SELL YOUR CAR & BIKE TO work, school and the grocery store!
It can be done and it is done on a regular basis by loads of people. People are selling their cars (or choosing not to buy them in the first place) and biking it. By adding side baskets and carts, we're hauling the kids and the groceries without a car.
WHY?
Because "a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot" is outmoded and bad for the country & environment.
FRUGALITY, HEALTH & MOTHER NATURE:
It's all about the money, isn't it? It is for most of us, so let's start there.
Do this QUICK FINANCIAL REALITY CHECK:
1.) Multiply your monthly CAR PAYMENTS by 12 (months per year).
2.) Multiply your monthly CAR INSURANCE PAYMENTS by 12.
3.) Add up the amount of money you spend on gasoline per month and multiply that number by 12.
4.) Add up the amount of money you spend on parking per month, then multiply that number by 12.
5.) Add up the cost of all repairs you expect in one year.
6.) Add the cost of car washes you pay for in one year.
7.) Take the sum of all these CAR EXPENSES and look at it real hard.
What is it? $5,000 a year? $10,000? More? A little less? Still looks like a lot of money, huh?
What would happen to your household budget if you freed that kind of change up for other things? Maybe you could spend that on your mortgage payments? A vacation? Retirement? How about not spending that money at all and just reducing your hours at work every week?
Now lets look at the benefits of Bicycling and see what kind of money we're talking about:
1.) Add up your health club expenses and multiply that by 12. Are you spending $20 a month? $50?
2.) Add up your health care costs per month and multiply that by 12. Do you get sick often? Would getting fit reduce those health care costs? How's your blood pressure? Lung functioning? Musculature?
How much money could you save if you started biking everywhere, every day, instead of going to the health club? How much TIME could you save that you spend at the health club? How much TIME and MONEY could you save if you didn't get sick as often? $240 - $400 on the health club? $120 a year if you could cut out a prescription for a health complaint? How about copays to the doctors office? How about the cost of missed work? Isn't your health and longevity actually priceless?
Are you a civic minded person? Then think about the money you're helping save your community in road repairs, parking spaces and health care for inner city children who develop asthma from polluted air.
COMING SOON:
ECO-FACTS & LINKS on the BENEFITS of BIKING IT!
* Want to know how many pounds of emissions your car puts out by driving every day?
* What does that add up to per U.S. Citizen per year, anyway?
* Find out about ZAP BIKES - Electric motors for your bicycle!
* What's the rest of the world doing? A look at China, Denmark and more countries with higher bike use than the U.S.A..
* Bike Carts, Tag A Longs and hauling attachments!
* More!
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