Well, here is the first of many unforeseen challenges to not having a car: doing the laundry.

Here is my strategy. I have a huge suitcase on wheels. I stuffed it full and strapped the detergent to the extra bag loop on the front. Then I made the half mile walk to the laundromat. It worked like a charm. So far I haven’t had a car for a week and have barely noticed, but winter is coming.

My car is a 2000 Hyundai Elantra. It has 189,000 miles. What a great car.

I looked into all of my options. Should I get it fixed? That was going to be $1700. Should I get it rebuilt? Not much cheaper. I might as well get a new one. Should I just get a new car? A new-new one? Or a new one to me?

I worked very hard into paying down my credit card. I got it from $3200 to $700 in the last ten months. The thought of dropping $1500 or more to get me right back where I started pissed me off.

I had been riding my bicycle to work and around town all summer. I had seriously been contemplating the idea of riding through the winter. That’s when it hit me. This is motivation! Why do I need a car?

So there it is. The idea. I’m going to attempt to break my oil habit.

This is not an easy statement. I grew up believing the american dream. The one that says it is an unalienable right to life, liberty, and nice stuff. That’s not the only thing making this difficult. I live in a small city. Public transportation is limited. Oh and my girlfriend lives thirty minutes away and my parents even further.

Despite all this I can’t help but think that breaking my oil addiction is worth it.

A coworker gave me the idea of blogging about it. It might seem vain, but I think this is a very timely subject what with words like “peak oil,” “bailout,” “recession,” and “palin” floating around. Read with me as I make this journey. Maybe you too will decide to break your addiction.