Off the Wagon

May has been a little tough, not for any significant external reason, but mainly due to my own lack of resolve. I have an unfortunate habit of failing to follow through with ideas and projects, and I am determined not to let that happen with respect to my simpler living goals. I don't think of living more simply as a thing I am doing, but as a way of being.

So what went wrong this month?

For one thing, the weather has improved — which is great — and as a consequence I took advantage of more outdoor activities with my daughter. Often these were spur-of-the-moment: friend calls, says, "Hey, I'm going to the park for an hour, want to join me?" Saying yes often meant committing to driving since a bus trip or long walk requires prior planning and extra time. But saying no just on the principle of driving less would feel like an unnecessary sacrifice, like deprivation — which is counter to the goal of simple living. Living simply is supposed to make one feel more fulfilled, not less. And so, somewhat guiltily, I've been driving more than I'd like. I'm really not sure how to allow for spontaneity, when walking or busing necessitates planning ahead.

I also found myself eating out more this past month. Let me rephrase: I chose to eat out more this month — because it is about choices, after all. Why? Disorganization around meal planning, extra activities (see above) that cut into food prep time, out-of-town guests, laziness, feeling the urge to indulge...pick any or all of the above for any given dining excursion. And then there's the snowball effect: if I've already been "bad" and eaten out when I really shouldn't have, I (illogically) figure that the damage has been done and I might as well do it again. And again. Sort of like falling off the diet wagon.

Who knew that living simply would require so much discipline? Shouldn't it be simple?

The Car and I: A progress report

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try relying less on my car and more on my feet and public transportation (read about my rationale here). Now almost halfway through the month, I thought I'd evaluate my progress...and I've actually done pretty well.

Week 1: Used the car two out of five weekdays, rode the bus, walked about 6-7 miles.

Primary lessons learned: 1)Full-size stroller + public transit = major hassle (but the kid loves the bus—no carseat! Freedom!). 2)Need better walking shoes.

Week 2: Used the car two out of five weekdays (I had only allowed myself one driving day this week; I did carpool on one of those days...does that still count?), rode the bus, walked about 3-4 miles.

Primary lessons learned: 1)Smaller strollers are still a (minor) hassle on the bus, and will leave dirty tire marks on your pants as you try to maneuver child, diaper bag, and stroller up the steps. 2)Walking in the rain is not as romantic as you might think.

As I look ahead to weeks three and four while checking the 10-day weather forecast, I am not terribly excited about the prospect of more rainy/cold/windy/dreary walks. While some people may find a brisk walk on a wet and blustery day to be refreshing, perhaps cleansing, I prefer the comfort of my enclosed, heated automobile. But, living in Seattle, committing to driving less requires a willingness to accept the rain.

I believe I still have several stages to go through, however, before reaching acceptance.

The elephant in the room.

So, we've reduced grocery expenses considerably, we've cut way back on eating out, we're more conservative with our household energy use...in other words, the easy stuff.

Have you hugged your car today?

But what about that BIG energy consumer sitting in the driveway, you know, the one that accounts for our largest debt (after our mortgage)? Ah yes, the car.

We recently acquired a second car, and, as car purchases go, I think it was a pretty smart one (a 10 year old, very fuel efficient, low miles commuter car). My husband had been taking the bus to work for the past several months since his much older, less reliable car died a tragic death, and it wasn't an ideal situation for a number of reasons. Well, for my husband, at least — since I wasn't often affected by the lack of a vehicle, I was not as sold on the idea of a second car. "Why not just take the bus," I thought, "What's the big deal?"

Of course, I drive daily, even short distances that I could easily walk if I just allowed myself a little extra time. And I drive a larger "family sedan" that doesn't get the best gas mileage. We bought the car new about a year and a half ago after bad luck with our last used car. We shopped around and determined that a mid-size new car (with a great warranty) made sense for our family — and it might. Or maybe the $450 or so that we pay toward the car payment, gas, and insurance could be put to better use.

But am I willing to give up my car? Is it even practical? Toting diaper bag, stroller, and child on the bus isn't as appealing as hopping in the car. And the public transportation in our area isn't particularly convenient — I'd have to allow about twice the travel time. So, there would be sacrifices...or perhaps I should put a more positive spin on the idea and call them trade-offs. When I mentioned the notion of going back to one car, my husband said it seemed "extreme," which is kind of funny considering that for at least half of the time we've lived together we've shared one car (though much of that time was pre-child). I cannot claim to be ever-virtuous, however, as in the back of my mind I had the same thought. "Good lord, only one car!?" — talk about distorted ideals.

Here's my personal challenge for the month of April: I will drive only on Thursdays and every other Monday (I have ongoing commitments on these days that I cannot reasonably get to via bus/walking), and in the evenings, to simulate the experience of having one shared vehicle (assuming my husband would be willing to take the bus to work on those days should we decide to keep just one car). This will require some big adjustments on my part, particularly better time management, considering my tendency to cram too many things into too little time before rushing to my destination. But I want to try. I know I can make it work if I decide it's worthwhile — and I think it is. Check back at the end of April to see how I did!