I have an extremely non mustachian commute. 60 miles each way (I know, I know, I deserve a Mike-Tyson-in-his-prime facepunch for this). To make it worse, it is a commute that I have been doing for many years and it also costs me $300 in tolls per year. I used to accept the commute as something that was necessary and something that could not, and would not change - until I started reading through the entire MMM blog this past summer. Suddenly I realized how much time and $ I was wasting. I HAD to find a way to change.
The problem was that leaving my current job and/or moving from my current home are not options - at least not any time in the foreseeable future. (Just trust me on this one for now).
Here's what I've done to mitigate the problem.
1. Found a shorter route to work that doesn't include toll roads. This new route cuts 9 miles (each way) off of the drive. The "downside" is that I have to get up earlier or else traffic is bad with this alternate route. It turns out that this isn't actually a downside, however. I now get up earlier and hit the at-work gym before starting my workday - something that I've wanted to do for a very long time. Another side benefit is that I now shower at work, which saves money on hot water and electricity (well pump) at home. Since I get to work early, I can also leave work early and miss the afternoon rush hour - allowing me to take the shorter, non-toll route home as well. It's your classic win/win/win/win situation.
2. I found a rail trail (walking and bike path) that covers the final 9.5 miles of my commute. So I can cut an additional 9.5 miles off by parking at the head of the trail and biking the rest of the way. The bike ride is the warm-up to my workout once I get to work. So now, the 60 miles of driving has been cut down to 41.5 miles using step 1 and 2.
3. This is the biggest one. I negotiated working from home 2 days per week. I honestly didn't think this was possible, but as of yesterday - it is a reality. I had an honest discussion with my boss and I told him that at the end of 2014 I was going to seek other work options closer to home because I could no longer deal with the long commute. He didn't want to lose me, so he gladly offered the two days from home.
I realize that I still drive too much. BUT - I was driving a total of 600 miles per week. I've managed to whittle that down to 249 miles per week - a 59% reduction. Add in the $300 savings in tolls (I will not go through a single toll again. That was pure laziness), the savings of showering at work and the benefits of working out early in the morning and this is HUGE for me.