Repairing the bank balance

Some people can't even comprehend being car free. Others do get it, and are slightly jealous.

"Yeah. You must save heaps - not having to buy petrol," someone said to me recently.

Well yes I do but that's only a fraction of it. In a recent cleanout I found an old bank statement from my car-owning days.

Yes. Car repairs for $3033.62. Even ten years on, my first reaction is "Ouch!". It's one of the things we don't factor into the cost of having a car. But it's a real cost. On the bank statement it's very real.

My second reaction is gratitude in realising how many years I've avoided these unexpected surprises. Just another benefit of being car free.

PS. Other car costs include depreciation (buying a car for $20k and selling it for $10k), lost interest (that $20k could have been in the bank earning interest), car registration, car insurance, car repairs and car maintenance. Depending on how you drive, there may also be speeding fines and parking tickets. So yes I save on fuel, but there's so much more than that.