Challenge: You can only bike/walk to get groceries!

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2

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  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    We do this already but we're less than one mile from a supermarket and two natural/ethnic grocers...so it's almost cheating for the challenge :wink: Still, cool idea!
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
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    It is my goal in a few more weeks. Right now I'm just getting back in shape. Eventually I will be taking my trike the 1.3 miles to the store and 1.3 back. Right now I'm just up to walking .6 without much issue. Need my legs stronger before my trike can handle hills lol
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I don't do my grocery shopping by bike, but I do a lot of other stuff. If I take the safe route, downtown is 15 miles from my house, so I like to ride up there to eat sometimes. I rode to FedEx Office one time and ended up taking my bicycle inside because they don't have a place to lock it up outside. I've ridden to work. I ride my bike to church most Sundays. I've ridden it to go vote. I've even ridden it to go buy gas.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    No way! I did it for 2 days last month while my car was in the mechanic. Doing a round trip of 11kms carrying heavy groceries ( i stupidly stocked up on watermelon and cantaloupes) just about killed me! Then i had to go back the next day to get the stuff I'd forgotten the previous day :weary:

    They say that cyclists spend less per visit but they visit stores more frequently and end up spending more than the average person. And yet they save about $5,000 a year if they eliminate a car.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    It's not cheating to have Amazon or whoever else bring you paper towels, either.

    For me, the benefits of doing this are (1) spend more time outdoors which makes me happy, (2) fresher produce more often, (3) an escape from cabin fever, and (4) I burns me some calories.

    And you might possibly get in those 60,000 steps...oh wait, that was another post. :D

    OP, if I didn't live out of town I would love to join your challenge. Does parking as far away as possible from the door count?
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    Sounds like a great challenge. It isn't one I can do though. I live on a mountain highway and nothing is safe walking distance from my house.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    No way! I did it for 2 days last month while my car was in the mechanic. Doing a round trip of 11kms carrying heavy groceries ( i stupidly stocked up on watermelon and cantaloupes) just about killed me! Then i had to go back the next day to get the stuff I'd forgotten the previous day :weary:

    They say that cyclists spend less per visit but they visit stores more frequently and end up spending more than the average person. And yet they save about $5,000 a year if they eliminate a car.

    Haha yep, i totally believe it. When i do smaller trips through the week to just pick up bits and pieces, my grocery bill is a lot higher at the end of the week than if I'd done just one big shop.

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    This doesn't count, but I dropped off a jacket to have the zipper repaired. 9 hilly miles.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »

    They say that cyclists spend less per visit but they visit stores more frequently and end up spending more than the average person. And yet they save about $5,000 a year if they eliminate a car.

    I believe it! :o
  • BettyM1017
    BettyM1017 Posts: 616 Member
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    I've done this for years. It's wonderful! Even when you're buying groceries for a family of 5. I have a great little trailer I hook up to my bike. However, I have it kind of easy. I live in Florida, so I can do this all year long without too much concern for the weather. And, I live in Florida where the everything is flat. My biggest elevation change is about 200 feet over a couple of miles. Good luck to everyone trying this. You're stronger than you think!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I will not be walking or biking on the only road between my house and the store. Very busy 2 lane road with no shoulders.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    I will not be walking or biking on the only road between my house and the store. Very busy 2 lane road with no shoulders.

    This makes me sad. We have come to a point in society where some people are trapped in their homes if they don't own a car. It is time for that to change.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I live 2 km from my nearest grocery store, I walk there regularly, unfortunately they don't have the most variety or the best prices. The next closest grocery store is probably 5 km away, but not walker (or cyclist) friendly.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    We grocery shop once per week and do so at Costco...our groceries barely fit in the back of the Grand Cherokee so no way I could haul them on my bike or walk home with them. Don't have the time to shop with frequency.

    We do occasionally get smaller items from Sprouts Market which is about 1 mile from home and we frequently walk on those occasions, but they aren't regular occurrences.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Seajolly wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »

    What's your plan for laundry detergent?

    I'm just going to steal the neighbors. Kidding. For the purposes of this challenge, can I get laundry detergent on my lunch walk at work, and then drive it home with me? I used to commute to work by bike but they moved the office further away and I can't reasonably go 15 hilly miles to work and arrive at 7 am looking and smelling presentable.

    Haha yes I'm only sticking to groceries for this challenge. Not gonna do my giant paper towel and toilet paper buyout on my bike or laundry detergent. I'd probably get into an accident trying to bike those home (I buy them in bulk for savings). :p

    I've done it with a smaller batch of groceries, and only toilet paper OR paper towels at one time - bungee corded on top of the milk crate holding the rest of the groceries and work bag. I usually buy the higher concentrated smaller bottle of laundry detergent anyway (I don't want to have to haul the heavy ones around and out of the grocery store anyway).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Whether I cycle or drive, my grocery runs are typically limited by what fits in a (very) large newsboy-type shoulder bag since I don't have the patience to shop with a cart (harder to maneuver around all the slow people).
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
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    I've been doing EXACTLY this for years now, but I'll join anyways xD
    If the grocery store is too far away or if it's raining cats and dogs, I modify by taking the bus part of the way.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    That's not a challenge. I haven't got a driver's license and the bus aisle is too narrow for my bundle buggy. It's on foot or nothing.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    I will not be walking or biking on the only road between my house and the store. Very busy 2 lane road with no shoulders.

    This makes me sad. We have come to a point in society where some people are trapped in their homes if they don't own a car. It is time for that to change.

    IMO, in the vast majority of cases people choose their housing and are well aware of the walk/bike friendliness of the area when they move in, so no reason to be sad.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    I will not be walking or biking on the only road between my house and the store. Very busy 2 lane road with no shoulders.

    This makes me sad. We have come to a point in society where some people are trapped in their homes if they don't own a car. It is time for that to change.

    IMO, in the vast majority of cases people choose their housing and are well aware of the walk/bike friendliness of the area when they move in, so no reason to be sad.

    That also makes me sad, because that implies that if a person reaches a point in their life where they decide to be more active than they have been in the past they may be forced to relocate.

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