Comments on: Your Long Commute May Cost You More Than Time and Money

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:43:52 +0000

You were all very helpful. I am going from an 18 mile commute one way to a 55 mile one…an increase of $30,000 annually…

thinking of going for it…

By: CrazyNYC

CrazyNYC — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:45:20 +0000

I work 100 miles from my office and the money isn’t that great. I need another job, but how can I afford it when no one seems to be hiring!?

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:08:36 +0000

I commute 65 miles each way. It takes me 2 hours and 40 minutes on the road every day. BUT… my colleage lives in the east end of town and works in the west. They take a bus and their commute is longer. My driving is mostly country driving and I enjoy the country life when i get home. The cost really has to be worth it though because I fill up every other day and it costs me $30 when I fill… then there are tires every two years, brakes, tune ups, oil changes etc.

It is not for everyone.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:56:06 +0000

I currently commute 30 miles (45 minutes) through a rural area. I live in the closest “city” and even if my girlfriend didn’t live in a bigger city 45 minutes in the other direction, I still would not move closer to work because I get way too bored out in the country. I’m desperately trying to find work in her city but no luck in this economy. We’re both pretty burnt out from the commutes. Anyone else in this backwards situation where they work in a rural area but want to live in a suburban or urban area?

By: Igor Ripyourfaceoffsky

Igor Ripyourfaceoffsky — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:50:15 +0000

I can relate to the stress in driving. But that is nothing compared to the stress in trying to make a living in addition to that. My commute is nearly 2 hours while some of the other electricians and helpers that work for our company are about the same give or take 20 minutes. Most of us are going to walk off the job so soon as the one we’re currently working on is completed. (the next one is even farther away) We don’t get any vehicle allowances or compensation nor can we write off these commutes on taxes. After two years of wage freezes, and a 10% company wide wage cut, and another wage freeze that went into effect this year, this crap is no longer sustainable. Some guys are making less than $11.00/hr and are mad as hell. The company is banking on them to quit so they can skate around unemployment. To make matters worse, there are no jobs to be had closer to home. So it appears that if they are denied unemployment, they will sue for it or some of management’s heads will roll because they should have laid them off a long time ago. Think about it, when some of the guys there are not able to afford bringing a lunch to work because they spend their lunch money at gas station, you can only imagine the anger escalating at our jobsite. The same goes for the plumbers and HVAC guys who work there. It’s getting to the point where I’m about ready to ask for a layoff or pack heat because I’m concerned somebody is going to snap and go postal.

By: appfunds

appfunds — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:43:24 +0000

I used to commute and I can tell you that the best thing is to do something productive.
When you are a driver, the best idea for me are audiobooks.

If you aren`t you should take a nap or read a book.

Don`t waste your time.

By: Writer's Coin

Writer's Coin — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:42:35 +0000

I was having a conversation with a coworker about what it would take for either one of us to take a job out in the burbs of Chicago. There was a lot of hemming and hawing and another coworker jumped in with “$100,000.”

And with that the conversation was over. There was no debate.

By: Sara

Sara — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:06:56 +0000

People said I was nuts to take my current job, since the pay’s far from extravagant. However, the commute’s about three minutes. I’m feeling smarter every day… Thanks for bringing this article back to the top. For many people, it really is time to run the numbers and see how many hours of their day are spend earning the money needed to drive to work and back.

By: Chad @ Sentient Money

Chad @ Sentient Money — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:09:45 +0000

Everyone judges others on their commute, because most people aren’t in your situation. The majority commute just so they can have a bigger house. The funny thing is these are the people taking the biggest losses in this real estate market and the biggest losses to quality of life.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:05:33 +0000

It can be worth it to commute. It can also be completely against financial security.

My husband and I work 70 miles apart. I have a 60 mile commute, he has less than 10. Due to the direction I drive, I have almost no traffic – and it’s all interstate. I have no desire to move closer to my job. For one thing, my stepson lives with his mom – 30 milesin the OTHER direction. For another, I make more than twice as much as if I had a job closer to home – and my husband’s chances of getting a move-worthy job are almost non-existant.

I’ve met so many people who say “you’re wasting time”; “You’re wasting money”; “Don’t you care about anything but money” when they hear that I drive an hour to work and another hour home. But every situation is so different. I tend to get very defensive when anyone judges people because of their commute, because it really can make sense for some people. And – luckily for me – I love NPR.