By Jessica VanOverbeek
At a certain point, life started to feel like an endless push to upgrade. Bigger and better: job, home, clothes, cell phone, recreational items, vehicle, furniture, etc. The upgrades didn't bring me more enjoyment—quite the opposite.
So, I did what I knew best – challenge myself to change.
In August 2022, I decided to downsize and sell my truck, intending to buy something smaller and better on fuel. It was a hard decision because I LOVED every aspect of having a truck, but only putting 6000km a year on it meant I probably didn't NEED it. The first week was tough. I'm not going to lie.
Although my daughter (8 years old) and I enjoyed biking or walking around town to events, parks, sports/activities, and friends, getting to further locations for events or errands was a challenge. This is where the Yellowknife Car Share e-car comes in! I signed up as a casual driver, thinking I'd use the car share while I looked for a replacement vehicle. Little did I know that I'd soon become a full-time member.
After a month of using the car share, I realized that not only was going carless possible for a single parent, but it was almost more enjoyable. Using active transportation or the car share has many benefits; some were expected, but many were unexpected. Here's my list of the top benefits I’ve identified so far:
1. Savings – financially and environmentally. To be expected and part of the desire to downsize.
2. Health – physically, moving, and being outside more regularly, and mentally, not having the stress and things to consider when it comes to owning a vehicle (insurance, gas, repairs, cleaning, etc.). Again, I was expecting and looking forward to these.
The next few benefits surprised and convinced me to continue being carless and use active transportation and the carshare as much as possible.
3. Time – carless means slowing down because it does take more time to get to and from places. However, it also helped streamline my life as I became more purposeful and focused when running errands.
4. Connection – with my community, but more importantly, with my daughter. When we walk somewhere or to get the e-car, we experience movement, laughter, honest and serious conversations, goofy games, creative stories, reflections of the day, and sometimes quietness when everything is still, and the 'world paused' as my daughter noticed one morning.
So, if you're like me and looking for a change, or maybe curious about other possible benefits of being carless, I strongly encourage you to try it, even for a month or two. The Yellowknife Carshare Co-op is simple to join and easy to use. The people who run it are AMAZING and incredibly helpful. Find out for yourself what benefits a carless lifestyle can bring to you!
