One-car family: go!

 

One of the ideal life goals for Team Wharton is owning only one car. And we’ve decided to go for it! As of this week, Team Wharton is a one-car family. Eeek!

Being a one-car household is attractive to us because we will save money on car insurance and maintenance and we will be motivated to rely on our bikes and carpooling as much as possible, which would decrease our carbon footprint. Overall, it feels like a simplification in our life, even if in the adjustment there are sure to be frustrations. 

At first glance, being a one-car family seems like a pretty unrealistic expectation in our current situation: we live in the suburbs of a sprawling metropolitan area; Dashiell goes to daycare a few miles from our house while Chris and I each have 40+ minute commutes and we don’t even work in the same city; he works in Phoenix, I work in Tempe. 

And yet, as we started exploring our community on our bikes, we found it to be much more bike-friendly than we initially thought. We also found that if we plan ahead, Chris and I can either carpool to work, one of us can take public transportation or Chris can work from home and get around by bike while I take the car. Since the beginning of the summer, we’ve been trying out the one car scenario by only using my Prius and leaving Chris’s car (a truck) parked in the garage.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been very difficult or inconvenient to be a one-car family. And so we decided to go for it for real and we sold Chris’s truck on Monday! Something that worked out very (VERY) well is that Chris’s dad was interested in buying the truck. So the truck is still in the family and if we really need to use a truck we’ll be able to borrow it. 

Currently, Chris has a very flexible schedule since he’s on summer break. He works Monday through Wednesday either on campus or from home and is home with Dashiell on Thursday and Friday. I also work from home on Fridays. When the school year starts in August, Chris will have to be downtown more often and we’ll likely have to put more effort into planning ahead how we will use the car and public transportation. And then of course we’ll be adding a second baby to the mix in December! It’s sure to be interesting but we really think it’s doable.

What makes having only one car possible for us is certainly the flexibility that both Chris and I have in our work situations. Chris has a very flexible schedule and does not have to be in the office at a certain time or duration each day. I do have to be in the office Monday through Thursday but when I arrive and leave is flexible. Chris and I are also able to carpool to work so that is huge. There is also public transportation available a few miles from our house so if one of us drops the other off it is possible to get to work without a car (although it does take at least twice as long as driving, bummer).

Another factor is that Chris’s car, a Chevy Colorado truck, wasn’t suited for a family. It doesn’t have a full back seat so it would only fit two of us at a time (two adults or an adult + toddler) and soon that will only be half the family! And so if having one car just does not work and we find that we need two family cars, we would have needed to sell Chris’s truck anyway. But (fingers crossed!) one family car will be enough.

There are certain to be occasional frustrations with only having one car. To anticipate these situations we’ve written up a contingency plan for different scenarios. For example, if the Prius needs repairs we’ll rent a car and we’ve identified the closest rental agency and what the cost should be. We will certainly have to be diligent about planning ahead for use of the car. Hopefully during whatever inconveniences come up we’ll be able to remember that overall our lives are simpler and less costly with only one car and that having one car is worth it.

Overall, we’re feeling excited about life as a one-car family. This is a big step towards simplifying our lives, one I didn’t think would be possible in our current situation. I love that we took this leap. I’ll let you know how it goes!

16 responses to “One-car family: go!”

  1. Natanya Avatar
    Natanya

    Congrats, Kelsey! That’s a big move – I wasn’t expecting it to come so soon for you guys. But it sounds like you’ve been thorough to think things through (tongue twister!) and I’m so excited for you to be living the dream and one step closer to your ideal life. So cool.

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      Thanks, Natanya! It surprised us that it’s actually feasible, I thought surely we would need to move. Either closer to our jobs or to a different city. We are feeling very fortunate and hopeful that it will work.

      Reply
  2. Carol Wharton Avatar
    Carol Wharton

    No need to rent a car when yours is in the shop—we seem to have an extra available at a moments notice! So don’t hesitate to call us! 🚙🚘🚗

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      Thank you so much, we will take you up on that!

      Reply
  3. Megan W Avatar
    Megan W

    We’re a one car family too. And it’s (usually) awesome. Living in the Bay Area, we both take public transportation to work each day. Sometimes the car sits for several days without even being driven. And even though it’s not a hybrid we only have to fill-up every other week at the most. I feel very fortunate that we can make it work.

    Hope it works for you guys too!

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      That’s awesome! It has felt really liberating in a way I didn’t expect to only use one car (since we’ve been doing it since May). And so far I’ve enjoyed taking public transit, even though it’s slower it’s kind of interesting and I can read!

      Reply
  4. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    I love that you guys are doing this! We felt so much freedom when we sold our car. Having the extra money is great, but even more than that we love the way it changed our lifestyle. Lots of people think of it as an inconvenience, but for us it has been anything but. Sending you good thoughts for a smooth transition!

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      Yes, exactly! We haven’t even been enjoying the savings yet but we both say we have a sense of relief. Which is so funny since it seems like you’d think we’d be dreading whatever inconvenience there will be. But we both feel very willing to find alternatives (like bus and light rail, even if it takes longer) and being flexible to accommodate one car. Just seeing one car in the garage feels incredibly liberating, not to mention we are so excited about the room to store bikes and organize the things we store there. Thank you for the positive thoughts!

      Reply
  5. Kristy Avatar
    Kristy

    Woohoo Team Wharton! Sounds like being a one car family will help you achieve some of your other lifestyle goals as well. I never thought too much about trial and contingency planning ahead of time but it is a super smart approach. Makes things way easier when you come up against an issue and you already have a potential workaround. That sort of planning could be applied to a lot of big decisions!

    Reply
  6. Nora Avatar
    Nora

    I really like how you mentioned that having one less car can feel liberating. In the US, I think freedom is often implicitly narrated as “being able to do whatever you want whenever you want.” But I think having some restrictions is helpful to me in forming the life I want to lead. It personally makes me more intentional about how I spend my time, and I’m much less connected to big box stores and much more connected to my direct neighbors. I walk and bike a lot as transportation. I like that. I know it’s not going to change the world, but it’s one way that I feel like an author of my own life.

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      This is incredibly insightful! I have been telling Chris how strangely liberating it feels to put these “restrictions” on ourselves like buying less and having only one car but I think you are right, when we pare down in ways that are consistent with the life we want to lead it is freeing because we are living the life we want to lead even though it seems like it should be restrictive because the culture norm is different. It does feel great to not just go along with the systems that are in place just because it’s the default. Thank you for articulating this!

      Reply
    2. Chris (the Hubby) Avatar
      Chris (the Hubby)

      Nora, what a thoughtful comment. I very much agree with you; in the US, we’ve been sold an ‘American Dream’ that requires over-sized houses, multiple personal vehicles, and every other expensive convenience that is mass-marketed to us (whether we can afford it or not). I think the real American Dream, if it must be based on consumerism, is one in which we wrest control of our finances by not buying into the systems and products that are wasteful excesses, but instead spending on the few quality things that enhance our independence and our lives. I bought a quality commuter bike to replace my truck. Biking around town feels as if I’m somehow bucking the system and blazing my own trail (even though that trail is a paved bike path :).

      Reply
  7. Nora Avatar
    Nora

    I’m glad to hear you got a new bike! (it seems like you both did recently…) Getting a new bike was a great experience for me last summer. And I realized that there’s a good chance I could be using it still in 30 years, as long as I always lock it up and keep it repaired!! It feels great to ride a well-tuned bike.

    The really cool thing about bikes is that they have almost no costs once you own one (though regular tune-ups seem worth it). With a bike, you really do own the means of production… and can watch the car-centered consumer world from the sidelines!

    I also appreciate what you said about more room in your garage — it seems like so many families have nice bikes that just get buried in their garages!!

    I’m enjoying following your family’s story of building an intentional life together. Thanks for putting it down in words.

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      I got my bike as a Christmas present and Chris bought his commuter bike just a few months ago, we love them! Thanks so much for following along and offering your thoughts, love to hear from you!

      Reply
  8. Dara Avatar
    Dara

    Hi Kelsey, thanks for this great post. My hubby and I live in the Phoenix area too and are contemplating this idea. I work from home which should make it pretty easy. But after having my own car for so many years, it’ll be a bit to get used to it.

    I’m wondering how things are going now – one + year later with your one car experience.

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      Awesome! I actually wrote a post this summer giving a one year update:

      http://www.risingshining.com/2015/07/one-year-of-being-a-one-car-family.html

      But in short, it’s going AWESOME and I would definitely recommend trying it out. It seems like being able to work from home should definitely make the situation doable. I do understand being used to being able to go somewhere at any time. But I’ve found that I value the savings and simplicity of our lives so much that I don’t miss that. And maybe during the nice months, you could get out of the house via bike if your husband had the car? Would love to know how it goes if you try it! And lovely to meet someone else in the Phoenix area!

      Reply

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