The Walker Cleavelands are officially now a 1 Car family. We closed on the sale of Sarah’s car tonight, and now it’s just us and our fun little Yaris. We would both like to throw a huge party; I’d like to buy a few new Macs. But…we both know the money will just be going to pay off the Yaris, which, in the end…will be a good thing.
So we’re thrilled. However, we’re not naive. We know that being a 1 car family now means being more in touch with each other and our schedules and compromising more and…and…
Anyone else out there a 1 car family? Any suggestions, pieces of advice or horror stories?
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Adam,
My wife and I have been married for about 6 weeks now and we are a 1 car family. My perspective: It’s a blessing. (1) you have to tune into each other more and respect each other’s time. (2) We are contributing positively to the environment. (3) It’s always great to learn patience. (4) Walking is good exercise. (5) I figure it is always a good thing to be in need.
Blessings,
Andrew
p.s. I e-mailed you once about PTS. I am going to be applying in the fall. And, if you wouldn’t mind, I would to e-mail you about a few questions pertaining to PTS’s ethos and a few other things; if that’s alright with you.
We have 4 drivers and two cars. We also have one bathroom and five people who enjoy using the bathroom. Sometimes it’s not pretty. But it teaches excellent communication skills. And patience.
Congrats on the sale.
Congrats on the sale. My wife and I have been a one-car family for about 4 years. We have fortunately usually had similars schedules. It can be a bit tough at times, but we’ve been able to look to friends and family for short-term needs (like borrowing an extra car when ours has to be in the shop for the day or overnight).
Overall it’s been a great experience. Even with our first baby due in May, we have no plans to get a car anytime in the near future. We’ve talked about how long we’ll do this, and we always come back to “as long as we possibly can.”
britt and i have an unusual advantage in that we work at the same place too. so, being a one car family is not that big of a deal. the biggest issue is that i am a morning person and she is not. this causes some agitation when i am ready to leave and she is still blow drying her hair. some morning i want to splurge and go sit at the coffee shop and read or people watch for a few minutes before the day gets cranking. i can’t though because she is not ready to leave. it is all about compromise. i try to tell her a day in advance that i would like to do something before work (if i know a day in advance) and she is usually accomodating. it is just about communication and not being afraid to wait. oh, and encourage your wife to shave her hair off…it is so much easier, methinks!
We are a one car family thanks to a hit and run accident. Because we live where there is no public transportation we have found this very difficult. We have a toddler and would like to have a car left at home ‘in case of emergency’ but often my job responsibilities take me (and the car) off site and a good distance away.
The communication seems to be the easy part for us.
I do have great memories of sitting around the dinner table when I was a kid and discussing who was going to drive our one car where and when and drop off who. Every night presented a new puzzle to solve!
I hope it works out well for your family.
We have been married for 7 months, and know nothing else but the 1 car situation. The key to the one car family is the mechanical phenomenon known as the bicycle.
We’ve been a one car family for effectively three years. It won’t be a problem when you head back to Princeton – the shuttle is great. Our work situation is such that one will drop the other off and wait for the other to pick him or her up. Typically, Jill will drop me off and I’ll read a book until she gets off work. It’s an exercise in patience but definitely not problematic. As everyone else has said, communication and patience are the key.
Initially it was difficult sacrificing independence, but, like any discipline, you adjust. I don’t forsee us going back to two any time soon – the negative environmental consequences, cost, insurance, and maintenance far outweigh the convenience.
Steven — good to hear that it’s easy in Princeton – that’s what I’m expecting.
I would like to be a one car family for the reasons you mentioned: environmental consequences, cost, insurance, maintenance, etc. But I’m wondering if this is something that we could still do once we’ve graduated and we both have jobs, or we’re going in different places and have busier schedules…
We’re not a one-car-family just yet, but that’s the plan as soon as I start seminary. Keep us posted on how it goes.
We became a one-car family about 6 months after we got married, and have been that way for 12 years now. Once you’re used to it, its really not hard at all.
My wife and I were a 1-car family for 7 years – it was great and I miss it. We used public transportation and our bikes a lot during those years in DC and Princeton. We carpooled, coordinated, and saved a lot of money on insurance and maintenance and gas.
We went to 2 cars once we moved to Houston. Even though we live in the center-city, we couldn’t see a way to get around without two cars, especially with my job (church planting) and 3 kids. Houston is neither pedestrian-friendly nor does it have a very usable mass-transit system for getting around town (it’s fine for commuting). We’re working on that.
i totally agree that the 1 car thing is so doable! we’ve been this way for about 4.5 years and while it can get a little messy from time to time, it’s way worth it! we supplement with the bus, and a lot of compromise. plus, the carpool lane rocks!
congrats on downsizing! ted and i both owned subaru wagons when we got married, and we sold his to carmax (for a whopping $3,000 more than we were expecting to get for it) sometime after cadence was born. luckily, we live in chicago where public transportation is pretty abundant, and i can take a train to work in the ‘burbs, so ted normally has the car during the day w/ cadence. for those w/ young babies who are not yet too mobile, i highly recommend babywearing to make navigating public transportation easier. it’s so much better than lugging a stroller around. when the weather’s nice, ted even wears cadence on his back when he rides his bike for short trips to the park or something.
when you live in a neighborhood where street parking is worth its length in gold, you learn to manage with just one car, and i know many who manage with NO car, god bless ‘em!
My wife and I recently made an insane move (following the God who tends to Call His people to the insane) from Southern Oklahoma/North Texas to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Before we departed in January, the Lord led us to sell my ’86 Jeep to one of my students who needed a vehicle… which left us as a ONE VEHICLE FAM. After a week here on the Eastern Shore… the demands of ministry began to take its’ toll on our daily routine. I hated leaving my wife and 6-month-old son without any transportation while I was at the office… or cheering for students. At times we coordinated so that I was the one left without the vehicle… but that tended to lead to more confusion and unfortunate back-and-forths for my blessed stay-at-home wife and son. So… after borrowing a vehicle for a month from a member of our new congregation (that the Lord graciously led him to offer George-Meuller-style… without us requesting it… whining about it… or anything) we recently purchased another Jeep for me. We still prioitize our trips to stay together as much as possible… and to save on gas and the such. BUT… I am lovin’ the flexibility and joys of independent travel again… and my wife is as well. Hope this other-side of the perspective helps…
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