Aibu to find it so hard not having my own car!

[Blueskiesandcherrypies]

I know, I know.... poor me! But... I have my own car since I passed my test 22 years ago. Six months ago we decided to become a one car family (now have a seven seater company car through DH's work) for financial reasons. I thought it would be fine. I have 3 dcs (9, 7 and 1) and another on the way. I walk the older dcs to school, swimming lessons. In walking distance there is - school, small park, waitrose, coffee shop. Train station 5 mins away - 10 min journey one way by rail to one town, 20 mins the other way to another town.

On paper it should be fine, but omg the school hols are hard! I have all these ideas of what I want to do with the dcs - beach, national trust, visiting friends, local farms - and we can't do any of it as DH has the car and we can't afford another one!

So tell me, am I just being a spoilt brat/lacking imagination.... how do you manage without a car? Today it's just me and 1yo dd, the day is looming ahead of us and we can't even use the garden as its an unsafe 'work in progress'!!

Make me see sense please!

I use public transport and my mum is very happy to give a lift and spend a day with the dc's.

We live in a lovely place for walks, picnics, playing in streams etc though.

If it's a company car then aren't the company paying for it?

So it's not taking up your finances?

Can't you get a cheap second hand car and give it to dp

Have a web search see if there's a deal you could afford?

If it's just for a week or two here and there, why not see what it would cost to hire one? Must be cheaper than buying one just for holidays.

x-post with Suzzie!

I empathise with you. A couple of weeks ago I had a seizure & now I'm not allowed to drive for 6 months. Ok, I know it's only for 6 months (assuming I don't have any more seizures), but we live 4 miles from the train station (with its 2 trains an hour to 2 cities not in this county), and a mile from the nearest bus stop, with one bus an hour, taking 1.5-2 hours to get to the city when it takes about 45 mins to drive. The thing is, public transport only goes to cities, but we dont normally go there! We tend to go to country parks, farms, rural attractions etc. And my commute to work is now hell. And DC are 3 & 1.

I agree with looking into hiring a car for the odd treat, it'll make such a difference. And look into where you can actually get to on public transport too, may have to change some of the types of activities you do.

Good luck!

You sound like you live in a populated area, what are the bus routes like?

I would hire a car week at a time for school holidays.

OP, I find I get depressed without my own car. It's a symbol of my independence and I struggle with the feeling of being 'trapped' without it.

That absolutely sums it up. I've been carless for nearly a month now and, yes I can get about and am actually enjoying the walking but that's not the point. I hate hate hate not having the choice. I was trying to explain it to my non driving mother and she just didn't get the difference between being without a car that you've always had and never having driven in the first place. I can't wait to get it back.