Did you know that on average households have more vehicles than drivers? That definitely rings true of suburban America. Before I went to college, there was one year when my family had four licensed drivers. And so we had four cars constantly in the driveway. We had to get creative in the way we parked but it worked.
I knew then that having my own car was a blessing. And sharing a car was such a foreign concept. If I needed to go somewhere, I got in my car and went. I didn’t need to schedule a time or confirm with someone that I would need the car at a particular hour.
Even when I went to college I still had access to my car. Granted, I had to get on a bus to get to the parking lot where it was parked but it was my car and it was there if I needed it.
In November, Matt drove ‘my car’ to Montana and I was left in North Carolina with ‘his car’. But last month, we sold his car. There was no way I was driving me and Liam the 30+ hours to Montana and we certainly weren’t going to pay to have it shipped. Plus, it wasn’t four-wheel drive which seems a good idea to have in the winter months here.
So here we are, a one-car family. And it has not been a big deal at all. Liam and I take Matt to work every morning and drop him off. And let’s be real. If I didn’t have that reason to get dressed in the morning, I might find myself still in my pajamas at 11. We then have the car for the day before coming back that evening to get him. Only twice has he needed the car to get to a meeting across town.
There have been a few occasions where he’s had to get a ride home from somewhere after work or a day of fishing but for the most part, having one car has not been challenging.
Last Saturday he had a fishing event for work and needed the car. So I made Liam and I a plan for the day sans-car. In Marion, if I had not had a car for a day, Liam and I would have been stranded. We probably would have gone for a walk down our street to see Mr. Virgil’s chickens and rabbits and maybe made a stop at Ms. Anne’s house but that would have been our day’s excitement. Our house was not in walkable distance to anything (although I did run to Jack Frost for ice cream one time!)
Here, we are exactly 1 mile from some restaurants and 1.2 miles from Museum of the Rockies. So I planned on Liam and I walking to breakfast and then over to the museum. Which is exactly what we did except that morning I woke up to a small kink in my plan. It had snowed the night before. This wasn’t technically a problem but the snow also included ice. Parts of the sidewalk were skating rinks whereas other parts I got my workout pushing my ten-dollar Walmart stroller through the snow/ice.
But I had a plan and I wasn’t about to forgo it so we bundled up and off we went.
We walked the mile to Sola, a restaurant I had passed many times and that was recommended to me. It’s a cute cafe that slightly resembles Cracker Barrel (in the decor aspect, not the food). There were homemade pastries galore and desserts that made my mouth water even at 9 AM. I definitely plan to go back just for the tiramisu cups and chocolate cake I saw…not to mention they have a mac and cheese section on their menu. An entire SECTION just for mac and cheese!
The added bonus (and one of the reasons it had been recommended to me) was that it had a perfect little kids area hidden under the stairs for Liam to play in. So not only did I get to enjoy a nice breakfast at a cute cafe but I got a little ‘me time’ as well!
Then we headed over to the museum. I had seen that they had a kids show in the planetarium and I (uh, I mean Liam) wanted to see it. He LOVED it. I haven’t gotten to snuggle him that much in a long time. He just sat in my lap and we laid back and took in the show all around us.
So until a second car becomes absolutely necessary, we plan to dodge another car payment and continue to be a one-car family. I wonder how long we can make it….