Is it worth doing a monster commute?

[swampwiz]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/05/san-francisco-commute_n_2812710.html

As for myself, for a summer intern job, I had a commute that was about 1-1/4 hr (although I shared part of it with another driver), plus another 1/4 hour just to go from the parking lot to be at my desk (it was a big chemical plant), and I couldn't wait to quit that.  Other than one other I time I had a temp job on the road and had about a 3/4 hr commute (I had to rent month to month) and it took me a few months to find a better place (i ended up just staying at a hotel that had a good monthly rate), my commutes have always been less than 1/4 hour.

There is something just utter soul-crushing about a commute - like it's completely wasted time, even if the rationalization of time & expense has clearly made it make sense.  Of course, if the commute is something that is a fun activity like skiing though, it doesn't feel bad, and in fact makes it better as the money saved means less money spent doing the activity.

[Morning Glory]

I know a few people who do this, including my immediate supervisor at work. Most of them can't move closer to work because their spouse is a farmer or something (but could take a lower paying job closer to home) others do it for lower state income taxes, to live near family, or because they can get a house cheaper further away (they obviously haven't read "the true cost of commuting". ).  Some stay in town when they are between shifts, which I think would be tolerable, but others actually stack an hour commute each way on top of a 13 hour workday and act like it's no big deal. These same people insist they have to have Verizon iPhones because they drive through rural areas. I don't know when they sleep. Definitely not for me.

[Mezzie]

I'm just ten miles from my work, but with traffic it takes 30-60 minutes driving or 60+ minutes by bus. Because I'm a district employee and could be moved to any other school in the district on a whim, it makes no sense to move closer. The two schools closest to my home aren't ones I'm particularly interested in; I hope to stay at my current school for the rest of mycareer.

I make use of my time driving by listening to audiobooks and my time bus-riding by grading or reading, but a shorter commute would be nice. I can't even imagine a longer one.

My husband drives super far for work. It's starting to drain on him, I think.

[Dicey]

DH walks to work, but many colleagues are megacommuters. They take a job in the main service area, where they are  relatively plentiful, with the intention of transferring to the satellite location (where jobs are scarce) when there is an opening. Starting at the mothership gives them a seniority advantage when the hen's teeth jobs open up. This process can take years.

As we walk to work together in the pre-dawn hours*, they pass us on the access road. DH will tell me where each one lives. I am flabbergasted by two things: the distance they travel, and the gas guzzling vehicles they commute in. Most of them drive trucks, which compounds the insanity, because they have company trucks to do their actual jobs. What a waste!

*I then walk home and go back to sleep, lol.

[crxpilot]

You guys dont even know what real commuting is.   Ask a pilot and theyll tell ya.  My longest commute was between Florida and Hawaii.  I have a colleague that commutes between Florida and Germany.  And no, its not paid time, and it can be a hassle with standby travel. Those are extremes but more common are a little smaller.  I used to commute between St Louis and Chicago daily as well for example.

[Rosy]

It depends, here in the US at least in the Metro Area I live in, finding reasonably priced housing and a job in close proximity is not that easy. Multiply by two people working and at least one of them will have an hour commute.

I've never understood why this is face punch worthy in the first place. The most important thing is a satisfying job that pays well - from there, you figure out the extra cost of a longer commute and deduct it from your monthly pay. Then you consider what to do with the time lost every day on a long commute and if the traffic is a dealbreaker for you.

The higher income folks on this forum are light years ahead of the low-income folks - that is just plain ole math and bitter reality and the only way for some of them to equal the playing field is a long commute, if they can make it work. Sometimes it is not an option for family reasons.
I wouldn't dream of rejecting a great job offer, because of a long commute - sometimes that is the one thing that propels you forward and so you bite the bullet, hoping that in a few years you can switch to a job closer to home.

Good jobs with good benefits don't grow on trees and even if you found a good job 10 minutes away, there is no guarantee that company will remain at that location, as happened to Mr. R. who now has a 50 min to an hour commute.
Would you really quit a job with good benefits that you worked at for twenty years and liked because the company moved further away from your home? Get real!
What kind of job do you think you would get when you are near fifty and work in a niche industry?

Imagine you just bought your first home and settled in with your first baby and have all your family babysitters arranged, then you are forced into a job change - happened to a young couple we know. He now has an hour and a half commute and hers is lengthened by fifteen minutes.

... and I'm not even talking about $100K plus jobs here - they bring in $80K and $60K.
Personally, I think that in our area a commute of one hour for an $80K job makes sense since the median income is well below that.

Back to the OP's question, is it worth doing a monster commute? YMMV

Like everything else in Mustache Land, do what makes sense to you - your job opportunities-income opportunities, time and family considerations will determine your choice.
You may be locked into a very long commute for three to five years, but if the benefits are outstanding, it is worth at least entertaining the idea. I would find it sad indeed if someone were to blindly follow the advice given on a blog without taking the time and effort to do their own math and consider all the angles of their own situation.

I think the article greatly underestimates the number of people commuting and it certainly does not take into consideration the traveling that freelance workers and independent contractors regularly deal with.

Long commutes are hard on everyone and you can't always throw in the towel when you'd like to either.

[PDXTabs]

My domestic partner and I are doing this. Or rather, we live in WA and I work in WA, while she works at the end of a punishing commute into OR. But, it means I save $8K+ in state income taxes, which are after tax dollars. We turn around and put those dollars into her retirement account as direct compensation for her punishing commute. Also, since those were after tax dollars and she is saving per-tax dollars, she gets to save ~40% of her pre-tax salary (she has access to a 401, 403, and 457).

But, we know that we are on borrowed time. Eventually the commute will wear her out and we will move. In the mean time we are saving.

[kimmarg]

I commuted 96 miles one way (90 minutes) for 3.5 years. It was totally soul crushing. Few things that made it tolerable 1) carpool, so I only drove one day  2) subsidy for carpool from employer 3) working 4 10's   Professionally it got me into a competitive career field with my desired employer and put me in a place where I could jump to where I am now more easily. I couldn't have done it forever!

[SwitchActiveDWG]

For the record if it’s a disaster financially to commute then it should be avoided, but let’s assume it’s financially in your best interest to commute.

If you view it as a soul crushing experience, you should probably not commute unless you don’t have any other way to put food on the table or a roof over your head (family included here if you’re financially responsible for others). Truly soul crushing experiences are never worth it in my opinion even if there is some financial incentive behind them.

Commutes can be manageable though. I commuted for some time because it was financially favorable, but I used the time in the car to study for professional certification, listen to podcasts/audiobooks, etc... so it wasn’t a terrible experience.

[swampwiz]

These responses have got me thinking.  It seems that a good type of job for someone who wants to live in a cheap place out in the sticks is to be a consultant who gets shipped around from week to week.  The employer sets him up with a nice (albeit small) corporate apartment, and he only has to commute once a week - and these days, with 4-10s, there would be a nice 3 day weekend - and he gets the increased pay for taking such a job (as typically those jobs need to pay more to entice folks to take it).  Any down time during the week could easily be satiated by surfing the 'Net visiting sites like MMM.

[Freedomin5]

These responses have got me thinking.  It seems that a good type of job for someone who wants to live in a cheap place out in the sticks is to be a consultant who gets shipped around from week to week.  The employer sets him up with a nice (albeit small) corporate apartment, and he only has to commute once a week - and these days, with 4-10s, there would be a nice 3 day weekend - and he gets the increased pay for taking such a job (as typically those jobs need to pay more to entice folks to take it).  Any down time during the week could easily be satiated by surfing the 'Net visiting sites like MMM.

That’s only assuming you have no other obligations like a family. My mom used to do that for years, but then stopped because seeing her children and husband daily and spending time with them on daily life activities, like eating dinner together and helping with homework, was more important.

A lot of people here do this, with the husband (most of the time) traveling during the week for work and then being home for the weekend. Some families adjust well to that. Other kids and wives end up feeling their dad/husband loves his job more than his family.

[MayDay]

It's really tricky if you have two professional employees in the family.

Even if you work close to each other, what if you ever change jobs? If you've bought a house, what are you going to do? If you've got kids in school,what do you do?

Not that people aren't stupid. I work on the edge of a metro area (and drive out, against traffic, quite a lovely drive despite being 30 minutes, I never have traffic, and we live centrally in case of job change). Many co-workers live further out in the country, and both they and their spouses drive into the city, usually in huge trucks. A few live on farms,but most live in regular neighborhoods. Makes no sense to me.

[penguintroopers]

At 45 minutes with the toll road, I wouldn't describe my commute as monstrous, but it does get kind of old.

We did it because hubby actually hates driving and has greater job security than I do. I don't mind driving and like the time for podcasts/music. I might switch jobs in a few years, so living closer to his office where he's going to stay put longer than me is better for us.

[Slow&Steady]

My commute is approx 50 miles and 60 min.  I took this job that extended it from a 45 miles and 45 min commute, it also came with better benefits and a 30+% pay increase.  I do not do anything productive during my commute most days but I do generally completely check out from work during that time.  It allows me to come home with a clear mind and fully participate in family activities, I am no longer processing my work day by the time I get home.

I did a similar commute but an additional 15 min each way when our oldest was born and after about 1 year I hated it, I felt like I was missing so much.  I switched jobs and went from a 75 min commute to a 45 min commute, the extra time not commuting was great but what was even better was being able to adjust my hours so that I went in earlier and came home earlier.  We are about to have our second and I have concerns about feeling the same way about my commute now as I did with our oldest.  I am hoping to get permissions to adjust my time so that I come in earlier/leave earlier but that might not happen very quick.  In the mean time I will remind myself that DH does/will pick them up pretty early from daycare and has (and will with the new one) created a great bond with our oldest by me not being there all the time to step all over his toes.

We have talked about moving closer but as of right now it just doesn't make sense, financially or emotionally for our family.  We love our house/farm and the community we live in, DH is very active with the school system and the volunteer fire department. 

[jlcnuke]

What constitutes "worth it"?

Financially beneficial? Well, in many cases the homes a long commute away are significantly cheaper, meaning the "costs of commuting" may be exceeded by the savings in home costs.

Worth it for the "whole group"? Financially a bit worse than being closer, but your significant other and/or kids can be closer to work/school for them could make it "worth it" anyway (this is probably the most common reason for long commutes I've seen/heard of).

Worth it for the "overall experience"? The area you'd like to be in doesn't have the jobs that pay you well, so you need to commute there. However, it has the low crime rates, the things you want to do, the schools you want your kids in, the "life" you want when you're not commuting/working. That can be worth it (and it's why I commute ~20 miles each way to my main office) imo.

Of course, everything but the "numbers" is based on personal preferences and desires. It's just a balancing act at that point and it depends on the person.

[YttriumNitrate]

As others have pointed out, a long commute is one thing, and a long commute driving yourself is another beast all together. For 18 months I had a ~80 minute drive each way. It was miserable and jumped at the first opportunity.

Now my commute is about the same length, but it is done on a train with electrical outlets and free wifi. I may look a bit odd when I hook up my playstation controller to the laptop on the train, but three years into this commute I am not minding it at all.

[mm1970]

It's really tricky if you have two professional employees in the family.

Even if you work close to each other, what if you ever change jobs? If you've bought a house, what are you going to do? If you've got kids in school,what do you do?

Not that people aren't stupid. I work on the edge of a metro area (and drive out, against traffic, quite a lovely drive despite being 30 minutes, I never have traffic, and we live centrally in case of job change). Many co-workers live further out in the country, and both they and their spouses drive into the city, usually in huge trucks. A few live on farms,but most live in regular neighborhoods. Makes no sense to me.

Yes.  We bought our house in 2004.  No kids.  Husband worked downtown on the eastside, and I worked in the next town over in the west.

He liked riding his bike.  We had a set area for a house that we were looking for so we could both bike from time to time.  Ended up closer to his job (4-5 miles) and further from mine (12).

Fast forward...
2 years later we have a kid
1 year after that he changes jobs, and now he's working in the same town that I'm in
1 year after that I change jobs - same town, but now we are LITERALLY in the same block
Next thing you know kid is in school, then we have kid #2.

I think about moving closer to work so we can walk/ bike.  It's a great little town.  But I LOVE my neighbors and 'hood -  LOVE IT.  And BOTH kids are in school now.  Moving would be such a pain!!

[Linea_Norway]

As an intern I had a 2 hour! commute each way. 15 Min cycling, 3 x 30 minutes in different trains, 15 min cycling. It was quite terrible. I got up at 6 am and was home at 6 pm.
After that I have always accepted upto 1 hour each way, by train. I like reading on a train. The last years my train started to stop everywhere and my commute became longer than 1 hour. Now I finally have a 20 min driving commute. Or 1,25 hour walking commute.

[NoraLenderbee]

Long commutes make me utterly miserable. I live in a place I don't particularly like because the commute to likely employers is no more than 15 miles (current commute 9 miles). It's still crummy, but it doesn't take up a huge part of my life. I had a 90-minute commute by train for a year--I took the job because times were bad and I'd been unemployed for several months. I hated every minute of it (I hated the job, too). My cholesterol went up because no time for vigorous exercise. Train fare was over $300 per month. I was exhausted. I still shudder when I think of it.

At that job, I met someone who commuted, with her husband, two-and-a-half HOURS, each way. Every day.

[cats]

I've done it.  I had a ~1.25 hr commute (each way) for 2 years.  15 min walking, 45 min on train, 15 min walking at the other end.

I did it because my husband and I had jobs that were ~40 miles apart.  We chose to live close to his office because he was at the office a minimum of 5 days/week and often expected to work late, while I was at the office a maximum of 5 days/week and was rarely expected to work late (I worked an 8/9 schedule and had alternate Fridays off, plus out of town travel several days each month).  We lived near a train stop that got very good service, so we would have needed to move a LOT closer to my job to significantly shorten my commute.

Eventually, my husband changed jobs to a different location and we wound up moving apartments so that he was still within biking distance of the office and my commute was shortened to 45 minutes (15 min walking/30 min on transit).  Life got much better.

I understand that there are reasons for doing long commutes, but having done it for a couple of years I think it would take a real toll on health if done for an entire career.  I was always really drained by Thursday evening.  Planning to meet with friends was a PITA.  We have a kid now and I shudder to think what sort of arrangements we would have needed to make to deal with childcare, and how little I would be seeing him.  I used to leave the house at 5:45 AM and arrive home at 6:30pm (at the earliest).  My son wakes around 6AM and his bedtime is 7pm...the idea of only seeing him for 15 minutes or so each day is pretty sad.

[Laura Ingalls]

I commuted 72 miles one way for a school year.  Never again.  I have generally had longer commutes (37 miles for a long time, 25 right now).  Those I mostly haven’t minded.  My massive commute  was a theoretically easy country drive.  But the winter was very little long and unrelenting  (snow on the ground for 6 months and end of the year picnics cancelled because it was 40 and raining out.  It was mentally exhausting.

[CupcakeGuru]

I did a 1.25 to 1.5 each way commute for a couple of years. 15 minute walk, 30 train, walk to subway, 10 minute subway, then 15 minute walk if all the stars aligned perfectly. It was pretty long and exhausting. On the rare occasion that I got a seat it was not so bad on the train part, I could never get a seat on the subway part and we were packed like sardines.

I also can't imagine doing that now that I have kids. My commute now is about 12-20 depending on traffic. Once my kids are out of after school I may even try to bike.

[jim555]

I do envy the bus or train commuters and carpoolers though as at least you can relax, nap, read... Even the long distance but no traffic commutes. It's still soul sucking but an hour or 2 commute twice a day in bumper to bumper traffic is absolutely the worse! I don't commute any longer as I'm retired but did my hellicious commute on a motorcycle so I could use the car pool lane and lane split in.bumper to bumper traffic.

Big downside to train commutes, waiting on the platform in the winter at -1F, then the train is late, or short.  Don't forget the switching problems due to ice and delays.  Commuting just sucks.

[Tabaxus]

You can pry my two mile walking commute out of my cold, dead, hands.  Or, you know, depending on how the public school lotteries work out for kiddo in a couple of years, that might finally force us into the suburbs:/

[2Birds1Stone]

I'm presently interviewing with a company in NYC, which would equate a 2.25-2.5 hour door to door commute.

10 mile drive from home to train station 20-30 minutes, 1:10-1:30 train ride, 20 minute walk.

I would have to do this 4-5 days a week for the first 3-4 months, then 2-3 days a week after that.....

It would mean a 30% increase in income, but I don't think it would be worth it. The monthly rail pass is $400, and the walk is unavoidable in super hot or cold weather, besides a taxi/uber from Penn station.

The career opportunities are hard to quantify, but I suppose success in this role could be very lucrative. Currently my job is unstable and at risk.

Moving closer to NYC would mean higher rent/utilities, and wouldn't get me out of car ownership (still need vehicle to visit clients on Long Island)

[sjc0816]

My first job out of college was downtown Chicago making $24,000 per year. So, I lived in the (way out) burbs with my parents and commuted 2 HOURS each way door to door. Drive to train station, 1.25 hour train, walk to bus, 20 minute bus....15 minute walk. It was always about 2 hours.

I did this for one year until I received a promotion that allowed me to move into the city. I was 22 and I knew the commute was temporary so it didn't bother me too much. I loved the train - I either read or slept. But by Friday night I was completely exhausted.....and don't get me started on the nights I had to work late and missed the commuter train home and was stuck at the train station another HOUR until the next train.

You couldn't pay me a million dollars a year to commute that far now (I'm a parent so that changes things).

[cats]

.....and don't get me started on the nights I had to work late and missed the commuter train home and was stuck at the train station another HOUR until the next train.

I think this really sums up a big problem with monster commutes--you become a slave to your commuting schedule because even a small deviation can result in a HUGE disruption to your day.  When I was doing my big train commute, I had figured out the optimum set of trains to take to/from work.  If I missed my morning train, the next best option would get me to work 45 minutes late.  So sleeping in for even 5 minutes could cost me 45 minutes.  I remember one day my husband was talking with me about a rough time he was having at work and I felt really conflicted and anxious about the whole thing because on the one hand I wanted to slow down and stop and listen to him, and on the other hand...MY TRAIN IS COMING, MUST COMPLETE MORNING ROUTINE AND EXIT HOME ON TIME.  A few times I even woke up in the middle of the night, saw the minute part of my digital clock and that it was later than the minute at which I usually woke up, freaked out and threw myself into getting out ASAP, and was then almost all the way to the train station before I realized that it had not been FIVE twenty but TWO twenty.  I was just so conditioned to get up and get out that I didn't have time to register that I had not overslept!  More often, I might wake up in the middle of the night, realize the time correctly, but then have a hard time getting back to sleep because I knew I was going to have to wake up soon.  That definitely compounded the exhaustion brought on by the commute itself. Similarly, going home...if I missed the train I wanted to take I would be at least 30 minutes later home.  Needless to say, this meant I was always leaving the office in a hurry in the afternoons and if my boss came by to ask about something I was often desperate to shut the conversation down ASAP because hey, your 2 minute question is going to cost me 30 minutes if it comes at the wrong time!!  If I was working later than 6pm (thankfully rare), I would not be getting home until after 8pm because the express trains would have stopped running.  I still remember what time I had to be out of my apartment by in the mornings (5:33AM) and what time I needed to leave my desk (4:34PM), and it's been about 3 years now since I quit that commute.

Now, I have shorter commute with a lot more options for getting to work and the correlation between my lateness and my subsequent late arrival is much closer to 1:1.  e.g. last week I was halfway to the bus stop and realized I had left something back at home that I needed for the day.  I had to turn around and go home so of course I missed my regular bus.  However, I was able to catch another transit option fairly easily so I got to work about 20 min late, which I think is acceptable for having ultimately left my home 16 minutes later than usual (though I would still prefer not to do it too often!).

[Pedro Mustache]

It depends.

I found a highly niche situation. By living in one country, but commuting to another country for work I was able to take advantage of a very vast tax free allowance given in the country where I live to encourage workers to bring their salary "home". This boosted my take home pay enormously. This has accelerated my time to FI exponentially. I work shift and get to travel off peak times on near deserted highways and I don't work normal weeks, double length shifts

The downside? About an hour journey time compared to my previous 10 minute commute. I try and make the most of it by catching up on phone calls to friends and family, having time by myself to think deeply (not easy with toddlers at home) listening to language lessons and podcasts to exercise the mind.

In my case there was no side gig or hustle that came anywhere close to the money I could "make" per hour in the car. This forum is pretty anti car for very many good reasons, but if you don't live in a city and commute to an office at rush hour there can be exceptions.

I've been doing it for more than a year and I have zero regrets when I see the time to FI come tumbling down.

(Now I am retreating to a safe distance with my tin hat on and standing by for some anti car abuse from the forum purists!)

[Debts_of_Despair]

My supervisor has been doing 120+ mi RT for 14 years.  He will never acknowledge or admit it, but I think it seriously affects his work performance in a negative way.  I could see doing it for a year or two if you knew it was going to end, but quite frankly spending 2+ hours in your car everyday is madness.

[dougules]

I would think being in a situation where a monster commute is the least of evils would be a big encouragement to get to FIRE. 

My current commute is laughably easy by the standards of people posting here, but I changed jobs and went from a 20 min walking commute in a residential area to a 20+X min driving commute that includes the completely unpredictable back-up at a gate to a military base.  I miss my walking commute, but even better is NO commute. 

[des999]

every situation is different, but I thought I'd share mine, as I have a long commute.

50 miles each way, takes me 55 minutes, but I have flexible hours, so I can avoid traffic.  Ofcourse there is always accidents that make it much longer, 55 is pretty standard.

I work from home 1-2 days a week, I enjoy the down time and it gives me time to practice meditation.  I never get angry any more when someone cuts me off or drives bad, etc..   I like that part of it.  Also, I have got to listen to tons of podcasts and audiobooks, that otherwise I wouldn't have.  The reason I moved out to the country is b/c I inherited a house from FIL.  So, my mortgage is 80k for a 220k house,  I sold a house in the city that had a mortgage of 245k, but one that I could ride my bike to work.

I go back and forth all the time on which is better.  Current house will get me to fire quicker, so I'm sticking with this, also the city house was city schools that we probably wouldn't have sent my kid to.  I couldn't do suburbs, so city living means city schools.  Or, close to downtown neighborhoods that start at 300k.

Some weeks I miss city life, but I do love my house out in the country.  Unfortunately, we can't have both, so we are always going to be missing one no matter what we choose.

[Michael in ABQ]

I'm about to take a new job on base that will probably turn my 30-40 minute commute into 45 minutes, at least in the morning when thousands of people are trying to get on base through the few gates. Living closer (walking/biking) distance is not an option. As with military bases everywhere, the immediate neighborhood around it is the worst in the city. My brother-in-law just moved from less than a mile from one of the gates where he could bike to work to a semi-rural area about 15 miles east with a 30-40 minute commute. However, he no longer has drug dealers and drug addicts wandering down the street in front of his house.

We're trying to find a new house to rent a bit closer but also want to be close to my wife's parents who help out with the kids. #6 is on the way and since we homeschool it really helps my wife to have the younger kids go with their grandparents a few days a week.

I don't mind the length of the commute if traffic isn't too bad. I get really frustrated when I get in the correct lane to merge on or off the freeway a mile or two in advance but crawl along because every other person gets in the left lane and then cuts in at the last second. I'd trade a 30 mile highway commute with no traffic for a 5-10 mile commute with bad traffic. Audiobooks and podcasts help but it's still not enjoyable. I don't think I've ever had a commute less than about 25-30 minutes. Would probably be nice.

[Linea_Norway]

.....and don't get me started on the nights I had to work late and missed the commuter train home and was stuck at the train station another HOUR until the next train.

I think this really sums up a big problem with monster commutes--you become a slave to your commuting schedule because even a small deviation can result in a HUGE disruption to your day.  When I was doing my big train commute, I had figured out the optimum set of trains to take to/from work.  If I missed my morning train, the next best option would get me to work 45 minutes late.  So sleeping in for even 5 minutes could cost me 45 minutes.  I remember one day my husband was talking with me about a rough time he was having at work and I felt really conflicted and anxious about the whole thing because on the one hand I wanted to slow down and stop and listen to him, and on the other hand...MY TRAIN IS COMING, MUST COMPLETE MORNING ROUTINE AND EXIT HOME ON TIME.  A few times I even woke up in the middle of the night, saw the minute part of my digital clock and that it was later than the minute at which I usually woke up, freaked out and threw myself into getting out ASAP, and was then almost all the way to the train station before I realized that it had not been FIVE twenty but TWO twenty.  I was just so conditioned to get up and get out that I didn't have time to register that I had not overslept!  More often, I might wake up in the middle of the night, realize the time correctly, but then have a hard time getting back to sleep because I knew I was going to have to wake up soon.  That definitely compounded the exhaustion brought on by the commute itself. Similarly, going home...if I missed the train I wanted to take I would be at least 30 minutes later home.  Needless to say, this meant I was always leaving the office in a hurry in the afternoons and if my boss came by to ask about something I was often desperate to shut the conversation down ASAP because hey, your 2 minute question is going to cost me 30 minutes if it comes at the wrong time!!  If I was working later than 6pm (thankfully rare), I would not be getting home until after 8pm because the express trains would have stopped running.  I still remember what time I had to be out of my apartment by in the mornings (5:33AM) and what time I needed to leave my desk (4:34PM), and it's been about 3 years now since I quit that commute.

Now, I have shorter commute with a lot more options for getting to work and the correlation between my lateness and my subsequent late arrival is much closer to 1:1.  e.g. last week I was halfway to the bus stop and realized I had left something back at home that I needed for the day.  I had to turn around and go home so of course I missed my regular bus.  However, I was able to catch another transit option fairly easily so I got to work about 20 min late, which I think is acceptable for having ultimately left my home 16 minutes later than usual (though I would still prefer not to do it too often!).

This sounds like the train commute I used to have. In additional I think I spent some 8 hours a month compensating for delays in the morning. My other colleagues could easily build up extra days to take off. All my extra hours went to train delays. Very unfair.

Now I really enjoy my morning routines. I can get up at almost any time. I can just relax at breakfast and sit reading the paper a bit longer if I feel for it. Except for when I decide to walk. That takes so long that I really need to get out of the door at 7 to be at work at some acceptable time. But that is a voluntary decision.

[Dictionary Time]

The career opportunities are hard to quantify, but I suppose success in this role could be very lucrative. Currently my job is unstable and at risk.

I'm reading all of the stories with some dread.  DH is looking at a job in the Big City.  We live out in the sticks.  An hour to the nearest train station.  An hour on the train.  30 minutes to get to the actual office.  That's 5 hours a day.

Right now he works from home.  I can not imagine how much this would suck if he decides to do this.

He wants more opportunities and I want him to have them.  But 5 hours a day ... 5 days a week ... And that's best case scenario.  What about when the state route is iced over?

Our youngest is a junior in high school, so he feels anchored by that.  At least for the next 18 months.

I'm trying to be supportive here, but it's not easy.

[2Birds1Stone]

The career opportunities are hard to quantify, but I suppose success in this role could be very lucrative. Currently my job is unstable and at risk.

I'm reading all of the stories with some dread.  DH is looking at a job in the Big City.  We live out in the sticks.  An hour to the nearest train station.  An hour on the train.  30 minutes to get to the actual office.  That's 5 hours a day.

Right now he works from home.  I can not imagine how much this would suck if he decides to do this.

He wants more opportunities and I want him to have them.  But 5 hours a day ... 5 days a week ... And that's best case scenario.  What about when the state route is iced over?

Our youngest is a junior in high school, so he feels anchored by that.  At least for the next 18 months.

I'm trying to be supportive here, but it's not easy.

Sounds very similar to my situation.

I'm currently working from home 2-3 days a week......it would be 4.5-5 hours a day 4-5 days a week at first, then 6 months later drop to 2-3 days a week......luckily I am 2 years out from a long sabbatical, and have no problem quitting earlier if it becomes to unbearable...still don't want to do it unless the offer is high.

[fatcow240]

Short answer:  No, not for me.

I didn't initially buy into The True Cost of Commuting.  My job has pretty flexible work hours and was about a 45 minute commute.  I did that for about years.  I took a new role in the company at another location that was closer, but the commute was 1-1.5 hours each way (traffic).  I tried the tollway, different hours, and a vanpool for about 1.5 years.  I was not happy.


About a year ago I decided to move closer, much closer.  We sold our house and downsized from our 2600 sqft house to a 1300 sqft apartment.  So far, I couldn't be happier with the decision.  My primary transportation is now a bike and I have more energy.  My 260k mileage Jetta broke down;  I just stopped using it.  We are next to the train and my daughters love taking it downtown to many free activities.  We also have access to a park, pools, and gym included in our rent.


I usually see my family and friends on the weekends.  We drive out to our town and stay the entire day with no traffic (35 minutes) to see them.  No real change here in the amount of time we spend with them.


I am throwing rent money away each month.  I didn't buy because it is too expensive.  The equity from my house was put into VTI.  I don't have to mow the lawn, put my trash out after 6pm on Thursday and get my trash can back in my garage before noon on Friday.  I don't have to fix anything.  Just this week, my bathtub/shower started to slow drain;  I just submitted a request.  My electricity is about half of what it was.  I believe our vehicle costs have dropped by 75%.


I've lost some weight.  I get to see my children in the morning before I leave and they are still awake when I get home almost everyday.  The 12 or so hours I get back each week goes directly to activities that are important to me.


If my company moved my work location,  I would move.  Although, I am 2.2 miles from my location, 6.6 miles from the furthest location I could work in the metroplex.  They would have to move me across the state or to another state/country, in which I would have to move regardless.


I've saved more money last year than the year before.  In another year or two, I will reach FI and have an opportunity to move back to my hometown.  I will probably still work, but take a pay cut.

[FamilyGuy]

My job is roughly 20-mile commute 1 way. I love this job, employer and work-life balance. I work from home every Friday.
I'm trying to best use my commute time to listen to podcasts I love. Usually, I don't get stressed by traffics. Recently I started listening to personal finance podcasts and they have made positive changes to life.
I'm thinking of asking my manager another Work From Home day every week, not sure if he'll allow.