Is it possible to manage without any car at all with 3 children?

[Jynxed]

MOT bill has hit us hard, and we are deciding whether to sell the car instead. We haven't got £650 to pay the bill, but could sell the car for £1000 with an MOT, so end up with £350. Alternatively, we can borrow to cover the MOT and keep the car.

My query to anyone out there is - can you survive with no car at all, with 3 kids, and both of us working? I can cycle to work, and mostly do already, except when the weather is really bad. It would mean walking to school in the p*g rain and then cycling on to work, come what may! But DH normally drives, so would be dependent on the train instead, which would mean he wold be home from work quite a bit later, as well as leave earlier. I would have to collect the kids from the child minders by bus, which would add another hour onto the round trip.

And what about general days out, and picking up the shopping, and collecting from parties, taking to school trips etc.??

Anyone out there have no access to a car? Is it do-able, and I'm being a wimp? Or should we find the money and keep the car?

I have to make a decision within the next 24 hours - what would you do?

Ha! Ha! Personally I find a cat very good therapy, so just as essential as a car! It must be very satisfying to assist people in such a practical way, and in my not very knowledgeable view of what you do I imagine that you are quite self-managing and free to plan your day as you see fit. Hence the essential car. Am I right?

Spot on. Fairly rural community here covering a massive patch, transporting bulky equipment, absolutely impossible without a car.

I don't have a car about half the time when DH is working (we share) and I don't mind that but in the past we have had no car at all. I would never choose it because..having a car gives you more choices and freedom-great country days out etc, makes life alot easier with shopping, appointments etc, very often you have to depend on others if you have no car (brownies meeting at swimming galas, football matches for child's team, friend's parties), UK holidays etc. Yes you can manage alot of that if you have good public transport but it is harder with bags/luggage and screaming toddlers! I would keep a car unless you have no choice!

I'd love not to need a car but even the bus stop is nearly 2 miles away and there are about 4 buses a day! Hence we have 3 - driving is the only practical way for dd1 to get to school 10 miles away! Taxi to town 8 miles away is about£22 at the moment.

I have friends in London with 2/3 children who have never owned a car - simply hire for the odd day out. They are expensive polluting things. Can you tell I don't like country living?

We have 2 dc and no car.
We hire car for holiday (once or twice a year) - for a week with petrol this comes to over £100 on top of the holiday costs plus deposit as well.
Family events we get lifts.
We catch a bus to town a couple of times a year.
Apart from that we walk.
I do weekly shop on foot - split it into 2 and my youngest is still in pushchair so that plus backpack. We will struggle when she grows out of it as it is 40min walk to supermarkets and I hate online shopping.
We moved recently and now my work & ds school are about 30min walk away which can be annoying when it rains but doable. Both next to each others and doctors surgery. I keep emergency taxi money in the house but have never had to use it.
Ds doesn't do afterschool clubs but wants to start swimming and its only been since we moved that its really feasible for after school. We are limited to what he could attend - not the length of the walking as such but the timing of it.
Apart from food most stuff I buy online and get delivered. Even if I pay postage its cheaper than bus fare.
General days out - if its not walkable or in town then we don't go. Luckily we have a few things close by (community farm, common and softplay) on top of the park and we now have a great garden for the kids to play in. We do at least one day out on holiday to an attraction as we have the car.

Meant to say even if I had the money now I wouldn't get a car but might hire one more often.

I'm quite surprised that no one has mentioned using a bike trailer for wee ones and/or shopping. We have one which we are waiting for dd to be just a tiny bit bigger for and it will mean that we can effectively be car free. We can't 'not' have a car living in a very rural county but we can manage day to day without it.

We have two dc & no car, but like others we have planned our life around not having a car in terms of where we live. We bike a lot of places - we have a trailer for the 2 dc.

I've just sold my bike trailer. It was great as long as the weather was OK, we weren't in a rush, didn't want to go on main roads, didn't have to take too much stuff with us, didn't need to look good when we got there...

It was a sound idea in theory, but in practice it just didn't work out well for us.

I know what a knob all the above makes me sound like BTW!

\link{http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2865195.htm?CMPID=GS001&_$ja=tsid:11527|cc:|prd:2865195|cat:sports+and+leisure+%2F+luggage+%2F+shopping+trolleys+%2F\for when your youngest outgrows the pushchair, Armadillo}

hehehe - dh keeps talking about getting one. I told him it would be divorce.

We used to use hiking backpacks before having kids for shopping so probably would invest in some more.

We were in similar dilemma few days ago. DH got quoted for increased insurance rate for the next year (around £100/month) and we can barely afford that. We seriously though of selling the car, and I seriously considered getting a bike with a child seat for a school run. We have two DC and live in London. I though it was doable even though we are likely to get a school about 25mins walk from hour home and 35 mins walk from train station. DH said I am mad, and insured the car for only one driver (me) which came out at £60/month.
I certainly would be up for a challenge without a car, but that?s just me.

I don't drive and am therefore carless, because of this I have made mindful choices regarding where I live, DS's school, distance from family, etc. I live very close to DS's school, am on a good public transport route with regular buses. I get the odd taxi and tell myself I'd be spending a lot more on a car.

Days out of town - we do a lot of them with coach companies (and weekends away), which work out very good value IMO.

We have bikes but I'm a fair weather cyclist and would rather walk than cycle.

I am considering getting my driving licence though simply so I could hire a car now and then for camping - the only thing I feel we are missing out on.