Surviving as a One Car Family in Oklahoma CIty

One car family in OKCBeing a one car family in Oklahoma City is not an easy task. At the heart of the highways, we live in an area where car is king and sidewalks are seemingly non-existent. So WHY would anyone choose this option? Why would this be a good idea? How could anyone survive as a one car family with kids? Well, while there are times that it’s not convenient, and there is always a point where the only wish you could ever think of is to have another car, in the end it’s a learning experience and a family building exercise.

While I have admitted that being a one car family is like forced marriage counseling, I never knew how much it would force me to grow as a person, make my husband and I communicate as a couple, and help our family to appreciate our time together. I remember my husband telling me after we got our SUV in the summer of 2012 that we would mainly drive the car, but if needed we would use the SUV. I think I momentarily reverted to bratty teenager mode and whined that I would not be in a one car family, especially if we had two cars.

Fast forward to the fall of 2012 and we suddenly were in a new situation. We hit a cow going 70mph in our car. I was nine months pregnant and the world seemed like it was throwing us so many unfair curveballs. Time, money, and pregnancy did not permit another car.

September 15, 2012 – We were now a one car family.

Struggles

For the month and a half before my daughter was born, being a one car family was something that forced my husband and I to talk to each other without distractions. We would chat to and from work and it was great. After that, the struggle to cope became real. I have struggled with loneliness as we live in a neighborhood without sidewalks and with nothing in true walking distance. I have hated mornings where I have to wake up several hours earlier than normal to get the house ready and then get my husband to work.  I have missed opportunities to spend time socializing with others.

Learning to carpool in OKCBlessings

Now almost two years later, there are days where it’s still a struggle. But I have learned to communicate, plan, and be so grateful for the blessings that I have. We have built relationships with friends that are willing to come visit, pick us up, and plan to carpool with us. My husband and I have set up a family gmail account that we both access and sync on our phones. It was started so that if we have a prior engagement or appointment where we need the car, it gets listed so no one can dispute it. But now, it is a vital part of a family communication system. It’s been nice not having to pay expenses like added gas, maintenance, and even needing an extra car seat (or at the very least, base). I have started getting more “me time” too because my husband understands my need to just get out of the house for a bit.

What Do Other Moms Say About Being a One Car Family?

Just in the circle of people that I know, I found over 10 other families that have managed one car with children. Some have spent 5+ years managing their way around the metro without the freedom of a second car.

  • Erynne mentions that after 5+ years of managing a one car family, it’s important to “plan regular play dates and days out”. She also mentions that negotiating is a huge part of making it work with a spouse and writing events on the calendar has helped them.
  • Jenn spent a year and a half as a one car family where both she and her husband worked. She mentions that it helped them pay off debt and grow closer together because they were “sacrificing together towards a goal” and made them use their resources more wisely.
  • After five years as a one car family, Chelsi suggests that if you are considering it to go in with a plan, schedule, and patience. She mentions that it has changed their idea of parenting because they have learned to schedule things on weekends or after her husband gets home. For them it means that they go on outings with both parents present and do things more as a family.

What are your experiences and/or concerns about being a one car family?

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Kara Carrero
Kara is married and has one daughter and plans to have a large family. She loves being a eco-conscious mom and is a huge advocate of the organic, all natural, and "leave no trace" kind of lifestyle. She is a certified History and English teacher and uses her degrees to write freelance curriculum and run www.ALLterNATIVElearning.com. She is a Christian, an environmentalist, a researcher, a teacher, a mom, and an entrepreneur. She and her husband blog about DIY and renovating their OKC house at http://rehabit.at

2 COMMENTS

  1. We have been a one car family going on 4 years. We have been lucky enough that most of those years we have been within walking distance of my husband’s work. Last year we were not and it wasn’t my favorite. This year I have a bike with a kid trailer to help with getting around.

  2. We’ve been a one car family for 10 years (2 with a child). We’ve allowed it to dictate our housing choices so we’re living near work and bus lines (where possible- three cities now.) We’ve biked a lot. We make friends and reach out to neighbors. We carpool with Mae. ^ Besides the saved money and better communication, I think it has made us better co-parents because we’re used to flexing so that each of us can accomplish what we need to personally and professionally. We lead a simpler life with more family time. But it doesn’t mean I don’t advocate for better sidewalks, more bike paths, and more public transport!

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