Back at the end of May, Big A's lease on his vehicle expired. With there being no second income currently and he not having any summer classes, we decided to just live with one vehicle. Other than this lone vehicle's semi-frequent trip to the mechanic since then and the need to do a bit more planning in advance, there hasn't been an problem. When he needs the car, he just drops me off at work in the a.m. and picks me up in the afternoon.
During the last trip to the mechanic when we were home for 2 days sans vehicle, I looked into our public transportation option. In November we have a millage on the ballot to vote for regarding public transportation and at first, I was a firm 'No'. Now I think I'm quite the opposite. It's nice to know that if I'm sans car for whatever reason that there is an affordable Plan B (renting a car seemed a bit expensive).
I have yet to take the bus but I know the routes that I would take should I need to take it home from work or for Big A to take in the a.m. to his classes and I would then pick him up in the evening when the buses no longer run. The latter is the more likely possibility since he isn't keen on me taking the bus even if I can ride it for free thanks to my employee I.D. but Big A gets a student discount which would enable him to ride all semester for $10.
Having just one vehicle has been an interesting experience but that won't keep me from not investing in a second car once it's feasible. As with this whole unemployment experience the last 3 years, I will just appreciate that second car more now than I would have if I hadn't known life with 1 car.
9 comments:
I dislike the government spending money but one area that I've never had a problem has always been public transportation. Every town I have lived in or stayed in that has had one, I've used and loved. I find it relaxing to just ride, not have to worry about whether I need gas, where I will park, if I will have to clean my windshield of ice after work, etc. I just hop on the bus with reading material in hand and enjoy. The biggest drawback to living in rural Iowa is that there is no transportation system outside of your two feet or bicycle.
P.S. There are loads of used cars out there for just a few hundred dollars. If you can live with rust and dents, there are some good bargains to be had.
Ed - Finally trying to get rid of your Civic? ;-)
What? There's no rust on my Civic!
Public transportation is one good thing about living in cities--I always enjoyed reading on the bus (when I was people watching)
I'd love to avail myself of a "public (transportation) option," but alas, it doesn't exist to get me where I need to be. The car industry put the kabosh to it years ago, and what exists now, loses money.
Cheers.
3 years?!?!?!?!?!
Welcome to Michigan, TC. :-)
Oh my. How does one even dream of staying sane while unemployed that long?
I might be a bit prejudiced but I think the key is having a cute and funny wife. ;-)
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