playbook🍯
A week of groceries without the car
Seven days of hauling all the groceries on a cargo bike. Not as a statement, just as an experiment. By the end, the car turns out to be unnecessary more often than not.
7u
duration
Free
budget
Ignite
pace
The biggest reason to hold on to a car, even if you mostly stay within the city, is usually the weekly grocery run. Two full bags of wine, a box of diapers, a 6-pack of water, it seems impossible on a bike. On a cargo bike all three fit in one go, and most people who try it for a week gradually park the car less and less afterward.
The experiment is straightforward: seven days, all groceries on the cargo bike. Not just the big Albert Heijn haul, but the in-between stuff too. By the end you have a real sense of whether it works for your family or not. It might not work, especially with more than three kids or a supermarket that is far away. But most people discover the cargo bike can handle more than they thought.
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Auto-sleutel weggelegd
In een lade
Drie herbruikbare tassen klaar
In de bak
Spullen-lijst week op de koelkast
Verre supermarkt vervangen
Door dichterbij
Week afgemaakt zonder auto
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by PlayTryBe team
Day 1: put the car key in a drawer where you won't just grab it. Not giving it away, just building in a bit of friction.
Suggestion: If in doubt you can always go and get it. The friction does its job.Write down the shopping list for a normal week. Including the things you usually pick up in one big run. Diapers, a case of water, wine, everything.
Spread the week across four smaller trips instead of one big Saturday afternoon. Monday for fresh stuff, Wednesday a mid-week run, Friday the main haul, Sunday a fix-up.
Halfway through the week a neighbour gives you a look. He will say something about it. Keep your answer short, no philosophy, just "we're trying something out".
On the tough trip (case of water, box of diapers, three bags): use a bungee cord to strap everything down. Don't just pile it all in the cargo box.
Somewhere on Thursday you realise the car hasn't moved in four days and that this hasn't caused any problems. That's information, not philosophy.
At the end of the week: look back at the week. What went smoothly, what was tricky, what would you do again.
0The question isn't whether you can manage without a car. The question is which habits shift when you do the experiment. Often the shopping list gets shorter and the planning gets smarter.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- A few reusable shopping bags that fit snugly in the cargo box works better than loose plastic bags.
- Spread the groceries over two smaller trips instead of one big one, that fits better into a week.
- Avoid glass on the bottom, it breaks on cobblestones.
- Plan a bulky-item purchase (case of water, milk in a 5-pack) for a weekday afternoon.
Variations
- - Voor een groot gezin: twee bakfietsen of een aanhanger, niet alles in een rit forceren.
- - In de winter: vervang fris koud bier door slordig aansporen om binnen op te warmen na elke rit.
- - Met online boodschappen: combineer een wekelijkse Picnic-bestelling met dagelijkse verse bakfiets-runs.
- - Twee weken in plaats van een: na zeven dagen weet je nog niet alles, na veertien dagen wel.