In some reading and looking around that I have done on trying to be more frugal, some websites and books have suggested going down to a one car family and carpooling. At first, this sounded like a crazy idea. I kept thinking of a family with kids and working parents and wondered how they were supposed to carpool, especially if the kids have after-school activities, what if one of the kids gets sick at school and you have to pick them up, or you get sick and need to go home but your spouse is the one with the car? How do you manage all that?! And especially if you find that one, or maybe both of you, get a part-time job (on top of your full-time job) to help out with the finances in your home - how will you share a car then? It is possible that carpooling within your family is not for you.
Well, Husband and I have been carpooling for about the last week and a half. Has it been fun? Maybe. We do get to spend more time together and talk to each other on the ride to and from work. I am lucky that we work near each other so it is not a big hassle to carpool. Are there times I wish that I had the vehicle with me and drove myself to work everyday? Yes, there are those times. I did enjoy getting out of the office at lunch. I do enjoy my job so I do not mind staying in for lunch.
Why are we carpooling? To save some money is the biggest reason. Gas is really a big spot in our budget that seems to take a lot of money, especially if we are driving trucks. Trucks do not get the best gas mileage. Surprised?! Family member had been kind enough to let us borrow their small truck for one of us to use to get around town. With our truck to fill up and that truck to fill up, the amount we were spending on gas.....I just cannot seem to even finish that sentence!! It was a little over $100 a week to fill up both tanks. And I would try to just go back and forth to work, nowhere else, to really and try and save all the gas I could in our truck. So, by carpooling we are saving about $100 every two weeks by carpooling and not filling up two tanks with gas.
Is it fun to carpool? Sometimes. There are times that I struggle with not being able to just go somewhere during my lunch break or if work runs a little past time to go, Husband has to wait on me (my work finishes later than his). Then there has been the times where I have looked at our bank account and wondered if driving two vehicles was worth it!! Gas for both vehicles was a lot for our budget.
Will we go back to driving two vehicles? Probably. We are working on getting our truck paid off and saving up for another vehicle for me. We may even need to use family member's truck again as well. This has definitely been a great experience though. Sometimes carpooling may be needed to save some money.
Would you ever carpool with your spouse or loved one? If you do carpool, let me hear from you too on your thoughts, tricks and tips. Thank you!!
Jenn
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