Okay, that's what I was guessing, but it's confusing because even in a traditional family with a breadwinner and a stay-at-home spouse, you often need two cars

Okay, that's what I was guessing, but it's confusing because even in a traditional family with a breadwinner and a stay-at-home spouse, you often need two cars to get the breadwinner to work and the spouse to... well, anywhere outside the home, kids' activities etc. The two car lifestyle in America is about sprawl and bad urban planning. All that aside, my family is doing something like you're describing. We do come out ahead but not by much. Some women genuinely want to work outside the home, and the kids are at school anyway.