Becoming a single car family

[athena1277]

My car's A/C went out a week ago. When we took it in to see how much it would cost to fix it, they found a several vital problems that needed to be addressed. The car is 13 years old and I had a feeling it needed some work done. We "can" drive it, but it's not advisable as there are 2 parts that could go out at any time and cause major damage. The cost to fix it is more than it's worth and not a guarantee that there won't be another problem in a month.

 

There is no way we can afford a new (used) car right now. We are selling the car for the few pennies we can get for it.

 

We will start tomorrow getting up an hour earlier than normal most every day to take dh to the Metro. Then pick him up after work. :thumbdown:

 

Please tell me we will quickly adjust. And that we won't go crazy or try to kill each other.

[Lily_Grace]

:grouphug:

We're a single car family, at least for another year. The first bit was annoying because dh and I had to rank importance of activities before deciding who got the car that day. We live in an area where we have to drive to EVERYTHING so some days it was a lot of going back and forth, driving each other places or running errands for each other.

 

It's gotten better. I've figured out the bus system (yay me!) and the train so longer trips I can do without. Dh and I have picked days of the week to call dibs, so he sets up most of his appts on Mon/Wed and I have our school stuff and appts on Tues/Thurs and usually steal the car on Friday, too. :D It's nowhere near ideal but we really, really want to be debt free before we think about another vehicle so this will have to do for another year or so.

[oraetstudia]

You can do it. We've been a one car family twice so far during our marriage. Once, my husband's coworkers would sometimes give him a ride, so I didn't always have to drive him in. The other time, more recently, we live close to a main bus route, so my husband took the bus to work and home. It wasn't perfect, but it was doable.

 

I think you are planning the correct way though, that you drive him to the metro and keep the car. My sister-in-law and her husband went a year or two with one car, where he took it to work and left her car-less, while their car sat parked in an office parking lot most of the day.

[kalanamak]

For us, Baroque music once everyone is awake would make the whole thing better for all of us.

 

For the trip back, put a fun book on tape for the kids (like EB White).

 

For the pm trip, once hubby is back, try to have a fun or interesting thing to tell him, and encourage him to think of one on the metro. If either of you can read in the car, that is also a possibility (a read aloud).

 

:grouphug::grouphug: You can do it. My folks were one car for the first 25 years of marriage (and 6 kids).

[Daisy]

We were a single car family for a long time. Now we are a single car and 50cc scooter family. LOL.

 

I didn't keep the car everyday. I only kept it when I knew I had appointments or errands.

 

We bought the $1,500 scooter because it gets 75+ mpg and lets my husband get to work and back. It has lasted us 6+ years and has had no problems. It was SO worth the price.

 

Getting up early might be GOOD. Everyone will adjust and you'll get a jump start on school. Put a history or memory cd in the car on the way there and back and you'll shave off some school time.

 

:grouphug:

[RainbowSprinkles]

Well, we've been a single car family ever since we were married (10 years this past July). Obviuosly, after this long, I absolutely hate it and the plan is to get a second car (finally) in the new year.

 

My dh is army and there is no way that I would wake up as early as he has to leave just to take him to work every day. When I need the car during the day, he just drops it off and then I take him back to work. I learned not to need the car in the morning, lol. And I would use the car to run errands after he comes home from work.

 

Yeah, I'm done with being a single car family. Especially now that my dc are older and I want then to be able to go to lessons/do activites. Plus I don't want to leave the minute he gets home just so I can get grocery shopping.

 

All that said, short term will probably be ok. Just don't let it turn into 10+ years, haha. :)

[roxanne23]

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Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23

[abbeyej]

We had a single car for many, many years. I won't say it was "easy", but it also wasn't all that difficult -- especially since there was public transportation that dh could take, and it sounds like that's the case for you too. (Yes, driving him to the station is still a pain, but it could be so much worse without that option -- or you could be stuck with no transportation at all while he's at the office.)

[Mommyof4ks]

We were a one car family for years, but I will say it took some adjustment. It is nice to be back to a two car family, but when I think of all the money that goes into hubby having a vehicle that sits in the parking lot all day after his 10 minute commute.

[hsmom]

We were a single car family for a long time. We adjusted to it. Now where I live there is not public transit or anything like that. Also dh works out of town for 7+ days and then he is home for 6-7 days. So, I would just plan everything to be done when he was home or walk to do it.

 

I am so glad we are a two car family again!

[LMD]

We've been a single car family for around 6 years now, since my first child was born. It's pretty easy for us... gives me a great excuse to stay home during the day! There's a small shop and park within walking distance if I'm desperate.

 

DH takes the car to work, there are no other options at this stage for him. I take the car one day a week - on that day we do violin lessons, library, visiting, park, doctors appointments etc. To take the car we all have to wake up early (5.30am) to drop DH off at work - this is the worst part for me, I'm not a morning person! If we have anything on in the evening (rare) then DH can be home by 4pm if I need the car.

 

We do our grocery shopping on saturday morning, DH comes with us. Other excursions are usually saved for either the weekend or when DH has a day off.

:)

[Desert Rat]

Oh, you'll adjust pretty quickly. At least we did. 3 weeks after dh was laid off in 2009, a drunk driver hit his truck and totalled it. We were devastated. Without an income, there was no way we could get another car. In October, it'll be 2 years since we lost the second vehicle. I still miss it sometimes but we've agreed that we aren't buying a second car until the house is paid off-so I'm hoping within 5 years.

It has helped that my dh got a job where he has a company truck. We can't use it for a single thing outside of work (they have a tracker on it, even). But, I don't have to worry about getting him to a job.

We also can borrow my parent's car on occasion if we just really have to have a second car.

It'll get easier. It just takes more scheduling.

[Harriet Vane]

We've always been a single car family. It was easy to do in the city with all the buses and train resources. However, we are moving out to the suburbs in a couple weeks and really think we can still do it.

 

Are there buses in your area? I find that suburban buses are often underused because everyone is so car-dependent--but the buses ARE there, at least in the suburbs I have lived in.

 

Can your dh ride a bike to the train station? When we move my dh will be riding his bike to work every day. If he had to he could even walk--it's 2 1/2 miles.

 

This past year my dh has been taking the car to work (new job changed everything for us and is the reason we are moving out of the city). I have found it quite doable for the kids and I to bike places.

 

Another thing to consider is that it is cheaper to take a cab occasionally than to own a car.

[Heather in OK]

You'll be fine.

 

My dh can't drive because of vision issues. We have always been a one-car family. Him having a car is NOT an option. Ever. So until the kids can drive, I am the one responsible for getting him to/from where he needs to be. Public transportation doesn't come out to where we have lived. So it's more convenient for me to just take him directly than try to work with a bus schedule (no metro system here).

 

If I'm at work or out of town his parents are kind enough to help transport him. But I can't call them whenever I don't feel like driving him somewhere just so I can stay home.

 

I used to have to take him to work at 11pm at night with a 4yo and a 2yo in tow (yes, getting them up out of bed to get in the car and then me..on my own..having to get them out and back in bed). Then pick him up every morning at 7am. Try doing that morning drive when you are pregnant and are fighting back morning sickness!!!!! I even made that 7am morning drive in early labor the day our third dd was born.

 

I've had to make the to/from work drive with sick kids in the car because he had to go to work or be picked up. Praying all the while that he/she wouldn't puke in the car. Those prayers didn't always work.

 

When he needs to be somewhere, we all load up to take him. Sometimes we have time to come home until he's done. But other times we have to find things to keep us busy in that part of town (or out of town if I have to take him to his out of town freelance job...usually he carpools with someone though).

 

Yes, sometimes it really sucks. But it's not that bad.

[CarenM]

We have been one car when the older car has had problems...for an extended time.

 

It's hard but doable.

[Kathleen in VA]

We were a one-car family for the first 12 years of our marriage. We live in the country on a dirt road about 15 miles to the nearest grocery store. It wasn't easy but we managed.

 

Do you need the car every day? I tried to schedule appts and errands all on the same day (dh gets a rotating day off so it was usually during the week, not on a Saturday). Also, dh did the "fill in" grocery shopping on his way home from work.

 

Where in VA are you? When I lived in Falls Church, I took the Metrobus to the subway. If you are not near Metrobus, perhaps there is a vanpool that takes folks to the Metro.

 

Like the others have said, you will adjust. It actually worked out well for us - kept us home and doing school and building relationships with each other.

[CourtneyMI]

I feel your pain about the single car family. We are a single car family right now. It takes some scheduling and adjustment but it's totally do-able.

 

The hardest part for me isn't the staying at home thing 1 day a week (I work 2 days a week while the kids are with my parents and we wKe up early 2 days a week to take DH to work). The difficult thing for me was that my best friend and my mother tried to tell me I needed to have a car for myself because DH was trying to control me. :glare: yeah, that did not go over well at all. Be prepared for non sense comments like that.

 

Heaven forbid we make a decision that goes against the norm. :thumbsdown:

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I know this isn't what you asked, but are you sure the car needs the work mentioned by the mechanic? What kind of car and how many miles?