We are trying at the moment to keep our household costs down so recently when my husband changed jobs and handed back the company car we thought we would see if we could manage to be a one car family.
It sounded so easy and definitely the sensible thing to do but in reality its been a nightmare. Public transport is just not regular or reliable enough to get us where we need to be on time.
I'm finding myself behind on everything as my day seems to revolve completely round picking up and dropping off various members of the family and i seem to be constantly looking at the clock and running late for something. We tried using our bikes more but this too was a bit of a disaster as hubby had a flat tyre twice in one week and little E is too big for a bike seat and too small to cycle safely beside me.
I think though for me the hardest thing has been the actual sharing ........... I know this is a terrible revaluation coming from a mother as its something we are always trying to teach our children. However its been my car alone for 10 years i have just been able to jump in and go without having to rearrange everything back to my preferences before setting off. Its stressful enough sometimes as every parent knows getting an unwilling child into a car seat without then having to then mess around with your own seat when already running late!
After many a family discussion we have decided that we really do need a second car after all one that fits my mums wheelchair and a couple of child seats. To keep costs down we are checking car insurance, road tax and running costs first before making our choice on a car. I'm a fan of Tesco they seem to be competitively priced and with the added bonus of collecting club card points. I love collecting the points and using them against family days out in the summer holidays. Last year we exchanged our points for a lovely day out in Lego land that would of cost around £50 if we had of brought tickets.
I think when our circumstances are different we will give being a one car family another try but for now i think a two car family we will have to be.
Its always lovely to hear your thoughts and comments maybe you have had the same experience as us or maybe greater success car sharing.
Thought of the day...................... Be nice and share!!
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We had to make a similar choice two or three years ago. We kept my car and sold my husbands because my car was more a family car. My husband would walk to work and I would walk to town and we'd only use the car at the weekends. It worked great until my husband's job moved and so he needed the car everyday. As soon as we are in a better place we will be buying a 2nd car again!
ReplyDeleteIts a nightmare isn't it, we are having to dip into the renovation pot to buy a car. I'm going to have to get even more savvy doing up the house now recycling is going to take on a whole new meaning.
ReplyDeleteCat x