Go big or go home? I’m going big. I recently gave away my car.
I’m SICK of clutter! This. That. Bits and pieces of trinketry masquerading as something I now realize is nothing. Today is a day of action. It’s easy to talk smack about everything. Almost everybody does. Few take action.
I’ve always practiced taking action. I’m not one to plan to infinity. I believe in ideas. Big, small, it doesn’t matter. What matters is action. An idea without action is merely a thought. The key is to get thoughts converted to ideas. Ideas transformed into an action.
For the last 10 years I’ve been on a personal mission to reduce clutter in my life. Get rid of excess baggage. Clean out the rented storage space, the garage. I’m not only talking general clutter – but specific. Emotional, mental and physical. While I’ve had some success, I feel like I’ve mostly failed at this mission. Today is a new day.
For clarity, I didn’t really own my car. The finance company owned it. Most people think they own a home. Unless you hold the title, you don’t. The bank or some hedge fund owns it in a securities bundle they purchased from a bank. Home and car ownership for the vast majority of the public is a con. I’ve broken the cycle.
Through the power of Internet research, which by the way, is the most liberating tool available to break free from the “gatekeepers” – my car was roughly worth the payoff. Great! It cost me a $1,000 to part company. I don’t really care because now, I’m a little bit more rich!
Good-bye big monthly payments. No more annual licensing and registration fees. Good-bye exorbitant insurance costs. See-ya later $4.00 gasoline. Kiss my ass to maintenance, car washes, tire rotations, wear and tear and a special swift kick in the balls to interest on the loan. A person should NEVER finance a depreciating asset. You get hooped on both sides of the coin. Heads = depreciation. Tails = interest.
None of this crap adds value to my life. On the contrary these items are a tax on my life and to my best interests. I just made well over $2,000 a month. That’s $24,000+ a year! Good-bye car! Good-bye to this clutter!
For now, I’m gonna walk where I need to go. It’s better for my physical and mental health, another benefit! If it’s too far, I’ll ride the bus. Public transit in my town is second to none anywhere. If it’s beyond these options, maybe I don’t really need to go?
OK, if I do need to go, I’ll rent a car for the day or the week and hand the problem back to Enterprise or Hertz once I’ve used and abused the thing. Cheaper, less clutter and less tax.
Now, understand, I’m not doing this because I’m going “green” or because I’m under some delirious delusion I’m saving the planet or any such nonsense. I have a job. I’ll leave those positions to others on that mission. I’m doing this to save myself. Here are my keys….