When Erick Cave's 1987 Volvo started sputtering and stalling for the umpteenth time, he thought about making yet another appointment to get it fixed. Then he had a better idea: Why not just get rid of the car altogether?

Sure, it might be simple if he was a bachelor. But Erick had a whole family to consider: His wife, Jessica, and their two children. Plus, none of them were the biggest fitness buffs: In fact, neither Eric nor his wife had ridden a bike in 20 years.

Rather than committing him to an asylum, Jessica and the kids went along with Erick's plan. Erick purchased a bike for each family member, and Jessica bought a bus pass for her daily commute to work.

Immediately, the family began to notice results from their car-free lifestyle – in the waistline, of course, but also, surprisingly, in the wallet. Because they weren't spending money on gas or auto repairs, Erick realized that the family was saving more than a third of its income. "It's as if your boss came in and asked if you wanted a 35 percent raise," he told the Orange County Register.

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