Zipcar

Perhaps you've noticed the little badge I have on the side bar of this webpage. It's telling you that if you sign up for Zipcar, there's some free driving in it for you and me. What is Zipcar you might ask?

It's AWESOME that's what.

I live in the downtown-ish area of Vancouver (I was right downtown, but have recently moved just outside of downtown) and the transit system in Vancouver is superb. Possibly the best I've ever been on. As a result, it just doesn't make sense to have a car. I had a car until last October when the lease ran out. Even when I had it, I only used it maybe 2 times a month. One to Costco, and one to visit my cousin who lives far away in the land transit forgot.... With insurance being high for a car just sitting on the street, to having to pay for parking permit, to the INSANE price of gas and maintenance,  it was really a no brainer when it came to deciding to keep the car or not.

This is where Zipcar enters. It's basically a car share service without the massive fee upfront. There is a yearly membership fee (and even that can be discounted if you are a student, are with an organization that is set up with them, or live in a specific area) and then you pay per use. Most cars are around $10 an hour, with the hybrid cars being cheaper than that. The best part is, they pay for gas!! Gas in Vancouver is up to $1.30 so I definitely don't miss having a car with those prices.

Toot toot!

It's really great. I usually only need the car for a couple of hours. There are various sizes to choose from, from a Mini Cooper to pickup trucks. It's so easy and there are LOTS of locations in Vancouver. It's also really fun to drive a different car every time!

They even have an iPhone app! You can reserve,

unlock the doors, and honk the car horn!

Another perk is that I can book Zipcars anywhere. So if I head to Seattle, Toronto, San Fran (and more!), I can book a car while I'm there! So much cheaper than renting a car and it's great for the environment. Let's say Zipcar didn't exist, but all the members still wanted a car. They would then probably buy a car. That means minimum 7000 more cars on the road (I'm only basing this stat on the number of Zipcar's Twitter followers. There might be more or less members than that, I have no way of knowing the actual amount). According to Zipcar, one Zipcar takes 15-20 cars off the road and there are over 8000 cars in the Zipcar fleet. So if you extrapolate that, it probably adds up. That's also that many less cars using gas and oil, which is GOOD.

That being said, I really hope they start to roll out more cars in cities across Canada. So far it's just Toronto and Vancouver, but hopefully they can expand soon! (Psst..Ottawa has TERRIBLE transit...just sayin)

So if you're thinking you need a better way to get around town, without wanting all the strings of owning a car, click the little badge on the side! We both win! As the ad says, "It's the car for people who don't want one"

An update on SPUD:
It's so great! But pricey. We found an amazing organic grocery story near our new house that has really cheap prices, so I'm not sure we'll use SPUD again. However, I do recommend it if you find yourself too busy to get out to the store and buy healthy food! They deliver right to your door! I can even hook you up with a discount! Visit their website to find out if the service is available to you!