If you've been keeping track, you may already realize this, but Steve and I are quickly barreling towards the nine month mark of car sharing. I know- even I was a little shocked when I calculated it out.
If you don't know the story and are currently wondering if this is some weird social experiment, let me assure you that it is not. The story is pretty simple, really- we used to have two cars, and then one of them passed on (she was sixteen, so this was not unexpected). We decided to take a few weeks to figure out what type of vehicle to get next. But instead of figuring out what to get next, we found ourselves calculating how much we could save by only owning one car. We also found ourselves being more purposeful with our weekly planning and learning the train schedule by heart. (And yes, sometimes we found ourselves fantasizing about stealing shopping carts and sleeping on benches, but that was a low moment.)
So we decided to share, for as long as it seemed reasonable. Steve learned exactly how long it takes to get from the train station to his desk at work. I learned exactly how long it takes to power walk to Food Lion and back when I've forgotten an important recipe ingredient (I've also learned how to make do without important recipe ingredients).
One day, we realized that we'd been sharing a car for six months. Six months! It had gotten so easy, we almost didn't even think about it. At that point, we set a goal: one year of car sharing. We were already halfway there!
On Sunday evenings, we powwow and look over the schedule for the week to decide who is driving each day. I try to schedule any appointments on one or two days, and then plan to do any errand-running on those days as well. Steve takes the car all the other days. I'm super thankful to have a business that I can run (mostly) without leaving the house! I have fabric delivered right to my door and ship everything from home.
Sometimes, Steve takes the camera to work with him and brings home cool pictures. I love it because it's like he's bringing the outside world to me and I can see what's going on beyond our backyard.
Bottom line: car sharing isn't for everyone, but it sure is working out great for us! If you're wondering what our plan is when we hit the one year mark, the answer is- we don't know! Buy a car? Keep sharing? Go on a road trip to celebrate? We'll see!
I'm so excited about this weekend. We've got some old friends coming to stay, plus the Kentucky Derby on Saturday! I'll be back Monday with pictures from our Derby party. Hope your favorite horse wins!
You are awesome!
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