WWMMMD? Forced commute to another city for 2-3years

[Sarahswhere]

My fianc้ and I are getting married Sep 7th. He's a union plumber and I'm an airline pilot and part time Air Force reserve pilot. He got word today he's being transferred to a job in a city over an hour away (the larger city) which will give him a $5/hr raise, and the job lasts 2-3 years. He's probably going to be able to carpool which is good, but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for how to maximize NOT spending too much money doing this.

I'll be moving to his house after we get married, and we'll be renting my house furnished. Both my jobs are in our city so me taking another job isn't an option.

[superhero]

Carpooling is probably the cheapest option. Not sure where you are located, but here we have regional van routes and regional bus routes. The van routes are usually from one city to another city with no stops in-between. Most of the time they will deliver you to your workplace. The regional bus routes are usually a coordination between nearby cities to ferry morning/evening commuters back and forth. They are usually city buses, so just check your local bus system.

If you aren't in a pace with decent public transportation, I would check out local ride-share websites and try carpool as much as possible.

Source: 1-hour commuter for 9 months. It's much better when you can do stuff while not driving.

[2527]

Max out carpooling.  Try not to do a lot of eating out just because so much time is spent working or commuting. 

[turboseize]

I do not know where you live and how much gas costs there, but in Europe I would highly recommend a lpg-conversion for your (petrol) car. In Germany, you can nearly cut fuel cost in half... Depending on your car's design you might loose trunk space, though.

What car do you have? Perhaps it might even make sense to buy a commuter car. Early VW TDI engines (1.9) can not be praised enough, they are ridiculously fuel efficient, annoyingly loud and will last forever. (Beware of the 2.0 TDI, they are prone to injector and cylinder head trouble). Being rather old, they can be had rather cheap - I have seen Passats trading for less than 1000€. Granted, with high mileage and some major repairs expected to come (front axle is a bit tricky), but still a great price per kilometre.
But that depends on ful price and used car prices in your area, you have to do the math.


Carpooling, on the other hand can not be overestimated. Cars are designed to fit 4 people, just driving them alone is absolute waste.
Personal example:
I study in Berlin, but my wife lifes in Munich (good job, and not likely to change - unemployment rate in Munich is 2%, in Berlin over 10%, and wages in Berlin are much lower...), so I have a lot of 600-km trips to make. Carpooling pays for my petrol, leaving me with only taxes, insurance and repairs as car costs (no depreciation, as I always drive old cars in the 1000-5000€ range...). All cost included, a kilometre costs about 20 cent (the lowest I ever got) to 30 cent (very decadent v8-powered Mercedes S-class). My current cars are around 25c/km, so a one-way drive cost 150€. (In reality, a little bit less, as taxes and insurance are sunk costs I would have to pay even if I did not drive this weekend). That roughly equals a train ticket, but trains would take 2 hours more. However, with carpooling every co-traveller pays me 35€. Thats 105€ for three of them. 150-105=45€.
So with carpooling I can cut commuting expenses by two thirds!

[frugaldrummer]

An hour commute each way?  For a newlywed couple?  That sounds disastrous - it will really eat into your quality of life.

Are there other options?

 - can he decline the transfer?
 - can you rent out both of your homes and rent an apartment mid-way between both cities to lessen his commute?
 - can you rent out both of your homes and rent an apartment in the larger city?  After all, as a pilot, you do not commute 5 days a week, and he does - it would cut the total commute time down (although shifting it to your shoulders).