Kelly Whalen can be found at The Centsible Life and on twitter. She writes about getting out of debt, organizing, and family life with 4 kids, 2 cats, a crazy puppy, and an amazing husband. Most days find her walking to and from the local elementary school.

Walking to Save Money and Improve Health

Just over a month ago we go the sad news that our 2nd car, or “clunker that didn’t qualify”, needed at LEAST $2,500 in repairs. The car was worth about that, and we had already sunk $2,500 into it in the last year so we decided to cut our losses. We considered buying another car temporarily, but our goal is to pay off debt, not add to it, so we quickly adopted a one-car lifestyle.

We live and work in the suburbs, so most people find our choice crazy. Fortunately, when we chose our home we chose well. We can walk to a multitude of places, including all the local public schools (K-12th), parks, multiple stores, including Target, many restaurants, and the local Y. I work at home part-time, and my husband works only 7 miles away, so if I do need the car we can drop him off at work.

We have been in our house for 2 years, but in the last month I have walked more than I ever have in the last 2 years. When you take away the other options, it becomes a simple choice!

Walking has become a new way of life for me, and I hope we will continue to increasingly rely on walking to get to where we need to go.

We’re saving money in several ways. The first and the most obvious is the car. We aren’t paying for gas, maintenance, and insurance on our second car. In the first month alone we saved over $200 (not to mention the maintenance that would have cost $3K). We are also saving by not going out as much. The days I’m carless I’m limited to where I can go, so we’re saving an average of $100/month on stuff we don’t even miss. Of course the biggest savings comes from the health benefits. Walking is such a wonderful and cheap exercise!

Other benefits of walking:

• improved mood
• weight loss
• being in more in the moment
• being a part of the community

If you live in an area where it is difficult to walk from your home, consider parking in a central location when you do errands in town, or in the city and walking to your destination.

If you live in a place that has no option of walking to where you need to go, consider these options:

• carpooling
• running errands all at once (start with the furthest away location)
• staying home
• parking as far away as possible when you drive somewhere
• making time for a hike or walk at least once a week

How about you? Do you live in a walkable area? Could you make some adjustments to make walking easier to fit into your life?

Moving to North Carolina has been a good overall. We’re still learning a lot about our new state with all its parks, lakes, and landmarks.

Once my brother in law and friend’s wedding happens, we’re going to relax and spend some time exploring some of the parks around the state. 

I was searching around About.com and  the National Park Service’s site and I found a lists of national parks in my state. Here are some that look pretty interesting and I may want to visit in the next year or so. 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail
This 2,158-mile footpath runs from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, traversing 14 states. The 88-mile portion of the AT in North Carolina includes the Stecoah-Cheoah Mountain area and the Nantahala section, with 4,000-foot gaps and 5,000-foot peaks.

Blue Ridge Parkway
Most visited site in the NPS system extends 469 miles through the southern Appalachians of VA and NC, following the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Beaches, migratory waterfowl, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are special features of the first national seashore.

Cape Lookout National Seashore
Three undeveloped barrier islands extend 55 miles along the lower Outer Banks and feature beaches, dunes, historic Portsmouth Village, and Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Connemara was the farm home of the noted poet-author for the last 22 years of his life.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
The first English settlement in North America was attempted here (1585-87). The fate of Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Lost Colony” remains a mystery to this day.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Encompassing portions of NC and TN, park features a diversified plant and animal life, and preserves structures representing southern Appalachian mountain culture. Here you’ll find all the information you need to plan your trip to the park or surrounding area.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
The battle fought here on March 15, 1781, was the largest action of the Revolutionary War’s climatic Southern Campaign.

Moores Creek National Battlefield
Commemorates the February 27, 1776, Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, the first decisive Patriot victory of the Revolutionary War.

Wright Brothers National Memorial
The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than- air machine were made here at Kill Devil Hills by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903.

Have you been to these places? Which ones do you recommend?

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on North Carolina’s National Parks

It’s winding down fast! The PF Bloggers Weight Loss Challenge is still going on, but we’re getting close to the end. I’m sharing some of the results so you can see for yourself how we’re doing.

Personally, it has been very,very busy for us. We’re going to be out of town for the next few weekends. I’m trying to keep eating smart by bring healthly snacks. On our trip this past weekend to Virginia, instead of getting my pecan pie during the road trip, I grabbed some sunflower seeds. Small victory, but I’m trying to make changes to my diet.

Week 6 Results:

Winners – Zeta Team!

Zeta team is on fire! Week 6 saw the entire group lose a total of 10.5  pounds. (There were a few participants who didn’t report weigh-in’s)

Week 7 Results:

Winners – Zeta Team!

Week 7 saw the entire group lose a total of 4.25  pounds. (There were a few participants who didn’t report weigh-in’s)

Bob will be  attempting to gain 10 pounds.  The points will work the same, but in reverse.  Mrs. Micah will be working out with a extensive weekly exercising commitment.  She will earn a potential of 1 point per week if she stays on track, plus the bonus 5 if she hits 7/9 weeks.

Congrats to everyone!

Please share your tips with everyone so we can have a successful last couple of weeks, whether you are a participant or a spectator.