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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: YTProphet on January 09, 2015, 02:07:51 PM

Title: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: YTProphet on January 09, 2015, 02:07:51 PM
So I was fortunate to get a new job recently that reduced my commute from 30 miles and 45 minutes to 3 miles and 5-10 minutes. I'm over the moon about this (almost irrationally so according to friends and family). I'll be able to run or bike to work in the morning when things warm up (there's a gym with showers here, too), so I'm ecstatic.

How far do the rest of you Mustachians live from work? Do you drive or run/bike?
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: boarder42 on January 09, 2015, 02:10:46 PM
19.1 miles 25-30mins
drive Ford escape hybrid 45MPGs
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: FLBiker on January 09, 2015, 02:13:54 PM
5 miles, ~25 minutes, bike
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: UnleashHell on January 09, 2015, 02:15:08 PM
8 miles. mostly drive but am adding in more and more biking to work.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: irishbear99 on January 09, 2015, 02:16:37 PM
18 miles, 1-1.25 hours each way in the Civic. It absolutely sucks, but was the compromise we made to decrease housing costs.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: FastStache on January 09, 2015, 02:18:07 PM
4.9 miles Mustang, tourist area and fast roads. Hoping to bike some.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MooseOutFront on January 09, 2015, 02:18:55 PM
4.5 miles.  I bike often but need a vehicle during the day so it doesn't always work out.  It is really great living so close to work.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: surfhb on January 09, 2015, 02:19:44 PM
49 miles in LA Traffic.   Fun Stuff!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: RWD on January 09, 2015, 02:21:02 PM
I live about 5 miles from work. I drive (10-15 minutes one way) due to the lack of shoulders/sidewalks/bike lanes on 40-50 mph roads.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: YTProphet on January 09, 2015, 02:23:42 PM
49 miles in LA Traffic.   Fun Stuff!

My heart goes out to you, brother. Do you spend more time in the car or in your office every day?
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: sol on January 09, 2015, 02:24:27 PM
8 miles, about 40 minutes by bike.  Used to be a 1.5 mile  30 minute walk, but we moved for better schools.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: andy85 on January 09, 2015, 02:24:54 PM
15 miles - 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending on life

hoping to move closer this year and turn that into a 3 mile, 15 minute bike ride
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: YK-Phil on January 09, 2015, 02:32:58 PM
I am 3.3 km from the office right now. I am house-sitting and take a 130 lbs Akita with me to the office so we walk there and back mostly through a nice lake trail, 50 mn if he doesn't stop at every other tree but most times it takes us about one hour which is quite long at -35. It is only 15 minutes by bike mostly via the same trail which is cleared in winter, but I stopped biking for now due to a few unexpected landings when the big dog decided to stop and sniff something without prior warning.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Astatine on January 09, 2015, 02:35:24 PM
15km (maybe 6-7 miles? not sure). It's an hour by bus, assuming you don't have to wait too long for one, or 15-45 minutes by car, depending on when we leave home in the morning.

There's zero point in moving closer to either my work or DH's work. I think my record for different office locations around the city was 4 in 18 months. Moving house is expensive and painful, and not worth it for us.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrMoogle on January 09, 2015, 02:37:49 PM
1 mile, I walk almost every day.  Back in the states it was 4 miles, and I was too chicken to bike.  I might try it next time though.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: BMEPhDinCO on January 09, 2015, 02:38:50 PM
26.8 miles, 40 minutes driving and 1.5 hours on the bus (each way)... we split the distance between DH's commute and mine when we bought the house.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Numbers Man on January 09, 2015, 02:50:55 PM
I carpool for 35 miles for about an hour one way so I'm able to take advantage of the HOV lane.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Le Barbu on January 09, 2015, 02:54:43 PM
10 miles each way

I considered moving years ago, MMM convince me to stay because ER will occur in about 4-5 years. Everything else I need is within 1-3 miles from home.

bike 20% through the year
carpool 60%
car-clown 20%
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Roots&Wings on January 09, 2015, 02:56:29 PM
850 miles. But I telecommute mostly.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: surfhb on January 09, 2015, 03:00:36 PM
49 miles in LA Traffic.   Fun Stuff!

My heart goes out to you, brother. Do you spend more time in the car or in your office every day?

Ive accepted it.....Ive manage to carpool part of the way.  2 hrs a day in my car.    I still manage a 40 % saving rate though
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: caliq on January 09, 2015, 03:01:04 PM
17 miles one way, about a half hour drive on 2 lane state highways, speed limit 45-55 mph. 

I am very lucky to commute to school for free because my aunt works on campus and her commute brings her right past my house :)  On the days she can't drive for whatever reason (probably less than once a month), I drive a 2010 Ford Fusion @ 22-25 mpg and pay between $2 and $10 for parking (because I drive myself so infrequently, paying for a commuter lot pass doesn't make sense, but on the days I do drive I have to pay ridiculous amounts for garage parking). 

We bought the house a year ago in the exact middle of my husband's old work, my school, and my family.  20-30 minutes to each.  It occurred to me last night that we could sell and move to the town my school is in but preliminary napkin math is showing it as a wash financially. 
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: minimustache1985 on January 09, 2015, 03:06:25 PM
50 miles from work, 8 miles from carpool.

The bad is I work in the middle of nowhere (there is no housing in biking distance), the good is everyone carpools from town.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: snshijuptr on January 09, 2015, 03:06:48 PM
I work from home. My company office is on the other side of the country (US) and there is more talk of them coming out here than me ever going back there to visit.

My husband works 25 minutes (19 miles) away.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: JoshuaSpodek on January 09, 2015, 03:19:02 PM
Five minute walk if I hurry.

Ten minutes if I don't.

If the musicians in Washington Square Park are playing something I feel like listening to sometimes I stop and listen or read. Or if I run into a friend and we get a bite or a drink.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on January 09, 2015, 03:22:40 PM
40 miles. I walk to the station (1mile) and take the train. I telecommute a couple of days a week.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: NoraLenderbee on January 09, 2015, 03:27:13 PM
Nine miles.

26.8 miles, 40 minutes driving and 1.5 hours on the bus (each way)... we split the distance between DH's commute and mine when we bought the house.

Wait, your commute is 2 hours and 10 minutes each way? Over 4 hours per day?

Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: BlueMR2 on January 09, 2015, 03:46:48 PM
12.5 miles.  I drive.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MsPeacock on January 09, 2015, 03:49:21 PM
About 8 miles and 20 minutes. I have to allow additional time for parking and actually getting to the building I work in. My work location moved a few years ago, my commute used to be shorter. However, for this geographic area my commute is likely well below average and I don't have to get on the horrendous highway system.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: NinetyFour on January 09, 2015, 04:02:47 PM
About 1 mile.  I walk or bike.  I have not purchased a parking decal for my workplace in 15 years.

Recently, when I broken leg meant that I could not walk or bike, I either got rides from colleagues or took a bus.

I love love love living so close to work--and I am also just blocks away from grocery stores, coffee shops, etc.  The library is 1.5 miles away.  Love living in town.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: belgiandude on January 09, 2015, 04:06:49 PM
1 mile. I mostly walk. If I do not feel like leaving the house, I telecommute.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: newideas2013 on January 09, 2015, 04:19:50 PM
Construction electrician, one of the downsides of my work is commuting all over the city and surrounding suburbs. Anything beyond we get put up in paid accomodations but it's reasonably expected that you drive anywhere in a 1 hour radius of the city as a commute if you get put on a job there. Part of me wishes I had an office job where I could bike to work and save money that way. But it's not all bad, I'm using my time to continue learning the trade and may one day go out on my own. Gas and vehicle wear and any other contracting expenses will be added into my overhead and billed out anyways. I may get lucky in 1-2 more years and get a company van + gas card and be able to take the van home at nights.

My typical commute is 20 minutes in city driving and I've been lucky this past year most jobs have been in the city. Even the ones on the far outskirts I've only had to go to a few days out of the year. But trying to buy a house to position myself close to work is somewhat futile. Not everyone works in an office :)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: rubybeth on January 09, 2015, 04:21:55 PM
Until all the "work from home" folks get to the thread, I'm going to claim shortest commute that's actually not working from home:

Less than one mile (.7) if I walk, a bit longer if it's -20 F and I drive (divided highway with stoplight for pedestrians but I have to go a couple blocks out of my way if I drive to get to a car stoplight).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Kstar on January 09, 2015, 05:00:32 PM
 I'm ~8km from the office (5 miles).  Most days I take transit, but occasionally drive when I need the vehicle (2001 Toyota Rav4) to go to a different site for work during the day.  I could move closer, but i love the little community I'm in now. Almost everything is within walking distance from my place and I'm on some great bike paths.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: maki on January 09, 2015, 05:00:59 PM
2 miles, or 10-ish minutes by bike. lots of car exhaust in my eyes on the way there, though.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: r3dt4rget on January 09, 2015, 05:13:54 PM
50 miles, 45 mins :)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Eric on January 09, 2015, 09:15:13 PM
7.5 miles, about 35 minutes by bike.  Rode everyday but 2 in 2014.  Booyah!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: driftwood on January 09, 2015, 09:26:29 PM
3.9 miles right now, moving office in April so it will be 4.6 miles... I bike.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: pdxvandal on January 09, 2015, 11:40:11 PM
5.5 miles. 12 minute drive, 20 minute bike ride (25 minutes back on a bike as it's more uphill).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Monkey Uncle on January 10, 2015, 04:58:13 AM
So I was fortunate to get a new job recently that reduced my commute from 30 miles and 45 minutes to 3 miles and 5-10 minutes. I'm over the moon about this (almost irrationally so according to friends and family). I'll be able to run or bike to work in the morning when things warm up (there's a gym with showers here, too), so I'm ecstatic.

How far do the rest of you Mustachians live from work? Do you drive or run/bike?

Whaddya mean "when it warms up"?  A few days ago I walked the ~1 mile to my office when it was -3 F with a -20 F wind chill.  I was a awake by the time I got there.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: soccerluvof4 on January 10, 2015, 05:59:26 AM
10-12 minutes max but I couldn't bike it because it would take me at least an hour plus and my time is worth more than that to me. I workout before or right when i get home in the basement.  Its straight freeway and there really isn't a frontage road. Plus recently days below zero and icy snowy roads i will keep driving.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: SuperSaver on January 10, 2015, 06:03:29 AM
I live 0.4 miles. It is a 10-12 minute stroll to my office. It would take longer to drive it and an absurd $80/ month to park a 5 minute walk from there.

Forgot to mention "$80/month parking is such a sweet deal" according to my coworkers. $150-$200/month is the going rate around the office but a coworker buddies up to a garage to get us a "steal".
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on January 10, 2015, 06:17:03 AM
11 miles, ~20 minutes.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Roadhog on January 10, 2015, 06:40:04 AM
10 miles by car or bus.  Bus ride is about 35-45 minutes depending on traffic.    13 miles by bike because the direct route is a busy road and by going a bit extra distance on side streets and paths it's a much more pleasant ride.   It takes about an hour by bike depending on how long I have to sit at traffic lights.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: kpd905 on January 10, 2015, 06:40:45 AM
Just started a new job last week and I am about a 10 minute walk away.  Pretty nice change from my previous 20-45 minute commute each way.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: dcheesi on January 10, 2015, 06:55:04 AM
Currently 4 miles, but it will double when the office moves downtown later this year. OTOH it will be on the bus route.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Nancy on January 10, 2015, 06:58:09 AM
7.5 miles, about 35 minutes by bike.  Rode everyday but 2 in 2014.  Booyah!
Niiice!

4.5 miles to work, 4 miles home. I bike or take the autobus when I'm being a wimp (usually in Feb).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Spork on January 10, 2015, 09:30:45 AM
30 minutes...  Depending on the route I take, it is somewhere between 16-20 miles.  The longer route has less traffic and more highway speed/less traffic lights.  Both routes take about the same amount of time, but one is more convenient headed east and the other more convenient headed west due to traffic and left turn avoidance and such.

Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Peacefulwarrior on January 10, 2015, 09:49:50 AM
5 miles. Unfortunately my sons kindergarten is situated in the exact opposite direction. But we take the bus/train where ever we go. On the days I don't have him I walk to work. A nice 1,5 hour walk. Perfect for starting the day with an inspiration audiobook or podcast.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: LadyStache on January 10, 2015, 09:53:30 AM
39 miles :(
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Davin on January 10, 2015, 12:08:01 PM
It was 21 miles for six years, then my employer decided to transfer me involuntarily to an office 44 miles away. I was able to successfully negotiate the use of my company truck as compensation for the unpaid hour of extra commute.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: lauren_knows on January 10, 2015, 12:14:59 PM
About 13 miles, and I drive. Takes about 25-30 minutes.  I'd ride my bike, but I have a compressed work schedule, and adding an extra 1-1.5hrs to my commute each day by choosing to bike just isn't worth it at this juncture. 

I'd kill a man to be a couple miles away.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Mr. Frugalwoods on January 10, 2015, 03:53:55 PM
3 to 6 miles by bike, depending on whether I take the scenic route or the "I'm freezing my ass off" route.  The short route was definitely taken the other morning when it was -1 degrees.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: rmendpara on January 10, 2015, 04:50:22 PM
So I was fortunate to get a new job recently that reduced my commute from 30 miles and 45 minutes to 3 miles and 5-10 minutes. I'm over the moon about this (almost irrationally so according to friends and family). I'll be able to run or bike to work in the morning when things warm up (there's a gym with showers here, too), so I'm ecstatic.

How far do the rest of you Mustachians live from work? Do you drive or run/bike?

Around 1.2 miles by driving, but I take the train to work. 10-15 minute ride (frequent stops), but I love it.

I don't know how I'll be able to go back to driving and commuting some day.

Sad face...
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Rural on January 10, 2015, 05:00:39 PM
35 miles of country back roads. If I hit traffic, it's a school bus or a tractor. Not bad at all, and it's so pretty that, five years in, I haven't gotten tired of looking yet.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Metta on January 10, 2015, 05:02:25 PM
Currently 6 miles from work. We bought this house because it was about a mile from my office and I could walk or bike to work, but then they moved me to another location that is 6 miles away and those six miles are over dangerous streets or the highway. So no more biking. I got a substantial raise, which about paid for the car I had to buy. :(
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: darkadams00 on January 10, 2015, 05:13:01 PM
 9-9.5 miles at about 40-45 minutes by bike, depending on route.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: alsoknownasDean on January 10, 2015, 05:54:56 PM
About 7-8km. Usually I'll take the tram, which is about 40-45min including walking to/from the stop.

I've ridden the bike in a couple of times. I'd ride more often if I could do it without needing a shower, the ride is about 35 min.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: ontario74 on January 10, 2015, 06:38:34 PM
8km, 15 minutes by car, more than 1 hour by bus. I have to cut through a large industrial (and I don't mean industrial park) area, so biking is out of the question.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Teddy25 on January 11, 2015, 02:20:38 AM
18 mins walking indoors, 15 mins walking outdoors, 4 mins bike share, 5 mins cab or 5 mins car2go
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Kaivalagi on January 11, 2015, 02:57:52 AM
I live in south London and I'm about 9 miles from my job in central London. I get the train and my work pays for my yearly pass thank goodness! It takes me about 50 minutes door to door as I like to get to the station early in case there are cancellations and I have to make alternative plans...
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Grog on January 11, 2015, 03:32:03 AM
20 miles, in the morning I'll go with bike+train combo (loading the bike on the train) in the evening I'll bike back. It takes about 55 minutes each way but I don't mind because on the train I can read/surf and in the evening it does count as physical activity.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Nudelkopf on January 11, 2015, 05:23:10 AM
5km. Takes about 15mins of riding/daydreaming.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: BPA on January 11, 2015, 07:35:01 AM
3.2 km.

If I walk, it takes 35 minutes.
If I cycle, it takes 10 minutes.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Prepube on January 11, 2015, 09:06:33 AM
30.5 miles each way, 35 minutes most days, less than a gallon of gas a day in my prius.  I wouldn't trade where I live for a spot closer to town-- the hills around my home are beautiful and the only traffic jams I regularly hit are the ones caused by the elk herd crossing the road.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Stachesquatch on January 11, 2015, 09:23:45 AM
4222 total (mostly air) miles 1 way..  Commute 1 way every 3 weeks (3 week on/ 3 week off rotation).

That averages 402 commuting miles per day for the 21 days at work in any given 6 week time period of the year- have to factor the round trip and that I get 3 weeks off after 3 weeks of work.

I'm definitely leveraging this opportunity to set myself up financially to exit the RAT race.



Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Bob W on January 11, 2015, 10:13:38 AM
12 relaxing miles.  Car knows the way!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: mm1970 on January 11, 2015, 01:19:28 PM
10 miles.   We work a block from each other, but drive separately.  Matrix and Civic.

We used to bike a couple of times a week (I bike to work, husband drives with bike on back, I drive home, he bikes home.)

But then we had a second kid.

So I'd love to carpool, but we offset our schedules for school/ child care dropoff and pick up.

So he works 8:45 to 5:45
I work 7:30 to 4:30

Our daycare is 5 miles in the wrong direction.  So he drops off big kid at school and little kid at daycare and goes to work.
In the afternoon, I do the reverse (little kid, big kid, home).

I've been thinking of trying to get back on the biking wagon, maybe once a week.  It's 45 minutes for him, an hour for me (I guess I'm just slower).

In about 1.5 years, second kid will go to preschool, hopefully close to work, so less commuting.  Sadly, our kids are 6 years apart, so they will only be in the same school for one year.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: mm1970 on January 11, 2015, 01:19:48 PM
49 miles in LA Traffic.   Fun Stuff!
ouch
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: mm1970 on January 11, 2015, 01:22:20 PM
11 miles, ~20 minutes.
Dude, you need a new picture, or else I'm going to be totally confused between you and the other guy (Bob W) with that picture.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrFrugalChicago on January 11, 2015, 01:51:33 PM
0 miles, WFH

But spend an hour in the basement on the bike most days... so I guess I live 13 miles from work with an indoor commute, or something?
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: EconDiva on January 11, 2015, 01:54:34 PM
~28 miles.  I commute in Chicago via train and then a work shuttle, which results in a 3 hour daily commute.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: mnsaver on January 11, 2015, 07:22:33 PM
starting tomorrow .3 miles. So gosh darn excited. Previously it was 2.2 miles. Because I start work early and the office was in a not so great neighborhood I took the bus with was 45 minutes to a half hour each way (depending on timing) now it will be a 10 minute walk :) (Which means I get to drop my bus pass.)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Static Void on January 11, 2015, 07:39:26 PM
20 years ago: 35 miles to Cupertino, drove. Every day. 45 minutes if all went well. That was before silicon valley companies were competing with luxury busses. :(

14 years ago: 2 miles, scored job with great bike commute to downtown Santa Cruz

7 years ago: Office closing, was ready to quit... except they moved closer to my house, 0.5 miles.

4 years ago: Did a deal with the Devil, 45 miles to Palo Alto. Sometimes drove (1-2 hours), sometimes bicycle + bus + train (2-3 hours), sometimes work from home.

2015: Voluntarily unemployed! (Maybe FIRE'd. Maybe not. But either way, yay!)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: DecD on January 11, 2015, 08:00:01 PM
5 miles.  3 stoplights, no freeways.  Very bikeable but I haven't tried it yet. 
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Unique User on January 12, 2015, 07:41:35 AM
850 miles. But I telecommute mostly.

Corporate office is 838 miles.  My office is just downstairs.  Husband has to drive when he is out in his territory, but his office is upstairs.  I always find myself elbowing him for space on the kitchen island. 
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 12, 2015, 08:17:13 AM
6 miles.
I drive.   If it was flatter, I'd bike, but there are a lot of little hills and two large ones that would mean I would never make it to work in a reasonable amount of time.  I don't want to leave my house at 5:30 a.m. for a 7:00 shift.

Once it gets warmer I'm going to start trying to do the bike ride on weekends and see if I can get it down to 45 minutes, then I might consider biking on nice days.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrFrugalChicago on January 12, 2015, 08:20:01 AM
6 miles.
I drive.   If it was flatter, I'd bike, but there are a lot of little hills and two large ones that would mean I would never make it to work in a reasonable amount of time.  I don't want to leave my house at 5 a.m. for a 7:00 shift.

Sounds kind of complainy-pants to me. You will get used to hills. Hills are awesome at making you use more muscles. In good bike shape, you can do 6 mile of hills in 20-25 minutes.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Fodder on January 12, 2015, 08:37:45 AM
25 km (15 miles).

In the morning, I carpool with my husband in a 2005 Matrix.

In the evenings, I take the bus to the end of the line, and then I either walk home (in the summer - 2.5 km) or husband picks me up.  I actually enjoy the walk, but it is a dark country road with no shoulder and no lights, so in the winter, I'm not comfortable with the risk of slipping and falling in front of an oncoming car.  Husband leaves work earlier to pick kids up before daycares close.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: ShoulderThingThatGoesUp on January 12, 2015, 08:44:59 AM
Telecommute, "assigned" office is 53 miles away. But my telecommuting is so official that they pay my home internet bill.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 12, 2015, 08:53:32 AM
6 miles.
I drive.   If it was flatter, I'd bike, but there are a lot of little hills and two large ones that would mean I would never make it to work in a reasonable amount of time.  I don't want to leave my house at 5 a.m. for a 7:00 shift.

Sounds kind of complainy-pants to me. You will get used to hills. Hills are awesome at making you use more muscles. In good bike shape, you can do 6 mile of hills in 20-25 minutes.

I'm not complaining about anything, because I'm not trying to reduce my spending or my car reliance. I'm perfectly happy with my commute, which is greatly improved from the job I had last year (which was about a 15 minute drive + 30 minute walk).

Not everyone is in good bike shape, so your estimate doesn't really apply to me. My husband (who does bike to work in the summer) could easily do that in that time, me, not so much.  And going down hills is terrifying to me, so it is something I'm going to have to work up to, to even consider going that route.  It took me about an hour the last time I went, and that was working hard.  If I was biking to work, I'd have to take a relaxed approach so I don't arrive a sweaty mess, so it would take even longer.  Besides which, I don't like biking more than 13 mph in any condition, I feel too out of control on the bike.  I have a pretty extensive injury history which fuels fear for me.   

Maybe someday I'll bike, but I have no problem with the 10 minutes of driving (15 in traffic, which I avoid by going in the early morning).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrFrugalChicago on January 12, 2015, 08:57:19 AM

Not everyone is in good bike shape, so your estimate doesn't really apply to me. My husband (who does bike to work in the summer) could easily do that in that time, me, not so much.  And going down hills is terrifying to me, so it is something I'm going to have to work up to, to even consider going that route.  It took me about an hour the last time I went, and that was working hard.  If I was biking to work, I'd have to take a relaxed approach so I don't arrive a sweaty mess, so it would take even longer.  Besides which, I don't like biking more than 13 mph in any condition, I feel too out of control on the bike.  I have a pretty extensive injury history which fuels fear for me.   

Maybe someday I'll bike, but I have no problem with the 10 minutes of driving (15 in traffic, which I avoid by going in the early morning).

So that is all the MORE reason to do it. You SHOULD be in good bike shape. What is the point of retiring at 35 if you are overweight and have to go on 24 medicines to stay alive?

You will get used to going faster then 13mph. You may need a real road bike and not a granny style hybrid, but that is easy to accomplish. My casual pedaling easy pace is 18mph, and my race pace (on flats) is closer to 21-23mph...

Sure biking is a CHANCE to be injured. But not exercising is a guaranteed slow and painful death. Our brains teach us to avoid the chance of something bad, while accepting the certainty of something bad 5-10 years down the road. Fight your brain and come alive!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: pom on January 12, 2015, 09:04:59 AM
3 miles, takes me 20-25 minutes by walk+public transportation.

Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 12, 2015, 09:11:06 AM

So that is all the MORE reason to do it. You SHOULD be in good bike shape. What is the point of retiring at 35 if you are overweight and have to go on 24 medicines to stay alive?

You will get used to going faster then 13mph. You may need a real road bike and not a granny style hybrid, but that is easy to accomplish. My casual pedaling easy pace is 18mph, and my race pace (on flats) is closer to 21-23mph...

Sure biking is a CHANCE to be injured. But not exercising is a guaranteed slow and painful death. Our brains teach us to avoid the chance of something bad, while accepting the certainty of something bad 5-10 years down the road. Fight your brain and come alive!

I'm not overweight, and I don't take any meds. I do exercise regularly when I can, which depends on how injuries are doing in a particular time varies. I spent most of last year incapable of exercise due to the effects of a broken neck (not the same injury I posted about in a different thread), so right now I'm not in great shape. But even when I am, biking is just not something I enjoy.

I have no interest in going over 13 mph. I had a nice road bike (purchased by my husband who enjoys biking and bike racing) and sold it FOR a hybrid because it is useless for someone who isn't racing and I wanted something more comfortable.

Just because YOU think 18 mph is a reasonable comfortable pace, doesn't mean I do.  It is much too fast for me to feel comfortable.  I have no problem biking to a restaurant or a grocery store, but right now, work isn't  going to happen. Like I said- I plan to work on it, but it isn't something I value highly.  I changed jobs to get to under 45 minutes in total travel time (that was driving + walking) to and from work; I'm not sure I really want to go back to that- even if I biked quickly, I'd still be getting close to it.

What the hell does any of this have to do with the length of a commute?   As I said in the original post before people decided to critique me, mine's 6 miles, I don't bike, but think I might like to on nice days, however, that mode of transportation is currently out of reach for me.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrFrugalChicago on January 12, 2015, 09:41:32 AM


I'm not overweight, and I don't take any meds.


[Moderator Edit:] Personal attack removed.

Quote from: iowajes
What the hell does any of this have to do with the length of a commute? 

I am just pointing out the complainy pants attitude. I could care less what you do with the knowledge. [Moderator Edit:] Personal attack removed.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 12, 2015, 09:51:06 AM
I don't think I'm going to die 20 years early just because I don't bike to work.  Heck, since MOST americans don't bike to work, the average age probably takes that into account anyway.  So, are you saying I should expect to live to 98 if I bike? I think the average age of 78 is just fine. Due to my neck issues, I'm guessing my quality of life isn't going to be great at that point anyway, and there is nothing biking can do about that. Heck, every year I lived past 17 was a bonus, since easily could have died then.

Not biking to work isn't going to guarantee I need some sort of chronic meds. This is just a ridiculous argument.

I can (and do when possible) use the time saved by not biking to work out in a form I enjoy. Why waste time biking if I don't enjoy it at all? If my commute is shorter, I can then go to the pool after work to swim, lift weights, row (in the summer), cross country ski (in the winter), or do a cardio workout tape that is fun.

I'm HAPPY I recovered an hour a day by shortening my commute from my previous job.  Most of the time I use that time to workout, sometimes I use it for other things, but now I get to use it as I see fit, rather than have to use it getting to and from work.

Maybe on nice days I'd enjoy biking to work, but it isn't a priority to me.   That it is out of reach right now doesn't mean I complained about anything.  Did you not see the part that said when the weather gets nicer I was thinking about practicing the route on weekends? How is that complainy/defeatist? I'm opening an avenue where maybe I could bike, on days I feel like it adds value to my day.  My car commute is 10 minutes. That is nothing that needs to be "fixed".
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Patrick A on January 12, 2015, 09:52:14 AM
2.9 miles.  15 minute easy bike, 9 minutes if I wanna go fast.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: mskyle on January 12, 2015, 10:02:11 AM
About four miles each way. I bike almost exclusively - it's by far the fastest way for me to get there (though I can drive or take the subway).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: atlbrew on January 12, 2015, 10:54:44 AM
9 miles from my office, but I have not been to the office in over 6 months.  As a consultant I am typically working at the client-site, meaning my commute varies considerably during the year.  Everything else we do is within 1-2 miles of our house.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: coffeehound on January 12, 2015, 11:46:15 AM
Forty-fricking-four miles each way - Four LA freeways, but mostly 'against' the commute.  I have less than 6 months until I vest in the retirement system, so need to hang on awhile.

Drive a VW TDI, which gets 40-45 mpg, but I feel like a complete clown.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: ClaycordJCA on January 12, 2015, 10:20:40 PM
Too damn far. 35 miles one way. But standard commute is 7 mile drive  to the BART station and a 45 minute train ride to SF.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Patrick A on January 12, 2015, 10:26:33 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Rosbif on January 13, 2015, 04:18:34 AM
About ten yards, from bed to desk. So happy I don't have a commute any more. It used to be two hours in each direction (on the train, could work/sleep each way, but still).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: windawake on January 13, 2015, 06:03:31 AM
I'm 5.8 miles with great bike paths all the way there. Just about a mile or so on side streets getting to and from the paths. It's great! In the 4+ months I've been at this job, I've ridden the bus <5 times and gotten a ride maybe 10-15 times due to sub-zero temps.

Sounds kind of complainy-pants to me. You will get used to hills. Hills are awesome at making you use more muscles. In good bike shape, you can do 6 mile of hills in 20-25 minutes.

Give me a break. I'm in great biking shape (biked well over 2,000 miles last year), and my 5.8 miles with one minor hill takes maybe as little as 25 minutes on a clear day with the wind at my back. Nobody wants to be hauling ass for 6 miles up hill to show up to work completely drenched in sweat. MMM himself advocates for a reasonable biking pace. My fastest bike is an 80s steel road bike, but it's not all that Mustachian to buy a fancy new bike just so you can go a little faster and work a little less, right?
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: prudence on January 13, 2015, 07:11:49 AM
24 miles, time varies but usually 50 mins.



Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: aspiringnomad on January 13, 2015, 07:50:06 PM
1.5 miles. Depending on traffic lights, it's 8-12 minutes by bike door to door.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: grodgersoz on January 14, 2015, 01:50:44 AM
17kms to the CBD as the crow flies.
20kms on the train (express takes 30 mins, normal takes 38 mins)

I get unlimited free public transport use, so i catch the train in each day.

I love it, i use the time to either read a book (currently trying to complete the 100 greatest novels of all time) or catch up on some TV shows.

Like Archer. (yay, it started again!) or walking dead. or GoT. Or SoA. damn. theres so many to watch!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: chasesfish on January 14, 2015, 05:41:34 AM
16 miles, reverse commute.  This is only because we're moving the office location in April, then six miles on a reverse commute.

There aren't decent residential areas closer, its in the middle of industrial parks
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Plebia on January 14, 2015, 05:53:40 AM
Until all the "work from home" folks get to the thread, I'm going to claim shortest commute that's actually not working from home:

Less than one mile (.7) if I walk, a bit longer if it's -20 F and I drive (divided highway with stoplight for pedestrians but I have to go a couple blocks out of my way if I drive to get to a car stoplight).

Sorry, we're tied! :-) I live .7 miles from work, and I don't own a car. Walk all day every day, even in the cold and snowy winter. I'll be leaving for work shortly, and it's 11 degrees F outside. Coworkers think I'm crazy, but it's wonderful.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Nickyd£g on January 14, 2015, 06:00:13 AM
2.25 miles.  I mostly walk, takes me about 45 minutes each way (I am overweight and have short legs!).  I got a pedometer at Christmas so it's interesting seeing if I can speed up/take more steps daily.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: raffmaster on January 14, 2015, 06:07:36 AM
0 miles, work from home as of a couple days ago. Before that, 8 miles.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: miked on January 14, 2015, 07:01:31 AM
8 miles. Biking 95% of the time.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: oldmannickels on January 14, 2015, 07:30:46 AM
2 miles... I usually walk
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Dr. Doom on January 14, 2015, 07:36:26 AM
8 miles.  15 minutes door to door most days.  I usually drive it.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: DeltaBond on January 15, 2015, 06:45:37 AM
16 miles with an option in the near future to work from home.  For my sanity, I'm not sure I'll want to do that, but traffic is making me strongly consider it.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: kiblebuka on January 15, 2015, 11:49:29 AM
25 miles, which is done via train. The train station being 3.5 miles from home. When I got this job it was 50 miles and across state lines. I'll be moving in the spring, reducing it to 17.5 miles and the train stations are 1 and 2 miles away so easier to manually go to them.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: dunhamjr on January 15, 2015, 12:32:16 PM
Unfortunately farther then I would like. :(
But a little better after the company HQ moved about 3 years ago.

My drive is apparently 5.1 miles.
Then I bus another 10.9 miles.
So the commute is 16 miles, direct it would be 15.3 miles.

Wife is 13.3 miles, all car, in essentially the opposite direction.

We are looking to remedy this a little bit on both sides by moving in the area so that we are in a different school district for the kids upcoming education, but really the only way to fully correct this is for one or both of us to get new jobs.  I am 11yrs and a manager at my company, so its hard to want to leave... and she is an 8th grade teacher, 16+yrs in, so finding the right fit in a new district isn't an easy task either.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Zikoris on January 15, 2015, 12:43:07 PM
Six blocks. Small blocks - google maps is telling me it's .46 miles each way. I walk. It would be a little difficult to run as I usually wear skirts or dresses and have a purse.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Beric01 on January 15, 2015, 12:44:00 PM
I live 2 miles from work. It's a 9-15 minute bike ride depending on lights.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Mississippi Mudstache on January 15, 2015, 12:56:41 PM
4 miles exactly. It's only a 16-18 minute bike ride - no traffic lights to wait for. I don't own a car, but my wife does. I bike 95% of the time, but if it's really raining, she drops me off.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: MrsPotato on January 15, 2015, 02:08:50 PM
2.5 km and a 15 min bus ride/5 min drive/30 min walk away. Feeling very blessed about this :-)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: jopiquant on January 15, 2015, 02:14:47 PM
19.8 km (12 miles), 55 minutes by bike, 45 minutes bus/train
18 km by car, time not applicable, don't drive to work - it would sometimes be faster but always more expensive

About the same for my husband. Vancouver's just bad that way. Good jobs tend to be clustered in the tiny little downtown isthmus that is in no way central.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: jopiquant on January 15, 2015, 03:17:51 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :

I think it's more your life situation - do you want to live in a spend-y city? The closer to downtown you live, the more it'll cost, the more it'll cost the further you might live. Unless you and your wife are fortunate to have the kind of jobs that are not downtown or have flexible selection criteria for your home base (we wanted a city of 2M people, but that's just us), you might get stuck a little further out. But since you're ahead because you know how soul-sucking a commute can be, you can be proactive about it.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: JD_ on January 15, 2015, 04:24:06 PM
25 miles, 1 hour 15 min bus ride each way.  At least my employer covers most of the cost of taking the bus :)

-JD
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: SeattleStache on January 15, 2015, 04:39:51 PM
Right now it's a 2.5 mile bike ride but as of next month it'll be a 1 mile walk - pretty stoked!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Wile E. Coyote on January 15, 2015, 06:28:01 PM
10 miles, which would be a 20 minute drive with no traffic.  But I take the train to work.  Total commute time is about 40 minutes one way.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Beric01 on January 15, 2015, 06:32:45 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :

I think it's more your life situation - do you want to live in a spend-y city? The closer to downtown you live, the more it'll cost, the more it'll cost the further you might live. Unless you and your wife are fortunate to have the kind of jobs that are not downtown or have flexible selection criteria for your home base (we wanted a city of 2M people, but that's just us), you might get stuck a little further out. But since you're ahead because you know how soul-sucking a commute can be, you can be proactive about it.

Or you can suck it up and live in a smaller place, recognizing that the QOL of living close to work more than makes up for a smaller living space (and actually living small isn't that bad). I live in 250 square feet ($1K/month) 2 miles from work and I love it. No way am I paying $2K/month for a 500-square foot apartment.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: caliq on January 15, 2015, 07:02:30 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :

I think it's more your life situation - do you want to live in a spend-y city? The closer to downtown you live, the more it'll cost, the more it'll cost the further you might live. Unless you and your wife are fortunate to have the kind of jobs that are not downtown or have flexible selection criteria for your home base (we wanted a city of 2M people, but that's just us), you might get stuck a little further out. But since you're ahead because you know how soul-sucking a commute can be, you can be proactive about it.



Or you can suck it up and live in a smaller place, recognizing that the QOL of living close to work more than makes up for a smaller living space (and actually living small isn't that bad). I live in 250 square feet ($1K/month) 2 miles from work and I love it. No way am I paying $2K/month for a 500-square foot apartment.

Are you single?  I could live in 200 sq ft by myself, but not with my husband!  And certainly not with our dogs...
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Beric01 on January 15, 2015, 07:27:06 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :

I think it's more your life situation - do you want to live in a spend-y city? The closer to downtown you live, the more it'll cost, the more it'll cost the further you might live. Unless you and your wife are fortunate to have the kind of jobs that are not downtown or have flexible selection criteria for your home base (we wanted a city of 2M people, but that's just us), you might get stuck a little further out. But since you're ahead because you know how soul-sucking a commute can be, you can be proactive about it.



Or you can suck it up and live in a smaller place, recognizing that the QOL of living close to work more than makes up for a smaller living space (and actually living small isn't that bad). I live in 250 square feet ($1K/month) 2 miles from work and I love it. No way am I paying $2K/month for a 500-square foot apartment.

Are you single?  I could live in 200 sq ft by myself, but not with my husband!  And certainly not with our dogs...

Yes, I'm single, but numerous frugal couples live in my apartment complex. I'm planning to start sharing a similar-size studio with my brother around mid of this year.

How much "space" you need is all in your mind - check out the tiny houses thread. It also helps that I'm "anti-claustrophobic" - I like small spaces. Much of the world lives in this size of a space - so it's definitely doable. Also lets you appreciate what you truly value in life.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: caliq on January 15, 2015, 07:38:44 PM
Damn, a lot of long commutes out there.  I hope that I'm able to control my job situation enough that I never have to live more than a few miles from work.  / :

I think it's more your life situation - do you want to live in a spend-y city? The closer to downtown you live, the more it'll cost, the more it'll cost the further you might live. Unless you and your wife are fortunate to have the kind of jobs that are not downtown or have flexible selection criteria for your home base (we wanted a city of 2M people, but that's just us), you might get stuck a little further out. But since you're ahead because you know how soul-sucking a commute can be, you can be proactive about it.



Or you can suck it up and live in a smaller place, recognizing that the QOL of living close to work more than makes up for a smaller living space (and actually living small isn't that bad). I live in 250 square feet ($1K/month) 2 miles from work and I love it. No way am I paying $2K/month for a 500-square foot apartment.

Are you single?  I could live in 200 sq ft by myself, but not with my husband!  And certainly not with our dogs...

Yes, I'm single, but numerous frugal couples live in my apartment complex. I'm planning to start sharing a similar-size studio with my brother around mid of this year.

How much "space" you need is all in your mind - check out the tiny houses thread. It also helps that I'm "anti-claustrophobic" - I like small spaces. Much of the world lives in this size of a space - so it's definitely doable. Also lets you appreciate what you truly value in life.

To each their own -- I love tiny houses and I posted the exact same thing in that thread.  Two of my dogs' crates are 54" long and the third is 48"; we have Great Danes.  They're one of the things I truly value in life and they have a need for actual physical space, not space in my mind :P 

Pre-marriage and pre-dogs, I shared small dorm rooms (125 sq ft?) with other girls and did fine. 
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: aetherie on January 16, 2015, 08:44:58 AM
17 miles, ~25 min drive, but at least it's a reverse commute. Will hopefully be moving closer in May.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: midweststache on January 16, 2015, 08:49:20 AM
0.8 miles. It's about a 15 minute walk, depending on the weather.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Amanda on January 16, 2015, 09:12:55 AM
16 miles and 22 minutes. I work at my sons' school so we are at least all headed to the same place. I don't want to move closer because suburbia surrounds the area and where I live is urban and easy biking distance to the foothills, the river, and all my favorite bookstores and pubs.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: minimountainmustache on January 17, 2015, 08:37:38 AM
just got a new job, and now my longest commute yet :/ (but doubled my income, so worth it). Approximately 13 miles by car via interstate (20 min drive) or 15-16 miles by bike via greenway (about an 60-70 minutes). It will definitely be a long bike commute, but I'm a competitive cyclist, so will be getting my training/workouts in just by commuting 2-2.5 hrs a day! Sweet!
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: TN_Steve on January 17, 2015, 11:05:39 AM
20.5 miles each way (1/3 surface, 2/3 highway); 28 minutes.  cheap compact car @ 42mpg (could shave couple minutes off commute for more gas consumed...)

30.5 miles each way, 35 minutes most days, less than a gallon of gas a day in my prius.  I wouldn't trade where I live for a spot closer to town-- the hills around my home are beautiful and the only traffic jams I regularly hit are the ones caused by the elk herd crossing the road.

This +1.  We have good amount of acreage in the middle of a rapidly developing suburb; herds of deer, resident raptors, noisy coyotes at night, & awoke this morning to the sound of ten preening Tom Turkeys under our bedroom window trying to show that the other nine weren't up to snuff.  A small place in the heart of the city has its attractions and will come in due course, but for now . . .   (And, we are much closer to DW's office)
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: JetBlast on January 17, 2015, 03:49:55 PM
677 miles. About a 10 mile drive to the airport, then a plane ride to where I'm based. Usually do the commute four times a month.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: ChiVolter on January 17, 2015, 06:10:04 PM
When we relocated back from Los Angeles distance from work was important.

Me: 10 miles and 20 minutes drive
Husband: 5 miles and 10 minutes drive

Great thing is we both now can work from home up to 3 days a week so I work from home Monday and Wednesday. He works from home Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday so that we don't interfere with each other at work.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: JuSp02 on January 17, 2015, 06:46:07 PM
Under a mile, or about 20 minutes walking. It's awesome, =).
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Datastache on January 17, 2015, 07:57:34 PM
I work out of several work locations at a larger facility. The center of that facility is almost exactly a mile away from me as the crow flies.
Title: Re: How far do you live from your office?
Post by: Hurley82 on January 17, 2015, 08:10:33 PM
6 miles, about 12 minutes.