1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:14,413 Speaker 1: from News Talks at Me, I had a kind. 3 00:00:14,253 --> 00:00:17,133 Speaker 2: Of a funny entry in my calendar this week that 4 00:00:17,293 --> 00:00:19,893 Speaker 2: kind of took me a moment to decipher. So it 5 00:00:19,973 --> 00:00:25,613 Speaker 2: said marv one Sea Anniversary, and my heart kind of 6 00:00:25,653 --> 00:00:28,933 Speaker 2: skipped a beat when I saw it anniversary. I thought, what, oh, 7 00:00:29,093 --> 00:00:34,293 Speaker 2: oh no, hang on, no, stand down, stand down, forget romance. 8 00:00:34,613 --> 00:00:37,733 Speaker 2: What my entry was telling me was that I had 9 00:00:37,813 --> 00:00:41,573 Speaker 2: just reached the anniversary for this very radio show in 10 00:00:41,613 --> 00:00:44,653 Speaker 2: which I had shared with you our decision, our family's 11 00:00:44,733 --> 00:00:49,653 Speaker 2: decision to become a one car household. So we made 12 00:00:49,653 --> 00:00:53,053 Speaker 2: the call at the start of twenty twenty three, right 13 00:00:53,173 --> 00:00:55,773 Speaker 2: because Marva had this old dunga that sort of needed 14 00:00:55,813 --> 00:00:59,253 Speaker 2: to go, and in theory, it just just didn't seem 15 00:00:59,413 --> 00:01:03,093 Speaker 2: necessary to replace it. In theory, at least, sure, it 16 00:01:03,133 --> 00:01:06,013 Speaker 2: was convenient having two cars. It was what we had 17 00:01:06,013 --> 00:01:09,293 Speaker 2: always been used to. But with a little bit of coordination, 18 00:01:09,533 --> 00:01:12,293 Speaker 2: a little bit of extra organization, we reckon that. At 19 00:01:12,293 --> 00:01:15,133 Speaker 2: the very least, moving to one car was worth a crack. 20 00:01:15,773 --> 00:01:19,373 Speaker 2: So the anniversary has passed. We are now more than 21 00:01:19,453 --> 00:01:22,653 Speaker 2: two years in, and I can report we are still 22 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:28,573 Speaker 2: a one car household, and otherwise, though our circumstances have changed. 23 00:01:28,653 --> 00:01:31,693 Speaker 2: So for starters, there are now there's now four of us. 24 00:01:31,773 --> 00:01:34,093 Speaker 2: We've got me, Marva, our eight year old, and our 25 00:01:34,133 --> 00:01:37,253 Speaker 2: ten week old baby, so that means a baby capsule 26 00:01:37,333 --> 00:01:41,453 Speaker 2: and a booster seat. And we've upgraded from my oh 27 00:01:41,533 --> 00:01:46,293 Speaker 2: so cool gray Toyota Corolla to an oh so cool 28 00:01:46,573 --> 00:01:51,253 Speaker 2: white Toyota Corolla. You could say I'm on a Corole. 29 00:01:54,133 --> 00:01:57,453 Speaker 2: I'm a dad. Get used to it. Anyway, Every household 30 00:01:57,493 --> 00:01:59,573 Speaker 2: is different, right, every family is different. I get that. 31 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:03,053 Speaker 2: And there are things that make our setup easier and 32 00:02:03,093 --> 00:02:05,413 Speaker 2: things that make it a little bit harder. So for starters, 33 00:02:06,413 --> 00:02:08,733 Speaker 2: it's easier to have a one car household when you 34 00:02:08,813 --> 00:02:13,453 Speaker 2: live centrally, and we live really centrally centrally, which certainly helps. 35 00:02:14,133 --> 00:02:17,253 Speaker 2: But then we also have kids, kids who have appointments 36 00:02:17,373 --> 00:02:20,253 Speaker 2: and sports and playdates with their friends, kids who need 37 00:02:20,293 --> 00:02:23,653 Speaker 2: to be in different places at the same time. The 38 00:02:23,693 --> 00:02:25,493 Speaker 2: way it kind of works at the moment is that 39 00:02:25,733 --> 00:02:30,693 Speaker 2: I default to not taking the car. About eighty percent 40 00:02:30,733 --> 00:02:34,213 Speaker 2: of my journeys I reckon are journeys in which I 41 00:02:34,333 --> 00:02:37,653 Speaker 2: ride my bike. So when it's really heavily raining, I 42 00:02:37,733 --> 00:02:40,493 Speaker 2: take the bus or I catch an uber to work. 43 00:02:40,573 --> 00:02:44,533 Speaker 2: Sometimes when Marva isn't pregnant or isn't carrying a newborn baby, 44 00:02:44,613 --> 00:02:47,973 Speaker 2: she rides her bike too, And honestly, the uber thing 45 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:53,053 Speaker 2: is actually a really big one. Again, easier obviously when 46 00:02:53,133 --> 00:02:55,813 Speaker 2: you live in a big city. But when we became 47 00:02:55,853 --> 00:02:58,693 Speaker 2: a one car house, we kind of told ourselves that 48 00:02:58,773 --> 00:03:02,013 Speaker 2: we wouldn't feel guilty spending money on ubers if the 49 00:03:02,053 --> 00:03:04,413 Speaker 2: pair of us had a clash in our schedules or 50 00:03:04,613 --> 00:03:09,013 Speaker 2: a thunderstorm was rolling through. It didn't take a Nobell 51 00:03:09,133 --> 00:03:12,573 Speaker 2: winning economist to work out that a few big uber 52 00:03:12,653 --> 00:03:16,493 Speaker 2: journeys in rush hour traffic probably still wouldn't come close 53 00:03:16,533 --> 00:03:20,213 Speaker 2: to what we were spending on insurance and parking and petrol. 54 00:03:20,293 --> 00:03:23,173 Speaker 2: That was the theory anyway, That was the theory, But 55 00:03:23,293 --> 00:03:28,893 Speaker 2: in practice it has been a comprehensive money saver. So 56 00:03:28,933 --> 00:03:31,373 Speaker 2: I looked it up. Did the sums. Last year we 57 00:03:31,493 --> 00:03:36,093 Speaker 2: spent about three hundred dollars on ubers. Yep, that's real money, 58 00:03:36,093 --> 00:03:39,173 Speaker 2: three hundred bucks, but compared to the price of buying 59 00:03:39,373 --> 00:03:43,693 Speaker 2: and running a second car, it's nothing. The hardest thing 60 00:03:43,733 --> 00:03:47,133 Speaker 2: for me has been when plans change at short notice. 61 00:03:47,213 --> 00:03:49,173 Speaker 2: So one of us is out with the car, the 62 00:03:49,213 --> 00:03:51,253 Speaker 2: other one's waiting at home to use the car, but 63 00:03:51,293 --> 00:03:54,373 Speaker 2: then the first person gets delayed. That is frustrating and 64 00:03:54,413 --> 00:03:56,173 Speaker 2: it kind of throws a bit of a spanner in 65 00:03:56,213 --> 00:03:59,773 Speaker 2: the works. Even though I know I have to look 66 00:03:59,813 --> 00:04:04,413 Speaker 2: at the overall spend rather than individual one off journeys, 67 00:04:04,933 --> 00:04:08,133 Speaker 2: I'll be honest, Like catching a forty dollars uber when 68 00:04:08,173 --> 00:04:11,893 Speaker 2: previously we might have driven, that still kind of catches 69 00:04:11,893 --> 00:04:14,653 Speaker 2: in my throat. That still feels a bit galling, and 70 00:04:14,693 --> 00:04:16,333 Speaker 2: it can be hard to remind yourself you've got to 71 00:04:16,333 --> 00:04:18,853 Speaker 2: look at the big picture, look at the overall spend 72 00:04:18,973 --> 00:04:23,173 Speaker 2: rather than one off journeys. So two years on, what 73 00:04:23,373 --> 00:04:28,373 Speaker 2: is the verdict. Well, sure it takes marginally more coordination 74 00:04:28,493 --> 00:04:31,333 Speaker 2: than it did with two separate vehicles, but if anything, 75 00:04:31,453 --> 00:04:35,253 Speaker 2: it has honestly been easier than I imagined. And I've 76 00:04:35,293 --> 00:04:40,213 Speaker 2: actually noticed, like subconsciously, I often don't even think about 77 00:04:40,293 --> 00:04:43,773 Speaker 2: taking the car for most of my journeys. The biggest 78 00:04:43,813 --> 00:04:46,733 Speaker 2: challenge is organizing around a clash in our schedules, but 79 00:04:46,773 --> 00:04:51,013 Speaker 2: there are honestly surprising benefits outside the obvious. One little thing, 80 00:04:51,053 --> 00:04:54,613 Speaker 2: I just I love not having to faff around so 81 00:04:54,733 --> 00:04:58,453 Speaker 2: much with parking. It seems minor, but it's like it's 82 00:04:58,493 --> 00:05:01,413 Speaker 2: like a quality of life thing for me. And look, 83 00:05:01,573 --> 00:05:04,053 Speaker 2: I'm not saying that our setup is right or will 84 00:05:04,093 --> 00:05:08,253 Speaker 2: work for every household and every family, of course not. Okay, 85 00:05:08,293 --> 00:05:11,373 Speaker 2: you do you, although it has to be said at 86 00:05:11,373 --> 00:05:14,533 Speaker 2: We've got really good friends who have a three child 87 00:05:14,573 --> 00:05:17,533 Speaker 2: house and a suburb that's much further out than our 88 00:05:17,573 --> 00:05:21,373 Speaker 2: one and they manage with one car just fine, and 89 00:05:21,453 --> 00:05:24,013 Speaker 2: not once in the last two and a bit years 90 00:05:24,293 --> 00:05:27,973 Speaker 2: has either of us, either me or Marv, doubted our decision. 91 00:05:28,093 --> 00:05:30,693 Speaker 2: It is cleaner, and even if you don't care about 92 00:05:30,693 --> 00:05:33,773 Speaker 2: the fact that it's cleaner, it is certainly cheaper. Having 93 00:05:33,773 --> 00:05:36,973 Speaker 2: a one car household an interesting right. New Zealand still 94 00:05:37,013 --> 00:05:39,813 Speaker 2: has one of the highest rates of car ownership in 95 00:05:39,853 --> 00:05:44,253 Speaker 2: the world. After two years. I'm convinced that doesn't need 96 00:05:44,413 --> 00:05:44,813 Speaker 2: to be so. 97 00:05:45,733 --> 00:05:48,813 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 98 00:05:48,893 --> 00:05:52,213 Speaker 1: to Newstalks B from nine am Saturday, or follow the 99 00:05:52,253 --> 00:05:53,693 Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.