Kids but no car

onlyroz

Cost of running a car for me is £4-5k a year (including depreciation, fuel, tax, servicing). You can hire a lot of cars for that amount of money.

anotheruser

4nnabella wrote: »

errr...
a) how is that helpful?
and
b) how is it any of your business?

a) Not every post has to be directly helpful.
b) People having kids when they can't afford it is part of our problem in the UK.
c) Why is my post any of your business?

fabforty

There's nothing in OP's post to suggest that they can't afford a second child, just that they got rid of their last car to save for other things.

savemoney

We raised two kids most of there childhood without owning a car. If we needed to go out of town which was rare we scrounged a lift or they go out with my mum/stepfather for a ride out in countryside. For days out we hired a car that was only 1-2 times a year at most. Even holidays in UK we hired a car. Unless you live in countryside or need a car for work you could manage without one most of the time.

indsty

Your children will benefit by not having a car - healthier, cheaper, more interesting etc etc. Work out the annual cost of buying and running a car - work out the annual cost of needing to call a taxi for a specific journey which you absolutely cannot make on public transport (probably two or three times a year at the most). Nobody "needs" a car - they are just sometimes easier and save taxing your brain working out a route on public transport.

ironman1

Thanks for the advice I hope it is doable but have a feeling the missus will moan and I will end up having to get one

mrs_mulder

My parents had 5 kids and we never had a car, walking or buses was the norm and it didn't hurt us, we enjoyed it. We still had day trips, going to the zoo on the bus was great to us kids. A car is not necessary to go and have a good time.

pollyanna24

Suppose it all depends where you live.

I grew up in London, then moved out a little bit, but the shops were always just two mins away. We never had a car, my parents never learned how to drive.

We walked to school which is as far as my daughter goes to school now and whilst I didn't think anything of the walk when I was little, I think it is too far for my 5 year old at the moment. But hey, she isn't ever going to walk distances unless she is made to. So mum makes her walk home when she minds them. I still drive cos I'm lazy.

When I first moved to where I am now, South Herts, I never drove. But my ex did. When I had our first child, I felt so lost as it did seem a mission to get anywhere, but then I'm kinda surrounded by fields and the shops aren't as close as they are to my mums.

Wouldn't like to be without my car now, everything would just take so much longer. A trip to the shops to get a loaf of bread would take an hour for example. If I was to move closer to shops, I might change my mind. There are quite good links into London where I am, but it's a 20 minute walk to the train station (which I do every morning to get to work), and I don't fancy that much with two little girls, but again I appreciate a lot of that is laziness.

AppleChai

I grew up in South East London. My mum was a single parent with two kids, three years apart. She never drove and it wasn't a problem because there was always a bus or train going to where we needed.

Where I live now it would be a pain in the butt and probably cheaper overall to buy a car, but in most areas of London I think it's smarter (if sometimes less convenient) to use public transport where you can.

minerva_windsong

I'm not a parent, but I think if you live in London then a car can be more of a hindrance than a help (traffic, lack of places to park etc). OK it may be a pain getting buggies on and off trains/buses but in my experience people are happy to help you get the pram off if you need a hand, and there are very few places you would actually need to drive to even if you were going on a day trip somewhere.

I would agree with those who say hire one from Zipcar or similar when you need it (eg holidays somewhere not easily accessible by train). Starting a car fund isn't a bad idea either if you can.