Independence

So, everyone I spoke to about living in Chicago told me to get rid of my car if I was going to be living in the city. A guy I'll be working with said he's been able to invest and save so much more money because he hasn't had a car for the 7 years he's been there. Me, myself, I've had a car since I was a junior in high school and never thought I'd be without one. Having a car is a good measure of independence, and I have never gone so long without having my own mode of transportation...at least one that will let me do more than get back and forth. I'm not really complaining, but I can come and go as I please with a car, not necessarily the same case with a motorcycle. Rain is a no go, winter time is a no go, and people in cars are not looking out for you on these streets. So, as fun as it is, it's not quite the equivalent of having a car. When you do the math though, it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to have a car in the Chi. I'll probably be traveling Monday through Thursday and in the office on Fridays. For the first month or two, I won't even be in town because of training. So, let's break it down.

• Car Payment: $350
• Car Insurance: $140
• Gas (2 fill ups a month at $50 per): $100
• Oil Change every 3 months: $10 (per month)
• Parking: $50 (annual cost of city decal for street parking) OR $100 to $400 (for a garaged spot)
• Emissions Checks: ???

Either way you look at it, I'd be dropping $600 to $1000 a month on a car that I'd drive on the weekend. And the weekends are still a big maybe because parking in other garages for a limited time is expensive to. At the same time, I hate being held hostage because I don't have my own transportation. That just happened to me last weekend because I rode with a friend to a wedding 4 hours away, and we left 3 1/2 hours after we said we were gonna bounce. Pissed, yes. But was it worth only having to chip in on gas, please believe it. I think another big part of it was that I used to shuttle friends to wherever the spot was for the night, and I kind of miss it. I'm getting over it though. I can't count how many quick favors I facilitated when I did have a car.

We'll see how closely I stick to this budget and how bad it gets. Because chances are, I'd be parking on street. So, the car would be beat up from bad parallel parkers and harsh winters. Do you think you would be able to survive without a car?