[MandieD]

I read his posts about the hedonic treadmill and general anti-car-dependence at the time that I was considering a (nicer) replacement for a car that had developed expensive problems.

I ended up selling the car and we've been a one-car household ever since... despite the addition of our kid.

[celiachu]

Could you share the specific article you mentioned about the hedonic treadmill and general anti-car dependence? It sounds very insightful, and I’d love to read it. Thanks!

[MandieD]

This one is rather harsh, but it made me think even more about my car use (I already lived within walking distance of a subway and a commuter rail station, so was ripe for further changing my habits): https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/04/22/curing-your-clown...

Hedonic adaptation: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-a...

Basically, once you’re accustomed to a certain “luxury,” it can feel like a necessity, even if you were content without it before.

Flipside: once you’re used to doing without something, you may find that you don’t really miss it, even if before you had trouble imagining doing without (in my case, full time car usage - I grew up in suburban Texas)