Day 31: Our 2 car family
So about a year ago we had quite a good thing happen... Joel's parents had moved out to Africa and had left their car with Joel's brother who was working away on an invention. He then decided to go out to Africa too, leaving the car with.... us! yay! Insurance covered, MOT'd and taxed... we had a 2nd car with all costs covered apart from petrol. Even petrol, for that matter, has not really been more running 2 cars - we haven't had to give each other lifts to far away places and back so that one of us can have the car, and its been great for not having to be back from places in time for the other one to run out and go... we were operating like a tag team before.
So we always said - it was great to have but we are not a family that could afford a second car and we'd only be able to run it until it collapsed, Joel's parents ceased to want to pay for the insurance, or another family member wanted a turn.
Twice this week we've had to get our heads round it, after a year or being in the 2 car family life, that we are to cope again with one. Firstly Joels brother came up, back from Africa and off to the Lakes to live in our tent for 5 weeks doing running challenges in training for the Snowdonia Marathon. He wanted to take the car to get up there. Also this week the MOT was due. In the end Joel had to drive him up to the Lakes as the MOT news was bad. £450 worth of repairs needed! Having to make a decision about what to do is not fun... you can't put the decision off as the garage want to do the work or get it moved... but that's a lot of money.
For the first time the decision was clear to me. We didn't have an extra £450 and actually I do now have space on my overdraft - it would be a sad 'total update' but possible to do. However this blog experiment of mine is about my attitude and to me now the important factors were these 1) We always said we could lose it and couldn't afford to invest into it, 2) My overdraft is NOT my own money. 3) I need to learn and be satisfied to live within my means.
As it happens Joels parents are coming back over next month and they are covering the repairs as they will need the car again...so now its back on our road, mended - but we're not letting ourselves rely on being a 2 car family anymore!
So we always said - it was great to have but we are not a family that could afford a second car and we'd only be able to run it until it collapsed, Joel's parents ceased to want to pay for the insurance, or another family member wanted a turn.
Twice this week we've had to get our heads round it, after a year or being in the 2 car family life, that we are to cope again with one. Firstly Joels brother came up, back from Africa and off to the Lakes to live in our tent for 5 weeks doing running challenges in training for the Snowdonia Marathon. He wanted to take the car to get up there. Also this week the MOT was due. In the end Joel had to drive him up to the Lakes as the MOT news was bad. £450 worth of repairs needed! Having to make a decision about what to do is not fun... you can't put the decision off as the garage want to do the work or get it moved... but that's a lot of money.
For the first time the decision was clear to me. We didn't have an extra £450 and actually I do now have space on my overdraft - it would be a sad 'total update' but possible to do. However this blog experiment of mine is about my attitude and to me now the important factors were these 1) We always said we could lose it and couldn't afford to invest into it, 2) My overdraft is NOT my own money. 3) I need to learn and be satisfied to live within my means.
As it happens Joels parents are coming back over next month and they are covering the repairs as they will need the car again...so now its back on our road, mended - but we're not letting ourselves rely on being a 2 car family anymore!
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