Rorschach The Tiny Titan of Terror does not own a car. Thank Goodness!

The LA Times published an article this past Sunday on our nation’s growing unemployment rate.  Several people were interviewed about the hardships of long term unemployment. Most of these people talked about how they had depleted their savings and were worried about paying their bills and having access to affordable healthcare. Age worries were also of great concern since so many younger and older workers are having an especially difficult time in the current job market.

On the other end of the spectrum, a 33-year old man who had lost his $140,000 a year job in a Manhattan investment bank was profiled. He talked about how despite his MBA and law degree he was still unemployed. His situation had forced him to move back in with his parents in Malibu and trade commodities online from his home computer. Hey, if you’ve got to move back in with your parents, Malibu is not a bad place to be in my opinion. He stated this was not where he thought he would be at this time in his life. As I’m reading I’m thinking, yeah, I can relate because I’m not exactly where I envisioned myself being either. He then went on to say “I live with my parents and I drive a Saturn.” My first reaction after reading this was: “Are you kidding me? What’s wrong with driving a Saturn? And shouldn’t you have more pressing worries than the kind of car you are driving, like maybe getting a job?

After coming down from my high horse I began to put my judgment of him aside. He was only being honest about how he felt. However I still thought it sad that so many of us think our cars define us. Why is that? Well for starters, the car industry has done a big-time number on Americans. In addition to successfully making a large majority of our population dependent on cars for getting around, they have also talked us into the idea that our cars send out a signal to the world about what kind of people we are. If you buy (or in most cases go into major debt) for such and such vehicle, the car advertisers promise us we will be seen as successful or cool or sophisticated.

We have all at one time or another fallen prey to the “our car defines us” mentality. I admit that I have.  I’ve never been one to get overly enthused over cars and have been known to confuse a BMW with a Honda Accord.  However, in 2003, I purchased a used 2001 Toyota Hybrid Prius and boy was I excited! Not because I thought my car made me look cool or wealthy but because I thought it sent out a signal that I cared about the environment. Yes, I wanted to support this new green technology but I also wanted people to know I was a forward progressive thinker and doing my part to burn fewer fossil fuels. Ego is ego! I was still communicating some type of message about who I was and what I believed. So I really can’t fault Mr. Saturn Car Driver for wanting to send a message as well. His message may be different than mine but it’s all ego and if we’re really honest with ourselves-very silly!

I believe we are moving into an era where we are all going to be forced to lessen our consumption drastically. From the top down, downsizing and conserving will be the new norm.  We may not own as much and our possessions will be more of the practical kind and not for showing off.  When I lived in Manhattan in my younger years I did not own a car.  There were definitely times when I missed having one but looking back those years were pure freedom.  In many ways material possessions weigh us down and we miss out on life.

We are not our cars nor are we any of our other material possessions. Who we are has nothing to do with what we own but everything to do with what’s inside us. Are we compassionate people? Do we have love for our fellow human beings even when they are different from us? What we do defines us and I’m not talking about our jobs and careers either. Do we treat others with compassion? Do we help out others when they need us? What is our value system?

The next time you get into your car and start to feel either a bit cocky or “less than” because of what you drive remember your car has nothing to do with who you are as a person. Maybe you can let someone in front of you who is having a hard time merging into traffic. If someone does something really stupid that ticks you off give them a break. We all do stupid things from time to time when we are behind the wheel. Say a silent prayer that all those driving around you get to their destination safe and sound. Remind yourself that these kinds of acts of kindness define you a whole lot more than the big metal frame that surrounds you.

Our trusty Toyota Prius

Several years ago, my husband’s 86’ Volvo started having major problems. We didn’t feel the expense to maintain the car was worth it, so we donated her to an animal charity-Animal Farm. Thus this event marked the beginning of our one car household experiment.

As we set out on this adventure we were curious to see if we could do it. And more importantly, could we do it in Los Angeles- a city where one car per person is seen by many as a necessity. Since I love to challenge the “status-quo” I was gun-ho to make a one car household a reality, even if only for a few short years.

It’s been over four years now, and I’m happy to report our attempt to get by with one car has been successful. When I mention to people we only have one car, many are shocked but curious to know how we do it.  I tell them that coordinating work schedules is the most difficult aspect, but it can be done. Once we got into the swing of things, it became second nature.

I would drop my husband off at work every morning and then head on over to my workplace. We decided I would keep the car during the day since my employer did not charge us to park and my husband’s employer did. In the evenings, I would swing by and get David. Sometimes, he had to wait ½ hour or so, but we still figured the savings were worth it. If he ever wanted to go on without me, he would hop on the Big Blue Bus and make it home in less than an hour.

The rest is easy because we do most errands and socializing together anyway. If one person needs the car for something the other is not involved in, then we adjust and accommodate each other. In other words, we have learned to share. So far there have been no fights!

When we began the transition to a one car household, we told ourselves (and still do) that if at any time our quality of life begins to drastically suffer, then we would make a trade-off somewhere else in our budget and buy a new car. So far so good! We’ve been successful because we have been willing to be inconvenienced a little bit in order to save money. However, the interesting thing is since we have settled into this lifestyle we haven’t felt inconvenienced at all.

Our main reason for not getting another car was the expense. It didn’t make financial sense to us to buy another car that would just sit in a parking garage all day while we were at work.  We also like the environmental impact as well, although I’ll admit it was not our main motivation. However it was our motivation to buy our 2001 Toyota Prius when those came out on the market.

Our one car household decision has proved to be a Godsend for us now that I’m not working. I still take David to work and pick him up at the end of the day. Since our income is much less than it was when I was working, not having additional expenses for an extra car is a great factor in helping us get through this chapter in our lives.

Living with one car between two people has made our lives much richer. We keep more of our hard earned money and we have quality visiting time on our commutes. More importantly, we are learning that you don’t have to follow the crowd and do certain things just because everyone else is doing them. And of course we are learning to share-just like they taught us in kindergarten!