It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Caterina

Goochie, is there any chance you could give up the car? I see you live in London (but there might be reasons why you cannot do this of course). We live in London too and one day when our car had the umpteenth breakdown we decided to scrap it - it was 12 years old, nearly 8 years ago, and we never looked back.

Not having a car in London has saved us enormous amounts of money, even taking into account DH's annual travelcard zones 1,2 and 3 (taken on employer interest free loan and repaid monthly at source), my travelcard zones 2 and 3 and the teens' travelcards too (student ones so cheaper).

We belong to a car sharing scheme and have a small interest in a van belonging to a couple of friends (we pay for insurance for DH so he can borrow it for large purchases etc.) otherwise we rely on foot and public transport. Healthier too!

Mind you if you have small children I would say keep the car though, I could not have done without the car when the twins were small, but as we decided to dump it when they were 12 years old (much to their disgust I have to say!) they learnt to move around by public transport and I liberated myself from the mummy-taxi role!

Good luck whatever you decide, it is a bummer to have such a big expense, especially during these hard times, extra especially just coming up to Christmas!

Caterina

[Deleted User]

Caterina wrote: »

Goochie, is there any chance you could give up the car? I see you live in London (but there might be reasons why you cannot do this of course). We live in London too and one day when our car had the umpteenth breakdown we decided to scrap it - it was 12 years old, nearly 8 years ago, and we never looked back.

Not having a car in London has saved us enormous amounts of money, even taking into account DH's annual travelcard zones 1,2 and 3 (taken on employer interest free loan and repaid monthly at source), my travelcard zones 2 and 3 and the teens' travelcards too (student ones so cheaper).

We belong to a car sharing scheme and have a small interest in a van belonging to a couple of friends (we pay for insurance for DH so he can borrow it for large purchases etc.) otherwise we rely on foot and public transport. Healthier too!

Mind you if you have small children I would say keep the car though, I could not have done without the car when the twins were small, but as we decided to dump it when they were 12 years old (much to their disgust I have to say!) they learnt to move around by public transport and I liberated myself from the mummy-taxi role!

Good luck whatever you decide, it is a bummer to have such a big expense, especially during these hard times, extra especially just coming up to Christmas!

Caterina

hi Caterina
Thanks, I understand what you are saying (what with parking permit, tax, petrol, insurance and everything that goes wrong!), but we don't drive in London.

We don't have children but we do have quite a large dog!

I take the bus half way to work and walk the other mile each way and hubby walks into work with the dog (about 1½ miles each way).

However, hubby is self-employed and works on location from time to time around the South East, that and visiting friends and family who all live outside London, so if we go away for the weekend, (which we do quite often), it's a bit tricky with the dog, his bed, etc and our stuff too not to have a car (rental companies won't allow dogs in their cars (understandable really). Our car is 10 years old and has done us proud, I just want it to last through this winter and then I can worry about what to do next year.

Caterina

Yes I understand, it is difficult with a dog, worse than with kiddies really, as they at least grow to learn to use buses by themselves. Best of luck with your car repairs then.

I have to confess that when I left the car to be picked up by the garage I felt a bit like if I was giving a dear pet to the slaughterhouse and got a bit emotional. Apparently this runs in my family as my elderly auntie told me that when she left her car in the same circumstances she gave it a little kiss before she left it behind!

Caterina

oystercatcher

We had a few car free years when the children were tiny and we lived in Southend. We just hired a car from time to time for family visits etc.

Now we're in a small town with terrible public transport it's just not possible. I'm embarrassed to admit we now run three cars and three motorbikes :eek:

DH has a three wheeled motorbike as he can't drive due to his disability (although this may change he wants an adapted car) two youngest sons both have mopeds to get to school on as they both changed to a much better school for sixth form that is a few miles away. Eldest son needs his car for weird Police shifts all over the county. XH got himself a new car and decided to give his old car to Middle son who hasn't quite passed his test (maybe next week 4th attempt!) now a 4 year old Renault Clio free of charge is not to be sniffed at BUT it cost us a fortune to insure and now is sits there not doing much. I'm supposed to be taking DS out to practice but we never seem to be available at the same time !
Oh and of course I need a massive car to fit five people and two dogs in and for shopping trips and work . It's just too far to walk to town with my ghastly back pain. DH reckons I should get a moped too but I prefer to be all warm and snug in my car ...naughty me. I do feel guilty driving something so big when mostly it's just me, maybe I should pinch the Clio but I don't want to wear it out for DS !

I have been good this week and cooked OS three nights in a row despite being All Worn Out and having toothache!!

Oystercatcher

Caterina

See, Oystercatcher, you really need whatever cars you have, no need to justify, you have plenty of good reasons!

What I find difficult to stomach is the yummy mummy school run, perfectly able-bodied young pert-arsed young things, with ONE perfectly able-bodied spoilt little brat, unused to walking because mummy-taxi takes him everywhere, and there they go, in their bl**dy 4-wheel Chelsea Tractors, guzzling petrol and emitting tons of CO2 for me and you to breathe unnecessarily, to drive their darling Sebastian or Charlotte to school, three roads down the way from home - but hey, we wouldn't want to have mud on our Uggs would we!

Don't start me on the parking of aforementioned Chelsea Tractors in M&S Simply Food car park! :mad:

Ok ok, end of rant...:rotfl:

Bobbykins

Caterina wrote: »

Don't start me on the parking of aforementioned Chelsea Tractors in M&S Simply Food car park! :mad:

Ok ok, end of rant...:rotfl:

...or the parking of the said 4X4s with all four wheels on the pavement outside my house, on a tiny narrow little cul de sac, because "well, it's just too big to park on this narrow road, you see, so I thought it would be more considerate to park it off-road!" grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad: :mad:

OK.OK, end of my rant too!

happytails

Well some good news, swapped my insurance to my new car and its £10 cheaper a month :j.

Hope everyone else is doing ok on the lead up to xmas, i just showered at my mums to save on gas :rolleyes: the things we do lol

Sarah & bump
29wks tomorrow!

Caterina

happytails wrote: »

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Hope everyone else is doing ok on the lead up to xmas, i just showered at my mums to save on gas :rolleyes: the things we do lol

Good for you if your mum doesn't mind - just do it respectfully (e.g. not using gallons and gallons of hot water just because mum pays and not you) and why not, I am sure your mum is well glad to help you out!

I used to shower at work when I worked in an office with lovely showers (in County Hall, when the GLC - and young Ken - was still running London - ah, the golden olden days!) to save gas at home!

Caterina

oystercatcher

Caterina wrote: »

Good for you if your mum doesn't mind - just do it respectfully (e.g. not using gallons and gallons of hot water just because mum pays and not you) and why not, I am sure your mum is well glad to help you out!

I used to shower at work when I worked in an office with lovely showers (in County Hall, when the GLC - and young Ken - was still running London - ah, the golden olden days!) to save gas at home!

Caterina

Oh what bliss!
I work in a hospital, and there is a staff shower....but it doesn't work . Never has done in the eight years I've been there. We often NEED a shower as well. If we're desperate ie. covered in someone's body fluids :S then we have to use the patients showers !

Thanks for your comments re all our cars Caterina, I still feel guilty about them . I WANT to be green but sometimes it's just not practical. I think the boys two mopeds use less petrol than me driving them, apart from the fact that I can't drive them on work days!

One of my guilty pleasures is putting the dogs in the car, driving a mile and a half to meet my friend half way with her three dogs and we walk and chat. It's one of my few social activities though. 85p in petrol two or three times a week . Could be worse!

Oystercatcher

CRANKY40

We had two cars many, many moons ago, but dh works away 17 weeks then is home for 12. I sold his car while he was away one time (I bought the house while he was away too, he didn't see it until we picked up the keys:rotfl: ) and we manage ok with one car.

When dh is home he walks ds to nursery and I drive to work (with a passenger that I pick up on the way). When dh is away I take ds to nursery and drive to work.

I tried getting the train to work once, but it took an hour on the days when the train actually turned up (and the excuses when it didn't were fabulous), and in the car it takes 10 minutes. I work flexi time, but wouldn't actually fit my part time working week into the time that I have available if I didn't use my car. I bought dh a bicycle for his birthday the year before last, and if he needs to go to the shops/friends etc, he goes on that.

p.s. my car is not a 4x4, and people who park on the pavement so I can't get a buggy past wind me up soooo much.