Should I go or should I stay?

[sze5003]

Having a tough time deciding if I want to move out of the Philly area. My apartment now is great, around 850sq ft. Central air, washer and dryer (full size ), tons of closet space. Rent is $850, maintenance is prompt.

Cons: Commute to work to the KOP area is 45+ min in the morning and sometimes 1hr 30 min or more on the way back home if I leave at 4pm.

This complex is small and inhabited by lots of seniors.

Can't take the commute anymore. All I do is go to work, come back home, go to the gym, and go to sleep. Not much time left in the day except for weekends. A friend of mine found a place in KOP for $850 but honestly its not nice, and the neighbors chose to make their front yard a junk yard.

Trying to decide between two places, rent is higher of course. Anything as nice as I have you have to pay at least $13-1500/month and utilities for a smaller one bedroom.

This one is on special for $999, obviously no clue which unit I would get but not the upgraded one. Comcast only.
http://www.apartmentguide.com/apart...f-Prussia/The-Lafayette-At-Valley-Forge/3980/

This one is a bit cheaper but older: Fios and Comcast
http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/Pennsylvania/King-of-Prussia/King-Of-Prussia-Arms/13121/

Those of you in the northeast area, where do you live and would you pay more to have less time in the car?

Want to avoid paying wage tax that I pay in Philly, I'd save close to $200 a month.

Opinions?

 

[lxskllr]

45+ minute drive is a non starter. I'd do it for brief periods til I changed jobs or moved, but it's unacceptable as a permanent situation. I'd prefer a private rental over corporate rental, but in either case I'd definitely get out of Philly if you intend on staying at your job.

 

[shortylickens]

For work I would never commute more than 30 minutes. But thats just me. You'd have to decide for yourself.
FYI: I've been unemployed for a while and at this point I'd take ANY job in the continental U.S.

 

[SSSnail]

If you stay will there be trouble?

 

[sze5003]

If you stay will there be trouble?

Yes an everlasting internal struggle.

For work I would never commute more than 30 minutes. But thats just me. You'd have to decide for yourself.
FYI: I've been unemployed for a while and at this point I'd take ANY job in the continental U.S.

Not sure where you are located or what you do but if it's computer related all the major companies are where I work. You literally can't drive a minute in that area without seeing offices.

It's literally like the silicon valley of the east coast. Probably why rent is so damn high for what you get.

At the same time I don't get it, most people that are there, are there to work it's not like it's cali or downtown philly.

 

[TheGardener]

I use to commute 55 minutes to 2 hours, each way. Plus I paid to use the toll road. Plus I paid $500 a year to park. So your commute is nothing.

I don't understand asking people where you should live. But I will say saving $200 a month for privilege of not living in Philly sounds like a win win to me.

 

[sze5003]

I use to commute 55 minutes to 2 hours, each way. Plus I paid to use the toll road. Plus I paid $500 a year to park. So your commute is nothing.

I don't understand asking people where you should live. But I will say saving $200 a month for privilege of not living in Philly sounds like a win win to me.

I had a commute like yours when I was finishing up school and working for this small company. Didn't mind it back then but now it's just annoying. I also use the toll road and while it seems better there is still traffic daily.

I searched the forum and saw there were posts about the general area where I live now and where I work so I figured other members would be able to offer advice regarding location, what's a decent area and what to avoid, affordable, etc.

 

[purbeast0]

LOL I would NEVER EVER commute 90 minutes one way. That along would make me move.

I'm with shorty, I'd never commute more than 30 minutes. I did one time but I was taking the subway and it was about 40-45 minutes, but I loved that because I sat and watched shows/movies on my commutes.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can't imagine having a super long commute either. That's time you don't get paid for that you'll never get back. The absolute maximum I would do is 30min and that's only if I had practically a dream house/propery. Otherwise I'd move or change jobs. My current situation is nice though, I'm about 5 minutes from work.

 

[shortylickens]

Well, my mom does an hour on the train each morning. But thats not so bad. You can kick back, nap, read, watch a movie if you have the means (and headphones). The return home trip is closer to 45 minutes..
But getting stuck in traffic for an hour would suck. Especially at the end of a long day when you just wanna get home and relax.

 

[MovingTarget]

If you stay will there be trouble?

If he goes, it will be double...

 

[John Connor]

Thread is worthless without music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM

 

[Capt Caveman]

You said nothing about your job. If you like where you live, any jobs closer to home?

 

[Svnla]

OP, can you rent a room (and store your stuffs in storage) or get room mates at a place closer to your work (if you like your workplace of course)? I can't imagine such a long commute daily for years.

 

[sze5003]

Thread is worthless without music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM

Yes definitely fits the mood haha.

You said nothing about your job. If you like where you live, any jobs closer to home?

I'm a software developer and I can pretty much get another job after a couple of weeks of brushing up on interview questions, getting back in the game of things so to speak since where I work now everything has been so custom and proprietary, I probably forgotten what kind of stuff they ask at interviews.

Commute into the city would be the same, 45 min mostly by train and spend about $5-600 for a train pass if I didn't want to drive.

But most of the jobs are all located where I currently work. The city mainly has head hunter agencies and other small companies.

OP, can you rent a room (and store your stuffs in storage) or get room mates at a place closer to your work (if you like your workplace of course)? I can't imagine such a long commute daily for years.

I was going to be roommates with my friend that currently moved to where I'm considering living. The place he got sucks and is super old, more like a studio.

Been living by myself so long that I feel roommates at this age would be odd.

I guess that area is expensive since it's got one of the largest malls in US and all the work is there. Besides that I don't see why they are charging so much for rent excluding the two places I listed in the first post.

 

[zerocool84]

I can't imagine having a super long commute either. That's time you don't get paid for that you'll never get back. The absolute maximum I would do is 30min and that's only if I had practically a dream house/propery. Otherwise I'd move or change jobs. My current situation is nice though, I'm about 5 minutes from work.

Unfortunately not everyone can live that close to work or move jobs easily or move somewhere else easily.

 

[Ns1]

Commute time = unpaid overtime

 

[Carson Dyle]

Would not commute like that. I hate to ask, but: would it be easier (or more cost-effective) to find a new job closer to the nice apartment?

If you can't do one or the the other, get the hell out of the area all together.

* Edit *

Just kidding. Try not to die.

 

[sze5003]

Finding a job in the city would probably cost just as much. There's the 45 minute commute in the morning on 95 south, pay for parking in the city, or pay for a train pass. Maybe it would shave off a few minutes.

My main goal on moving was to avoid the city wage tax of 3.90% if you live or work in the county of philly.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Where exactly are you located in relation to KoP? If rents in KoP are crazy, can't you just move closer?

Are you saying you want to move to avoid the wage tax, or that's why you moved to where you are now?

Your dilemma sounds like a good argument for a raise. The commute is killing you, and you can't afford local rents. Take it up with the boss.

 

[dud]

Time is a currency that we all have the same amount each day ... it is up to us how we spend it. Assuming that you are commuting 45 min in the morning and 1:15 in the afternoon (for 2 hours total) then you are:

- Spending 10 hours per week in traffic. This is almost a full half-day and 6% of your week.

- Spending approximately 43 hours per month commuting.

- Spending approximately 440 hours (2.6 weeks) of your year commuting.


I live approximately 7 miles from work and still spend 20 minutes each way. Sure, this sounds like a first world problem but if those traffic engineers would just synchronize the light for better traffic flow the demand for gas in this country would seriously drop since waste would be minimized.

 

[Linux23]

Time is a currency that we all have the same amount each day ... it is up to us how we spend it. Assuming that you are commuting 45 min in the morning and 1:15 in the afternoon (for 2 hours total) then you are:

- Spending 10 hours per week in traffic. This is almost a full half-day and 6% of your week.

- Spending approximately 43 hours per month commuting.

- Spending approximately 440 hours (2.6 weeks) of your year commuting.


I live approximately 7 miles from work and still spend 20 minutes each way. Sure, this sounds like a first world problem but if those traffic engineers would just synchronize the light for better traffic flow the demand for gas in this country would seriously drop since waste would be minimized.

I always said that. These traffic engineers have to be high school dropouts. If I have to stop and go then my car consumes a lot more fuel. Now the morons in my city are adding these gigantic speed bumps. Imagine going over one of these with 3 or 4 per city block. Assholes.

 

[sze5003]

Where exactly are you located in relation to KoP? If rents in KoP are crazy, can't you just move closer?

Are you saying you want to move to avoid the wage tax, or that's why you moved to where you are now?

Your dilemma sounds like a good argument for a raise. The commute is killing you, and you can't afford local rents. Take it up with the boss.

I am in the Northeast section if philly. The wage tax here is 3.90% but there is no wage tax in the Kop area. Rent is affordable where I am now in philly. In kop it's kind of nuts and the two apartments I listed would be my options if I move where I work.

I generally get a raise and somewhat of a bonus every year but my new manager is very tough. I could easily go to another team, well not easily but I'm currently in charge of a lot of work right now.

 

[Exterous]

You should go

Wait - this isn't about ATOT? Oh. Yeah I wouldn't commute either

 

[ImpulsE69]

There's walmarts and mcdonalds almost every other block across the US. I don't see what the issue is, transfer! ;D