How to Stay Sane When You’re a Stay at Home Mom with NO Transportation

What to do when you're a car-less stay at home mom. SAHM's with only 1 family car.  Preventing stay at home mom isolation and depression. stay at home mom no transportation. Stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom problems. unhappy stay at home mom. lonely stay at home mom no friends. unhappy stay at home mom. stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom bored and depressed. stay at home mom depression symptoms. stay at home mom anxiety. what do stay at home moms do all day. how to be a successful stay at home mom. stay at home mom social isolation.

(Edit: this was written in 2017. My situation has improved but I feel this is still very important information for my introduction to this post.)

My husband takes our one car to work everyday and I stay at home with our 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. We live right on the outskirts of town so there's nothing within walking distance except for a gas station, a church and a barbecue joint. His job is very far away, in fact it's a couple of small towns over so dropping him off at work, driving back home, picking him up and driving back home would take some serious gas money.

Ok, no biggie - I'll just take the bus if I need to go somewhere. Right? Nope. The nearest bus stop is a wooden bench with "BUS STOP" spray painted on it in someone's front yard. I am not kidding. I'm not even sure if it's legit it looks shady as heck. And besides, I would have to walk two miles down the side of a major highway with two toddlers to get to it. So let's scratch that.

I could call an Uber driver but, dang. There's no Uber in our town.

I guess I'll just call a taxi...
but we don't really have taxis, here. We have a privately owned taxi company that has a couple of vans. The company doesn't even have a website and has horrific reviews on Google such as:

" so disappointed this is worst taxi service two times i had to wait for three hours to be pick up n cancelled it due to lack of coming 3 and a half hours late never again waste of my money"

and...

"... DON'T EVER USE THIS TAXI SERVICE IF YOUR['E] IN NEED TO GET SOMEWHERE IMPORTANT!!!!"

Ok, so no taxi.
(Those comments were copied and pasted by the way. I didn't want you to miss out on the full experience of reading the reviews.) 

Not being able to hop in your car and go where you want, whenever you want absolutely sucks.
I know. But there are ways to survive!
Whether your situation is temporary or long term here are a few ways that you can keep it together when you're a stay-at-home mom with no vehicle.



What to do when you're a car-less stay at home mom. SAHM's with only 1 family car.  Preventing stay at home mom isolation and depression. stay at home mom no transportation. Stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom problems. unhappy stay at home mom. lonely stay at home mom no friends. unhappy stay at home mom. stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom bored and depressed. stay at home mom depression symptoms. stay at home mom anxiety. what do stay at home moms do all day. how to be a successful stay at home mom. stay at home mom social isolation.


► Find a new hobby or rediscover an old one.
Try your hand at cake decorating, gardening, knitting or something you used to love to do but kind of forgot about. That's pretty easy to do after you have kids. Even better: find a hobby that you and your children can do together like painting, crafts, dance, fitness and music.



► Work from home and save money for a second vehicle.
If not having a second vehicle is causing major issues like missing important appointments or depression from cabin fever, then you might need to help bring in more money so you can afford to purchase and insure a second vehicle. Consider babysitting, tutoring, giving music lessons and or selling your handmade crafts. For more work-from-home-ideas, check out this great post: Best 10 Online Jobs for Stay at Home Moms with a Noisy Background.



HERE'S A POST YOU MIGHT LIKE:  16 Unconventional and Profitable Artistic Hobbies.



► Homeschool.
I definitely wouldn't recommend pulling your kids out of school because you need a way to occupy your time at home, but if you have a child that hasn't started school yet, try your hand at educating them yourself at home. For more information on the pros and cons of homeschooling, check out this article" Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling to see if it's right for you and your family.


► Reconnect with old friends or make new ones.
 Did you fall out of touch with a good friend when the little ones arrived on the scene? Try reconnecting with them, especially if they have kiddos too. Also, whenever you go out, try your best to make a new friend. Connect with other moms at the park, your church and community events.



► Check to see if there's anything within walking distance.
Get out and check to make sure you're not missing out on something that's closer to your home than you think. I've been living in the same spot for three years and only recently discovered that the church right behind our home has a playground! 



► Ask for rides and accept rides when offered.
Give someone a call if you need to leave the house for any reason, even if it's just for a change of scenery.  If friends or family members offer to give you rides, take them up on it. 



► Embrace the great outdoors.
Turn your backyard into a paradise of fun for you and your kids. Revamp your patio or porch by adding comfy furniture. Make or buy tons of amazing outdoor toys and games that will keep your children occupied for hours. If your yard is open, consider fencing it in so your children can play safely without you having to hover over them constantly - this will give you a little more freedom to browse a magazine or just simply chillout while your kids go bananas.





► Invite people over.
If you can't go to the people, then bring the people to you! Invite a friend over who also has children and you two can sit and chat while your kids get to socialize and have fun as well. Invite a few friends over for lunch and board games - anything you want to do. Make it a weekly event and strive to make each week as fun as the last.




Are you a stay-at-home mom?
How do you keep your sanity when you can't get out of the house? Share in a comment below!

What to do when you're a car-less stay at home mom. SAHM's with only 1 family car.  Preventing stay at home mom isolation and depression. stay at home mom no transportation. Stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom problems. unhappy stay at home mom. lonely stay at home mom no friends. unhappy stay at home mom. stay at home mom isolation. stay at home mom bored and depressed. stay at home mom depression symptoms. stay at home mom anxiety. what do stay at home moms do all day. how to be a successful stay at home mom. stay at home mom social isolation.

▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲



3 comments

  1. Hi! Just found your blog and I'm happy to explore. I am a stay at home mom and live in a small town, and don't drive due to a brain injury. I think your tips are great. I do all of those things! I am lucky to live close to our library, and have a social outlet there (which was crazy amazing when my kiddos were super small)-- I'd suggest that as another tip for any other sahm-s who need a break. Also ride-sharing with like minded mommas is fun and social and helpful for all involved. Thanks for posting on this subject!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know quite a few stay at home moms who don't have transportation. We live in a rural area with no public transportation-- these are great tips to share with them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I do have a second car, but these are still great tips for encouraging yourself to stay home rather than going out to spend money. I love the idea of exploring your area for new things like the playground. I bet there are things near me that I haven't discovered yet!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what ya think! Oh, and PLEASE report any strange spammy scammy looking pop-ups to me in a comment below! THANKS!!!