Oddbean new post about login | logout Just bought a public transport subscription, instead of a car. Feel sort of poor, but oh well.
Quit the gym membership, no more car, and only €12 per month more, to ride public transport anywhere in Germany. That nets me a few hundred € more per month, on average. Worth it.
Cars are so crazy expensive.
How much is petrol?
Circa €1,75/Liter.
Literally more expensive than here. Your government has expensive habits to feed...
All energy costs here are dominated by taxes and fees.
That's what we say. (Not true in theory and practise for agricultural machinery, and not true in theory for stationary generators.) But Germany is clearly "doing more". (Ironic salute)
Calculated it out, assuming we bought a used car for €25k and drove it 10 years, that's savings of €477/month.
Would never buy a used car for more than max 8-9k, more to the 5k range... The problem with public transport is, that it's cost scales inversely to the cost of cars. If I ride with my family with 3 persons for example, in the car it's 1/3 of the cost per person as to compared to 1 person, in public transport it's 3x the cost of a single ride....
That’s one of the largest things I miss about Europe. Public transportation is much better there compared to most places in USA.
Own nothing, be happy.
It's different to own nothing as Schwab said (rent an item that you'll never buy) than taking thé public transport 😅
The difference is choice. In a free future, she can change her mind and buy a used car again. In a Schwab future, she can't.
What about a used car?
We only buy used cars. My last one just died on me and won't be replaced.
Me too. I only buy used cars. But 25k € for a used car is too expensive
If I buy one for €10k, I would still save €352/month, but it probably wouldn't last 10 years. Same difference.
That's why i prefer old japanese cars. They cost less, they last for many years. Easy to fix, IF something needs to be repaired. Not easy to find spare parts though...
€352/month is €5725/year. That's a lot of money, for someone like me.
We're making more income than most people, so I don't really understand how so many other wives are driving snazzy SUVs around. I don't understand why everyone around us is living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Where the heck do they get all of the money for that?
Smells like people owe loans to the banks...
Must be.
Then smells like Greece before... you know...
Reminds me of right before the US housing market collapsed. Houses and cars and TVs getting bigger and bigger.
They are in debt out the nose. Everybody is. And that is dangerous. In a healthy economy, somebody might take out say a million dollar loan, and build a factory that creates say two million in wealth, so the debt is sustainable. However, today, most debt is leveraged into things like housing bubbles, stock bubbles, and other things that aid consumption, but don't PRODUCE any real new wealth. Our society is going to learn the hard way, that extra low interest rates, don't "stimulate" the economy, and DO create bubbles. A lot of people want low interest rates, but in truth we should want high interest rates, so capital can be allocated by the market, and not by the central bank printing up money. Central bank imposed low interest rates do not help the real people who produce real wealth, it destroys them.
^ So much this
Why does it feel poor for you?
I got rid of my car in 2005. Raised 4 girls and home schooled on an income considered below "poverty" in Virginia. A small economy car was $400/mo back in '05. The expense is ridiculous now - and the govt can hack into new cars remotely and disable stuff (and so can others - some white hat videos demonstrating the danger). I got a bicycle. It is actually faster than a car within an 8 mi circle. We had just one car for the family. Also great improvement in health!
Yeah, I can ride my bike, but it's quite hilly. Might invest in an e-bike, when the prices finish coming down. Just bus and walking, for now.
If anyone in your family is remotely handy with a benchtop spot welder, an ebike can be much cheaper than you think :-D
The retired guy across the street repairs everyone's bikes and e-bikes.
He's built his own e-bike. Also revamps really old racing bikes.
Value for value. Does he like your cooking?
Yes. Also, beer.
(Nods) Part of every balanced circular economy!
I still have a car because our trains don't work in the city and public transport is hardly safe, I would love if it wasn't the case and I could use public transport i've done it in other countries and I was always jealous
It's relatively safe, here, and I'm already paying for it, so I might as well use it. Just had to slow down my lifestyle, a lot, to deal with strikes, delays, thin time-tables, or long walks to/from stations. And I have to plan my shopping for days/times I have the car. Therefore, I don't do as much sport-walking. I used to drive home in the car and then go for a walk.