Would you commute?

[Scouzer]

My job has suddenly required me to relocate. At present I live about 3 hours drive from all my family, friends, and fiance. I spend all my days off at home to be with them.

My new location will be much closer--only about 1 hour 20 minutes drive to them. I'm very happy. However, I'm torn now.

1 hours and 20 minutes is almost commuting distance. I could be be home every night with my fiance, live in a much nicer community... and do one hell of a commute, especially in the winter. It's about 95 miles of pure highway and only 4-5 stoplights.

What would you do?

 

[EagleKeeper]

One has to work. Can you find another position in a different company that is closer than the 90 minutes and pays close to the same.

If you are already making the commute (I have never done more than 2.5 and with a 4 day week) then it is a no brainer.

 

[TridenT]

My job has suddenly required me to relocate. At present I live about 3 hours drive from all my family, friends, and fiance. I spend all my days off at home to be with them.

My new location will be much closer--only about 1 hour 20 minutes drive to them. I'm very happy. However, I'm torn now.

1 hours and 20 minutes is almost commuting distance. I could be be home every night with my fiance, live in a much nicer community... and do one hell of a commute, especially in the winter. It's about 95 miles of pure highway and only 4-5 stoplights.

What would you do?

uhm, lol.

First, I'd never take a job that made me have such a long commuting distance in the first place. I'd live no further than 30 minutes from work, where my family also would live.

But to your point... Depends on how much you like your family. You might also wanna try buying an old Honda Insight or get a 250cc motorcycle.

 

[gevorg]

Can you work from home every other day? If yes, 1.5 hours commute won't be that bad.

 

[Scouzer]

One has to work. Can you find another position in a different company that is closer than the 90 minutes and pays close to the same.

If you are already making the commute (I have never done more than 2.5 and with a 4 day week) then it is a no brainer.

Right now I live in my city 3 hours away but I only come home once a week.

Unfortunately my job is single employer and I love it so other jobs aren't an option.

My fiance could move to me in a couple of years, but we've already been doing this arrangement for 5 years and its tiresome.

 

[TridenT]

Right now I live in my city 3 hours away but I only come home once a week.

Unfortunately my job is single employer and I love it so other jobs aren't an option.

My fiance could move to me in a couple of years, but we've already been doing this arrangement for 5 years and its tiresome.

lolwtf. You're not married and you've been doing this for 5 years? And you have to wait 2 more?

 

[xanis]

1.5 hours isn't too bad IMO. Definitely doable, and seems like it would be worth it if you could go home to your family and fiance every night.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

If you can work a full week in 3-4 days yea. I do an hour commute for school/work, 45 miles and it does get tiresome. Only reason I do it is cause it saves me money and I like where I live.

 

[Lifted]

lolwtf. You're not married and you've been doing this for 5 years? And you have to wait 2 more?

Coming from you this is hilarious.

 

[TridenT]

Coming from you this is hilarious.

Considering that it is seriously fucked up that the OP is waiting this long? (I assume OP is in his 30s by now)

 

[nanette1985]

Here in NYC suburbia that's not considered an outrageous commute.

 

[Scouzer]

Here in NYC suburbia that's not considered an outrageous commute.

It's not crazy in this part of the world. Many of my friends commute 1-1.5 hours each way and they drive pickup trucks for crying out loud.

The summer I'm not too worried about it, but the winter would be awful. I'd expect I'd be spending a night or two a month in a hotel to hide from blizzards.

 

[Lifted]

Here in NYC suburbia that's not considered an outrageous commute.

Yeah but almost nobody drives it every day. That would SUCK. There's a huge difference between monotonous driving and sitting on a bus or train while having your morning coffee and reading the paper.

 

[Farang]

I'd live halfway between. Sounds like you want to commute 3 hours per day so you can live with your fiance. you can commute 1.5 hours less if you lived on your own, and still be within 45 minutes of your fiance and family. Sure a couple of nights a week you can do the full drive down to see them, but you're not locked into doing it every single day.

 

[shortylickens]

Theres plenty of people who spend that much time stuck on the interstate every day.

If you can keep moving for the hour and twenty I wouldnt think it so bad.
Of course, gas keeps going up in price............

I dont know about you guys but I stopped computing my miles per gallon and started computing my dollars per mile. Every time the price changes I am ready.

 

[BoomerD]

Commuting sucks. I drove anywhere from 45 miles to 130 miles one way for many years. I could not justify the high cost of living in the S.F. Bay area, so I paid in other ways...I always worked 10 hour minimum days, and often, 12-14 hour days...6 or 7 days per week.
On the average, I put 1,000 miles per week on my personal vehicle...for me, that's an oil change at least once per month, new tires once per year, and a new vehicle every 3-4 years.
My daily schedule was something like this:
0230 get out of bed
0330-0400 leave for work
0630-0700 start work
1730-1930 get off work
1930-2100 arrive home, take shower, go to bed. (usually w/o dinner)
2200 in bed.

It always seemed that by Thursday, I was passing myself going in the opposite direction...

On the rare occasion when I had a 2-day weekend, I slept Saturday and took care of other things on Sunday...mowing the lawn, oil changes, tires, etc.

Commuting takes a heavy toll on a person. You basically give up your life during the week...and HOPE you have time for some semblance of life on the weekend.
For a couple of years, my wife worked a late shift at the wireless phone company. (she was customer service) She got home after I was already in bed, and she worked every Saturday. Other than a few minutes on Monday evening, Sunday was the only day we saw each other.

Would I go back to commuting again? Not unless I had ZERO other options.

Work to live, don't live to work.

 

[Scouzer]

I'd live halfway between. Sounds like you want to commute 3 hours per day so you can live with your fiance. you can commute 1.5 hours less if you lived on your own, and still be within 45 minutes of your fiance and family. Sure a couple of nights a week you can do the full drive down to see them, but you're not locked into doing it every single day.

I strongly considered this, but unfortunately the towns between there and here are pretty shitty. The biggest town is only 1000 people and really run down. I agree this is the best option but it doesn't work sadly.

BoomerD.. thanks for chiming in. Brutal experience you've had and I hear you. Living away from the fiance and all is really a huge drag but the commute thing might be the bigger drag, it's hard to say.

 

[nanette1985]

Yeah but almost nobody drives it every day. That would SUCK. There's a huge difference between monotonous driving and sitting on a bus or train while having your morning coffee and reading the paper.

Of course tons of people drive it every day. I did it for years. There's a certain zen to it. I know every inch of the highway between here and the lincoln tunnel with a depth and intimacy you wouldn't believe.

Audio books and/or loud music FTW. These days, most people I know use that as phone time.

 

[shortylickens]

Yeah but almost nobody drives it every day. That would SUCK. There's a huge difference between monotonous driving and sitting on a bus or train while having your morning coffee and reading the paper.

My mom takes the VRE into DC every day. She's much happier than the spoiled lawyers who think they need to drive their Mercedes S and BMW 6 series.
Those guys are so mad theres not a special BMW lane on I66.
She gets to relax, read her book, watch the trees, take a pee.
Oh yeah, they have rest rooms on the VRE.
How many of you have sat on a nice full colon while stuck in gridlock?
Fucking sucks doesnt it?
Imagine a stress free ride into work and a stress relieving ride back home at night.

 

[nanette1985]

Theres plenty of people who spend that much time stuck on the interstate every day.

If you can keep moving for the hour and twenty I wouldnt think it so bad.
Of course, gas keeps going up in price............

I dont know about you guys but I stopped computing my miles per gallon and started computing my dollars per mile. Every time the price changes I am ready.

Totally true!!

OP, just because some people do it doesn't mean you should or should not. It's your decision. One thing that hasn't been mentioned, but you probably already know about, is how dependent you become on a machine that wears out regularly, on the weather, on other crazy drivers, and on the whims of the local road maintenance crews. It takes a toll.

 

[HeXen]

currently making a 2.5 hr drive one way each day. sucks but at least its in a company vehicle.

 

[Jumpem]

If it's 95 miles round trip, do it. I currently do 91 miles round trip; an hour and fifteen minutes each way.

 

[Oil]

I have a 30 min commute each way now and I still think that is too much. Can't imagine doing 1.5 hrs each way

 

[yh125d]

Do it, but work 4x10s

 

[mugs]

I did a 90 minutes commute for a year. I took a decent pay cut to reduce my commute to 4 miles, and I was happier with the new job. The time you spend commuting doesn't have to be wasted - you can listen to audiobooks or podcasts instead of music. But it's still an extra 2+ hours that you'll be spending away from home every day. It's not a great way to live long-term, you'll always be working for the weekend.