I recently moved into a new house, about 5 miles from where I used to live. The move is a massive lifestyle upgrade for me and my family, but even with our increased lifestyle costs, we should still be able to meet our financial goals. Life can happen obviously, but we have a history of being good with our finances. And we’re fortunate enough to make a good income, with my wife in a particularly stable profession.
One big downside of our move, however, is how far away it’s taken us from our son’s daycare. We originally picked our daycare because it was close to our house – just a 10-minute walk. Having a nearby daycare was really important to us because of our schedules. My wife heads off to work early in the morning and usually doesn’t get off work until 5:00 pm or so. That means I’m the one that typically handles drop-offs and pick-ups.Â
By itself, this wouldn’t be a problem, but the wrench in everything is that we’re a one-car household. My wife uses our car because her office is in the suburbs. That means I’m left with the task of transporting my son without a car. When our daycare was just a 10-minute walk away, this wasn’t a problem. But now that I have a 4 to 5-mile distance to traverse from our house to daycare, things have gotten a bit trickier.Â
How I’m Getting My Son To Daycare NowÂ
Most people can’t imagine getting children anywhere without a car. But then again, most people aren’t willing to think outside the box or put themselves in situations outside of the norm. Faced with getting their kids 4 or 5 miles, they’d tell themselves they have no choice but to get a car.Â
Here’s what I’m doing instead. I took an electric bike with a suitable rear rack (in this case, I’m using my RadCity, although I may spring for a cargo bike eventually). I then put a Thule Yepp Maxi bike seat on the rear rack. And that’s all I need. It takes me about 25 minutes to get my son to daycare now, which really is only about 10 minutes longer than it’d take for me to drive there. And my son gets to see everything that’s happening in the city on his way to and from daycare. I’m not a child expert or anything, but I feel like he’s benefiting by seeing the city and all of the people around him.
That’s all it takes. An electric bike. Put a child seat or a trailer on it. And you now have a vehicle that can actually act as a car replacement for most of the year. It really is possible to move children around a city without a car.
Admittedly, I do have some advantages that make biking more of an option for me and my son. Namely, I live in a city that has made it a priority to create bike infrastructure. One of the reasons I’m comfortable biking with my son is because my route is safe for bikers. It has protected bike lanes and bike paths that are separated from traffic. Without that infrastructure, I’d probably be more hesitant biking. That’s the beauty of bike infrastructure. It gives people choices of how they can get around (in contrast to most places where the infrastructure has been created to only allow cars).Â
And yes, I know the weather can be an issue. But it’s not as big of a deal as you might think. A rain jacket and some rain pants can solve any rain issues. When you’re using an ebike, heat is rarely a problem (you don’t have to use your own power, after all). The only issue will be in winter, not because of the cold, but because of the snow and ice. Most likely, I’ll transition over to public transit during the winter months, when it’s simply too slippery for me to bike with a kid. It’ll take me a little longer, but I can still get my son to daycare without using a car.
Why Haven’t I Bought A Car?Â
Figuring out how to get my kid to daycare from my new house did have a simple solution. I could have just bought a car.
But I’ve never bought a car before. I grew up in a city, so driving really wasn’t something I did very often. And to be frank, the car buying process intimidates me. It may be strange to some people, but I’m in my mid-30s and I’ve never bought a car before. I don’t even know how you go about buying a car. Â
More importantly than just being scared of buying a car, the simple fact is, I haven’t bought a car because I don’t want to. I’ve always preferred getting around using other forms of transportation first. I think it’s better for the environment. I think it’s better for me. And since this is a blog about money, it saves me money too.Â
I think I also enjoy the challenge of getting to places without a car too.
The Lesson Here – Choose The Things You Want
The point of this post isn’t about the fact that I’m biking my son to daycare. I think it’s a cool thing that I’m doing and I don’t think most people would do it this way, but that’s not what this is about.
The real lesson here is about decision-making. It’s not that I can’t afford a car. I could easily buy a used Prius for $10k or $20k and it wouldn’t be that big of a financial cost for me. But for my whole life, I’ve chosen not to buy a car. It’s not something that I really value. Instead, I’ve chosen to get my son to daycare via other methods. It’s not the only or best way to do it. But it’s the way I want to do it.
It’s common to think about money in terms of denying yourself things. But that’s not what money should be about. It should be about making intentional choices. Buy the things you want. Don’t buy the things you don’t want. And when you buy the things you want, make sure it’s something you actually want. The important thing is you should get to choose.Â
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
- SoFi Invest ($50) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $50 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($350) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($75) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $75 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
You probably could have gotten a used Nissan leaf for not much more than your electric bike. Probably more versatile, but less exercise and don’t get to use bike paths…
I’ve been thinking about getting a used Nissan Leaf as a second vehicle as some point. I know a guy who did that – he doesn’t have much range on it, but it get him to where he needs to go in the city.
One thing to note – a car, no matter what type of car – is far less efficient in terms of energy use and practicality. One is a 2 ton vehicle moving a 150 pound person. The other is a 60 pound vehicle moving a 150 pound person.
Personal finance is personal for a reason.
The car buying process is a huge headache and hassle anyway. I wonder how much better my life would be if I hadn’t gone through the yelling, interrogation, and the fake pretending to be mad at my “low” offer.
We were a single-vehicle household for the first 5+ years of our marriage, and honestly, we think about going back to it. It’s really not necessary for us both to have our own cars since we both work from home. I love the creativity you have to find a solution to get your kid to daycare and not compromising on what you want. Great exercise too, I bet.
Life is very different for city dwellers and rural people. We’ve got three vehicles between my wife and me and we each drive some 15,000 miles a year. We are retired and don’t have jobs to commute to. I doubt we will ever go back to two cars because we prefer smaller and sportier cars for our daily drivers but need a large SUV to pull our boat and trailered ATV. The cost of cars is not a significant expense to us as we tend to keep them a very long time. We much prefer rural life over cities and a greater dependence on automobiles just goes along with that. To us it is a small price to pay to be surrounded by wooded wetlands instead of concrete and tall buildings. And I think it is more than offset by much lower housing and other costs of living. Like anything else you find what works for you, which is often very different than what others prefer.
Very well done. Your point about infrastructure is important… and the reason I wasn’t able to pull it off when I tried to do something similar a few years ago. The main roads simply weren’t safe enough for bikers, and the neighborhoods between me and where I needed to go had too much criminal activity. I do really resent that most infrastructure is built around the assumption that every adult owns a reliable car and is okay with driving it all the time. It’s very presumptuous and very expensive! You’re right though, we do still have the ability to make some (tough) choices with respect to where we live, where we work, how long we’re willing to spend getting to where we need to go, etc. And I admire that you’ve stuck to your guns even when it’s gotten more difficult.
Great article. My wife and I also downsized to one car this past year, and I doubt we’ll go back. It’s amazing how much we are saving in terms of insurance and maintenance. I’m also starting to commute to work via ebike, and it’s great! Now that I’m biking, I really see the value of biking infrastructure too. We have bike lanes along our busy streets (which I use), but I would love to see them protected and marked with lane posts. I’m hoping we see more people pushing for these changes too to help encourage alternative transportation options.
You are an inspiration to us all. I wish more people would be more open-minded as you are. I think people don’t choose to use biking or public transportation because it doesn’t compute with the level of comfort that they are used to. And part of that comes from the general American culture of everything having to be ‘convenient,’ but I want to invite people to step away from that line of thinking.
We’re a one car household as well – I drive my wife to work, then drop my daughter to her daycare on the way back. My wife ubers home in the evenings. I love the idea of biking, but I’m not too confident about biking on roads.