrying about stuff like tickets, parking meters, gas prices, oil changes, traffic, and being sober.
I live in oak park, work in the loop. About fifteen miles and change daily. I live with my son, and we don't have a problem getting downtown when we like. We have a trailer, a tandem, and a hitch to hook his bike to mine and pick what we're going to use depending on the weather and the circumstances. We have friends right near our neighborhood, and family up in edgewater and see them plenty.

I don't know if my lifestyle is minimalistic but it is what it needs to be. Not owning a car has pretty much just meant I didn't have to worry about car crap. The city is laid out great for biking, and not giving a damn about traffic or parking or maintenance makes life a lot more enjoyable and getting around a lot more predictable.
I've lived car light for several years. I kept an old car (already paid for) that I had when I moved back from out of state to help look after my elderly dad, for occasional trips or heavy shopping, or emergencies. When the car got too old, I donated it. My significant other has a car and works nights in a location where the car is needed for a safe commute. I have access to his car when he's not working, but I don't use it that much.

Do you work in the city or commute to the suburbs?

City

Would you describe your lifestyle as minimalistic?

Not really. But I try to be efficient in planning trips that aren't practical by bike or public transit to get the most bang for my buck when I need to drive.

When I run my weekly errands, I get everything done in one shot. How is that possible on a bike?

I got a cargo trailer.

Do you use car-sharing services?

I use I-Go on occasion.

How often would you say not owning a car creates a hindrance?

Maybe once or twice a month. It encourages me to do more stuff within easy riding distance, so I'm more likely to patronize neighborhood businesses and help those businesses to thrive and survive. I appreciate those neighborhood business districts, so this is a very positive side effect.

Do you ever feel like you are losing time in your day due to a reliance on public transportation or that it is more of a hassle?

Once in a while. Being on the far south side, my biggest frustration is when huge events or festivals downtown or near downtown (such as Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Air and Water Show) affect my ability to get across town. On weekends like this one, I often end up skipping events on the north side that I would have attended if I was still living in Rogers Park and could easily get there by bike.

On the flipside, I look at how much time I used to waste taking my car for service, filling it up with gas, washing it, etc., and how much money I used to spend on all those things. If you don't need a car for your commute and can plan efficiently for those trips that do require a car, a car share or regular rental can make a lot more $ense than owning, especially if you live in a neighborhood where car share locations are plentiful.

And I'd also agree with the suggestion to add Jane Jacobs to your reading list.
The question of losing time is interesting because from my point of view, I walk out the door and a moment later am at the gym, and then as soon as I'm done working out I'm at work. Then I leave work, enjoy some recreational activities, and am home again.

If it weren't for the bike, that time would be eaten up by "commuting."
This is an excellent piece of wisdom.

I cannot be car free for several reasons but I concentrate on driving as little as possible unless I have to. It's the best I can do and tons better then driving everywhere.

Dr. Doom said:
I always compare not having a car to not eating meat. If you don't like meat, don't eat it. If you dislike factory farming, the environmental consequences of meat eating, etc. but like meat, just eat less of it, and get it from better sources.

For me, not having a car makes sense; for others, it won't. It's probably better to worry less about being car free than about driving just as much as is necessary and no more. Car use is a spectrum, not an either/or.
I've been car-free my entire life, never got a license.

I make my decisions accordingly: I moved to Chicago because I can live here without needing a car, I live in biking distance to work, I moved close to public transportation for very cold days, I live close to grocery stores.

My family is across the ocean and I see them every other year or so. I take the blue line to O'Hare. :)

I frankly don't have that many errands to run, and sometimes wonder what people use their cars for on those long weekend shopping trips (in that sense maybe I am minimalistic?, I drink tap water, I don't buy much except food and hygiene/cleaning products). I can easily fit what I need day to day in panniers or on my rack. I very rarely get new big STUFF but sometimes get it delivered if I have no other way to transport it.

I spent most of January/February this year on public transportation and actually loved it, I read so many novels! :)

I hope so much I'll be a healthy elderly person someday who can still bike around. My grandparents biked around our hometown until they were in their 80s and never owned a car - trailers, soft saddles and everything - hopefully by that point there will be super bike friendly small towns for me to live in, to bike around with less stressful traffic.
Michael said:
The annualized cost of owning a car, in my experience, was $4-5k/year. My current transit costs, as described above, amount to about $1k/year. I look at the difference as a tax-free bonus of $3-4k a year.

Tax-free? How'd you pull that off?
I have been car free for 4 years. 
I have only been cycling for 2 years.
In the first year I was half a mile from a grocery store.
I used peapod for my bulky/heavy items, the delivery cost is low and prices are reasonable.
now I live in an area that's a shorter distace from grocers so I make more frequent trips.

My family lives in the suburbs and I see them about once a month. I take the metra and then usually someone will pick me up. 
none of my family minds going 10 minutes out of the way to get me.

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