How far do you commute to work?

[squeaky_penguin]

Hello,

My husband just got a new job about 70 miles from home. Moving is not an option for us right now. I enjoy my job and have baby #2 on the way. My mom lives close to babysit. Just wondering how far other people are commuting. Another option is having him live there during the week. (which will be expensive b/c of renting an apartment, etc....).

Thanks!

 

[limace]

I commute 50 miles. After taking my kids to daycare and backtacking back to the office, it takes about an hour and 20 minutes each way. I'm fortunate in that it's a gorgeous drive with almost no traffic. It makes for long days, but it's doable. I did drop to 3 days a week when my second child was born. Could he work 4 10s?

 

[bigbabyblues]

DH had a job for about 2 years that was 67 miles each way. He didn't mind the drive home, as it gave him time to destress first. However, it was a huge change for him; before that, he had a 4 mile drive.

We started looking at a house closer to his work, but he ended up leaving before our house sold. Gas was going up at that point, and we couldn't afford the drive anymore (that was not his reason for leaving the job).

Gas was a becoming a problem, as I said, and also wear and tear on his car. We put tires on that car fairly often (two at a time), etc. He said he would not do it again.

However, we live in the middle of nowhere, and only about 10 miles of that drive was on a highway; the rest was two-lane, narrow curvy roads.

 

[etoiles]

Last year I commuted 40 miles to work but in Chicago traffic it often took 1 1/2 hours, sometimes more on the way home. It was a real pain in the butt but I have always had a long commute so I was used to it. On the weekends I would not want to go anywhere that was more than 10-15 min away since I was done with being in the car during the week.

I also worked for two years 36 miles away that took 1 hr 15 or longer to get to. DH always did the weekend driving then also so I would advise you do the same for your DH.

What aggravated me most was not the distance but the traffic jams which in WI you should not see much of, so the 70 miles will take what it should take which hopefully will help.

Good luck to your DH!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I drive about 25 miles each way to work and I'm really lucky to have such a short commute compared to lots of people who live around here. It's not uncommon for people in our area to commute 70 or 80 miles in each direction to work. Of course we live in the woods and that is one of the things that we just deal with, I would much rather commute than live in the city or suburbs

 

[n2mm]

I generally win this contest. I commute 2 1/2 hours to work and 2 1/2 hours home from work each day (5 hour commute every day when things are good -- on bad days I've commute 7+ hours a day). I leave my house at 4:00AM and get to the office at 6:30AM. I work a 10 1/2 hour day and leave at 5:00PM and I walk through my front door at 7:30PM. This is when there is no traffic to the train station, no delays on the commuter train, and no delays on Wash. metro subway system (LOL). Then I have a 1/2 mile walk from the subway to the office. I work 4 days a week (10 hours per day) because of my commute. I have almost 30 years in and can retire next year. Sadly there are people on my train that live even farther away that I do.

 

[DawnM]

When I worked my commute was about 16-18 miles (2 different locations) but it was in heavy traffic (into Los Angeles). About 45 min. each way.

DH commuted 25 miles in LA. About an hour each way.

I am not working but DH's commute here is about 25 miles as well. He goes in early and leaves early to avoid heavy traffic and is able to utilize the new train service for 1/2 of the miles, which really helps with gas and wear and tear on the car (his work also subsidizes it!)

70 miles would not be ok with me......I mean, if you have to you have to if it means no job or one 70 miles away.....but I really feel that time with family is too precious to give up if you don't have to.

Dawn

 

[PatsMom]

I generally win this contest. I commute 2 1/2 hours to work and 2 1/2 hours home from work each day (5 hour commute every day when things are good -- on bad days I've commute 7+ hours a day). I leave my house at 4:00AM and get to the office at 6:30AM. I work a 10 1/2 hour day and leave at 5:00PM and I walk through my front door at 7:30PM. This is when there is no traffic to the train station, no delays on the commuter train, and no delays on Wash. metro subway system (LOL). Then I have a 1/2 mile walk from the subway to the office. I work 4 days a week (10 hours per day) because of my commute. I have almost 30 years in and can retire next year. Sadly there are people on my train that live even farther away that I do.

I think we might be a tie. My office is 110 miles from my driveway, mostly over back roads. On a good day, it is 2 1/2 hours each way. During tourist season when it backs up, it is worse and like you I could have over a 3 hour drive home. I work 5 days a week but I do get to work from home 2 to 3 days per week. But my 2008 Subaru already has 50,000 miles on it. We have to budget for new cars more often than most. The last Subaru is now being driven by my daughter and has 225,000 miles on it! Books on CD are my friend. Fortunately, my local library has a good selection and my mother also borrows from her larger local library for me.

 

[pyrxtc]

well, currently I don't work outside the home but my DH commutes about 2 hrs each way on a good day. In bad weather, it can take a lot longer. On other odd days, he drives my Newbury, NH (where we live) to Long Island for the days work. A normal drive is from my house to Boxborough, MA. the 2 hrs is wiht all highway driving.

 

[jemgumby]

That's easy for me all I have to do is wake up in the morning, stick my hair in a pony tail, brush my teeth, splash water on my face and walk into my office in my house and turn on my comptuer!!! BAM I'm at work!!!!

 

[ceecee]

Well, my commute is 4 miles, before we moved it was 1/2 mile.

 

[ennisb]

72 miles each way so with traffic and such it was 2-3hrs each way. Never like it but you get immune to it.

 

[sluggozmom]

44 miles each way for me... takes almost an hour. Luckily I work off hours. Rt's 93 & 495 are no fun during peak hours!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I lose this one.... LOL

Used to have to walk downstairs... now it's about 1 mile or about 3-5 minutes.

Thanks for the reminder of one of the HUGE advantages of rural life.

(I tend to focus on the disadvantages!!)

 

[cdrn1]

1.2 miles...usually only see one or two other cars along the way. If I leave a few minutes late, traffic is heavy and I pass six or eight cars!

 

[dex08]

That's easy for me all I have to do is wake up in the morning, stick my hair in a pony tail, brush my teeth, splash water on my face and walk into my office in my house and turn on my comptuer!!! BAM I'm at work!!!!

Same here, except I stop in the kitchen for coffee before I start

 

[mom2val]

Wow is all I can say about the length of some of your commutes. The longest commute my dh has had was about 45 mins. Now it's closer to 25 mins. When I worked my longest commute was 15 mins.

 

[J3nn78]

3 miles each way. Before I moved, it was 1/4 mile each way- I walked everyday. I miss that

 

[n2mm]

I think we might be a tie. My office is 110 miles from my driveway, mostly over back roads. On a good day, it is 2 1/2 hours each way. During tourist season when it backs up, it is worse and like you I could have over a 3 hour drive home. I work 5 days a week but I do get to work from home 2 to 3 days per week. But my 2008 Subaru already has 50,000 miles on it. We have to budget for new cars more often than most. The last Subaru is now being driven by my daughter and has 225,000 miles on it! Books on CD are my friend. Fortunately, my local library has a good selection and my mother also borrows from her larger local library for me.

Our Explorer has 100,000 on it now and it's a 2005. Yes I know all about tourist season too....I work in Wash. DC. We are still trying to recover from the subway crash this June. It only takes one small issue and my commute can grow another hour or 2. If the subway breaks down, then I miss my commuter train at Union Station and I have to catch the next train that puts me home at 8:00PM. I sleep ALOT on the train and am always planning my next trip to WDW....we go every 3 months or less.

I bet working from home is great. Not an option for my USG job. I do work Mon-Thur and am off every Friday, so I do have a 3-day weekend every week. But I can retire next September, so I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel....and no it's not another train!

 

[jemgumby]

Same here, except I stop in the kitchen for coffee before I start

Yep, gotta have the caffiene for sure! I start my day with a cherry coke!