live close to where you go

Action

Live walking, biking, or easy public transportation distance away from the places you regularly go like work, grocery stores, and social locations.

Discussion

If you live close enough to the places you regularly go, then you don’t need to own a car. Car ownership is expensive, and living further from the places you go obligates you to spend very unproductive time sitting in a car. (Consider that shifting from an half hour car commute to a half hour walk or bicycle commute is a highly net positive gain in terms of money, health, and time because now you don’t need to spend “extra” time exercising.)

This pattern is consistent with reducing overall cost of living strategically and improving general quality of life (embedding exercise in your routine and potentially being more integrated in a local community).

In some places of the world it can be difficult to find a reasonable apartment or house that is close to the places you go. For these places, other patterns may be more appropriate.

This pattern pairs with

• don’t own a car
• ride your bike places
• rent a car for bulk trips instead of owning a car
• share housing – have roommates
• don’t have more shelter than you need
• become a property manager