Author Topic: Moving to work at home  (Read 2179 times)

kevinam

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Moving to work at home
« on: September 16, 2016, 09:59:51 AM »
Hello everyone,

I'm trying to make a decision.  Without going into detail, my situation is this:  I live in Indiana, very close to the Ohio border.  I work near Cincinnati.  For various reasons, if I lived in Ohio I would be able to work from home.  But since I live in Indiana I must work in the office.  My commute is about 50 miles round trip, but property taxes in Ohio are roughly twice what they are in Indiana.  If we WERE to move, I would try not to trade up in houses.  But even assuming we were able to buy a house for the same amount as what we were able to sell our current house for, there would be some expenses for moving.

So my question (probably obviously) is: would you go ahead and move to eliminate the commute?  While I lean toward yes, I should move, one thing to consider is the vagaries of a corporate job.  What if we move and then my job is eliminated?

Just wondering what everyone thinks.

Thank you.

undercover

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Re: Moving to work at home
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2016, 10:07:29 AM »
Well it's pretty obvious that 50 miles is a grueling, soul-sucking commute.

In making your decision, I would factor in how tolerable the job is in general, how long you've been there, how long you plan on being there/what does the future look like for you there. You might also consider just finding something much closer to your home, even if it's a pay cut.

I guarantee that eliminating that commute is going to make you immediately happier, regardless of the financial consequences, and life's too short to be stuck in a car for 3 hours a day.

kevinam

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Re: Moving to work at home
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2016, 10:16:38 AM »
Thanks for your thoughts.  I am a mail order pharmacist so I could not find another job close by that would pay anywhere near what I'm making now.  (Unless I were to take a job at one of the chain stores, which is not an option.  I did that for 15 years...way too stressful.)  If I could somehow know for sure my job would be secure for the next 10 years I think moving would be a no-brainer.

Thanks again.

Lis

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Re: Moving to work at home
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2016, 11:17:13 AM »
Purely from a financial perspective first -

- Calculate your one time expenses for the move: New house purchase - sale of your old house, the cost of physically moving, etc.
- Calculate your ongoing changing of expenses: New higher property taxes, savings on gas and wear and tear on a car (assuming you drive), savings on public transportation (assuming you train it in), etc.

It sounds like it might be roughly net zero, perhaps slightly in the red. BUT this decision isn't purely a financial decision - how much do you hate commuting and physically being in an office? How much more would you prefer to work at home? Are those desires equal to or more than the amount you'd be in the red? Remember, mustachianism isn't about spending the least amount of money possible, it's about your quality of life. Sometimes your quality of life does increase by spending more/saving less. Would it be worth working 3, 5, 10 more years if you could work from home?

kevinam

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Re: Moving to work at home
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2016, 01:48:20 PM »
Good points.  I don't hate commuting; Cincinnati traffic isn't too brutal but it is about 90 minutes out of my day.  The office environment is okay, but I would much prefer to be at home.  Like you said, even if this would put me slightly in the red financially it would be worth it for the quality of life.  The nightmare scenario is making the move than seeing the job go away for whatever reason.  I guess that's a risk I can't ever really entirely escape from.  But you're right - I need to keep in mind it's not purely a financial decision.  (Although the savings would quickly pile up.  Even if we couldn't go from 2 cars to 1, I could keep a pretty cheap car with low insurance.)