How far to work?

[RMulieri]

I think you really need to think this one thru...NJ shore traffic is HORRENDOUS in the late spring and summer.I lived in NJ and drove 50 mins to my nursing job down the GSP. In the winter I got home and to work in 50 mins...if the weather cooperated .The spring and summer was HELL.. do not underestimate the Jersey shore traffic. Try having him drive it a few times first, and I mean a few times like his normal work schedule would be.Plus living near the beach is nice in Summer.It is bleak in winter, and can be flat out nasty in bad weather.

 

[Minnie]

My last position was a 40min drive I love that I'm only 10min from my current position

Truly I would keep looking - that is just too far to drive on a daily basis. It gets very old after a while. It really just makes the day sooo much longer when you consider the drive into the hours.

I actually work longer hours at my new job but since I don't have the drive the time spent is about the same Very very thankful this huge company came to my small town and took a chance on me

 

[TheDizMom]

My husband had a 15 minute drive a few years ago when we decided to move farther out to get a bigger home and build it the way we wanted it. It made his new commute about the same time, on single lane highways a good portion of the way, and could be quite nasty during the winter months. He also works in car sales so 4 days a week he left really early and the kids were in bed before he got home, so it really cut into family time. My daughter still much prefers me because during her toddler/preschool years dad was never home. After 3 years he couldn't take it any more, especially after there were 3 fatal car accidents on the same stretch of road in 2 weeks the last winter we lived there. After that winter my husband said that was it we were moving closer in. His commute is now about 20 minutes on major highway and much less stressful. He is able to spend much more time at home with the kids. It also meant we saw family much less because they didn't want to drive to our house and so we always seemed to have to drive into the cities to their homes. We now see them so much because we are all within 20 minutes of each other. While I wouldn't tell you don't do it, I would seriously take into consideration how that longer commute will impact everyone in your family and your day to day life, not just your husbands commute time.

I still miss that far away house!!! I loved it so much . I wish I could have moved it with the rest of my things to where we live now LOL.

 

[StephMK]

My commute is 10 min, 15 if I hit all the red lights. DH is 20-40, depending on time of day & if he's dropping off his carpool buddy. I love being close, I can go home for lunch, run to the kids' school, etc. DH used to have an hour commute, he does not do well in traffic & is much less stressed now & more pleasant when he comes home.

I could see why you'd be debating as I'd LOVE to live so close to the beach, but day to day, people have good points about the drive time & conditions.

 

[TracyMags]

I am another one with a short commute, its only about 10 minutes. I am a nurse in a hospital and chose the hospital based on location, even taking a few pennies less an hour. Maybe after the kids are bigger I may lengthen the drive to 20 minutes so that I can work in a bigger hospital and gather more experience. I like that I live so close. DH and DD even meet me for lunch at work once a week.

 

[emma'smom]

Used to be anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on traffic....but we've moved and I've changed jobs. Now its down to 15 minutes with a school drop-off (10 without the drop-off). It is great to be able to buzz home in the middle of the day to pick up something I've forgotten, turn on a crock pot, etc.

However, it also means we live and work in one community which has its rewards (but also its drawbacks).

 

[badblackpug]

Now I see you are in NJ! Gaah! I can't stress enough what the PP said about Jersey shore traffic. If you think it is 50 minutes, it is probably more like and hour and a half during the shore season. It takes me about 15 minutes to get to work. I work nights, so I am going against the flow of traffic, but the same commute during rush hour, during the shore season? ...45 minutes.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Thanks for all the replies. You all have very valid points that I will try to make my DH aware of.

 

[DISNEYNV]

My DH works long hours as well but I am a stay at home mom so he would be the only one with the commute. He says with that 50 min drive it would give him time to unwind from work.......stressful job. I say he is just trying to justify driving that far. He loves this house that we are considering and the idea of being to close to the beach.

My DH drives that far to work and back each day as well... About an hour. I say go for it if you don't mind him traveling that far while you are at home with the kids. My DH works long hours and enjoys the commute to relax as wl. I stay at home too but work at the same company two night a week. I also enjoy the drive, but not coming home. Then I wish it as only a few minutes away not an hour! I also hate addind in the commute time when I expect DH home for dinner times, etc. He is hardly home for dinner or to get kids ready for bed! It's hard but if he loves the job or home location and you are happy too then why not

 

[DISNEYNV]

I am another one with a short commute, its only about 10 minutes. I am a nurse in a hospital and chose the hospital based on location, even taking a few pennies less an hour. Maybe after the kids are bigger I may lengthen the drive to 20 minutes so that I can work in a bigger hospital and gather more experience. I like that I live so close. DH and DD even meet me for lunch at work once a week.

That is awesome! You are very lucky

 

[mjkacmom]

DH used to commute to NYC for about 16 years - 8 miles, 1 hour, at least, on the bus. He was actually thrilled to commute 50 miles, in his car, 1 hour, but not on the bus. He now has a 1/2 commute, and is thrilled beyond words. Most people here commute to the city, and an hour is common.

 

[mjkacmom]

Oh, I see you are in NJ. Please let us know where about you live, and where he will be commuting to. If the GSP is involved, it's not worth it. It turns into a parking lot going south starting before 3 pm on Fridays. I'm exit 151, and drive over it a lot, and it's not pretty.

 

[hedgehog2owl]

I work from home, and my husband is retired.

I drove my daughter 6 miles to preschool this year though. Next year there will be buses!

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Oh, I see you are in NJ. Please let us know where about you live, and where he will be commuting to. If the GSP is involved, it's not worth it. It turns into a parking lot going south starting before 3 pm on Fridays. I'm exit 151, and drive over it a lot, and it's not pretty.

My DH works in Edgewater Park right off of Rt 130. We are thinking of buying a new home in Mays Landing right around the corner from the mall and everything else down that way. He has the option of going 295 to 42 to Atlantic City Express Way or go Straight down 322 to the other back roads.

 

[poohguys]

We are up in North Jersey and drive Rt 80 every day. I leave early by 6:15 to get miss the traffic. It usually takes me 45 mins to an hour to go 38 miles. DH dropps of son at school in the morning so he leaves right at rush hour and it takes him 1 to 1 1/2 (we work about a mile apart, but because of day care/school cannot carpool during the school year). On Friday's with eveyone going out to the Pocanos it can take longer to get home and on a holiday weekend forget it. All of New Jersey is bad. Keep in mind like PP said if gas goes back up like last year it may not be worth the longer drive. Good luck with what ever you choose.

 

[poegirl30]

It takes me about twenty minutes to get to work. We used to live out in the country, and then it took about forty-five minutes. I don't miss it a bit.

 

[mom2aredhead]

My DH works in Edgewater Park right off of Rt 130. We are thinking of buying a new home in Mays Landing right around the corner from the mall and everything else down that way. He has the option of going 295 to 42 to Atlantic City Express Way or go Straight down 322 to the other back roads.

Google Maps and Mapquest have it at about 1 hour and 15 minutes, +/- 10 minutes either way. Add in summer traffic and It would be waaay too far and long of a ride for me, but to each his own.

Golden rule for NJ commuting - work south of where you live.

 

[mom2princessj]

Dh has a 30-45 minute commute to work. Before marriage, he lived like 2 minutes from work but that was a very bad area to live in...especially with a family...I have no idea how he did it for so long! Dh hates traffic so some days he comes home and it takes an hour. We used to live right off a major expressway but I hated the rural community and how long it took me to get everywhere with the kids so we moved. He still had the same commute time it just didn't require as much traffic. I know he didn't really want to move but he knew it was best for the kids so he did it anyway. We loved our house, hated the community, schools, and how rural we were living.
If I had to do it all over again, we'd have moved to our community in the first place. The driving got to be alot for me and all I did was complain on a daily basis about driving the kids here, there, and everywhere.
I wish you luck. I guess it all depends on your dh's temperment and how patient he is with a long drive or traffic.

 

[disykat]

If you live 15 minutes from the beach, how often will you go there?

DH and I have discussed this often. In our opinion, unless you are beachFRONT and/or would be driving to the beach more often than your dh drives to work, it's not worth it. Better to drive to the beach a few times a week than to commute 5 days a week.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

Thanks for all the responses. You all gave us a lot to think about and we appreciate it.