How much is a short commute worth?
Discussion
For 15 years I commuted from Southampton to London and back every day. My choice of course and I could leave at any time but towards the end i was utterly exhausted at the beginning of the day and even worse at the end. The money was very useful with kids and wife re-training etc.
I had to go on sick leave for a while due to seizures suddenly starting.
Cut a long story short I managed to get a job 15 minutes walk away, money not as good of course but without the cost of the train ticket, various other bits and pieces the gap wasn’t that bad. It added up to at the very least an extra 25 hours a week of my life back which for me is priceless. still after 2 years I can’t believe how lucky I am. I can actually have a life during the week, going to the gym, bike rides, walking the dog, evenings out with friends, cinema with wife, take kids to dancing. My wife now isn’t a single mum during the week. I’m afraid I have missed out on a lot of the kids growing up, they haven’t missed out on anything materialistic but I know they wanted me around more. The health problems I had was the best thing that ever happened to my family really as I am now ‘home’.
I had to go on sick leave for a while due to seizures suddenly starting.
Cut a long story short I managed to get a job 15 minutes walk away, money not as good of course but without the cost of the train ticket, various other bits and pieces the gap wasn’t that bad. It added up to at the very least an extra 25 hours a week of my life back which for me is priceless. still after 2 years I can’t believe how lucky I am. I can actually have a life during the week, going to the gym, bike rides, walking the dog, evenings out with friends, cinema with wife, take kids to dancing. My wife now isn’t a single mum during the week. I’m afraid I have missed out on a lot of the kids growing up, they haven’t missed out on anything materialistic but I know they wanted me around more. The health problems I had was the best thing that ever happened to my family really as I am now ‘home’.
Edited by sir humphrey appleby on Sunday 9th February 17:59
For me a short commute is worth a lot.
I worked at my employers main site for a decade and although relatively short distance it took upwards of an hour each way to commute. I've worked at a satalite office for 6 years now at the time it was a sideways move, it takes me 15 minutes maybe 20 on a bad day.
I've been offered promotions of aprox 10K pa + to return to the main site but it's just not worth it for me. Security has tightened meaning you have to car share and have at least 3 people to get on to the site, public transport is sketchy, there is a park and ride for the train however it's possibly 1-2 hours each way door to door.
The biggest reason is I now have kids. My wife works part time and I do the school/nursey run twice a week for pick ups. This means I can leave work at 1540hrs and be collecting the kids 20 mins later. If I worked at the main site we'd have to keep then in nursery/after school club for another 1.5.2hrs it's not the money so much as the extra time the kids are in someone elses care rather than ours.
Literally couldn'y pay me enough to give that up unless I had to. I get between 10-20 hours a week 'more time' in my current circumstance.
I worked at my employers main site for a decade and although relatively short distance it took upwards of an hour each way to commute. I've worked at a satalite office for 6 years now at the time it was a sideways move, it takes me 15 minutes maybe 20 on a bad day.
I've been offered promotions of aprox 10K pa + to return to the main site but it's just not worth it for me. Security has tightened meaning you have to car share and have at least 3 people to get on to the site, public transport is sketchy, there is a park and ride for the train however it's possibly 1-2 hours each way door to door.
The biggest reason is I now have kids. My wife works part time and I do the school/nursey run twice a week for pick ups. This means I can leave work at 1540hrs and be collecting the kids 20 mins later. If I worked at the main site we'd have to keep then in nursery/after school club for another 1.5.2hrs it's not the money so much as the extra time the kids are in someone elses care rather than ours.
Literally couldn'y pay me enough to give that up unless I had to. I get between 10-20 hours a week 'more time' in my current circumstance.
Another thing to conisder - if the new place of work is 9 miles away, thats possibly half an hour on a bicycle.
Save petrol money, get some fresh air and some exercise. Even if you only cycled twice a week, it could make a huge difference to your health and outlook.
Might be worth considering!
Save petrol money, get some fresh air and some exercise. Even if you only cycled twice a week, it could make a huge difference to your health and outlook.
Might be worth considering!
I would take the £28k job, that's still a nice wedge. I was commuting 2 hours a day for £30k with fuel paid for. I then went to £23k for 10 minutes commute a day, and now I'm doing 20-25 minutes each way for somewhere in between. It's a nice balance. I probably wouldn't consider a commute over 30 minutes now. Life's too short to spend 10 hours a week literally driving to and from work.
My options when I last changed due to redundancy were 7 miles in the car or on my bike or traipse into Manchester City Centre on the train every day, didnt fancy the latter as its a 20 min walk, half hour train and then another walk.
Currently I go into the office a couple of days a week, otherwise go downstairs and log on, its great.
Currently I go into the office a couple of days a week, otherwise go downstairs and log on, its great.
It’s hard to quantify it exactly, but without my short commute, I wouldn’t be able / willing to do the unsocial hours, for which I get paid a premium. If I factor in lack of fuel costs / running costs on my car ( 20 quid fuel lasts me a fortnight, tyres last years, brakes last ages, and so on and so forth ) it gets better. I reckon my short commute probably saves me 7 or 8 grand a year all in. Add in the extra time I get to myself, due to the friendly ( as they can be ) shift pattern, and that’s even better for me.
Edited by GOATever on Tuesday 11th February 12:34
I've commuted to London from Broadstairs for nearly 10 years now. Working in sales, running teams of people, jumped about a bit but ended up with a really stressful role that was £50k plus travel (worth about £8k) & expenses. I was commuting 2h up and 2h30 on the way back because of the traffic. I'd leave home at 4.50am and get home at 8pm. I was constantly tired, stressed, snappy with my wife and generally miserable.
Just after Christmas, I knocked it on the head and took a job at a company 30 minutes down the road. I'm still managing a team and the work is interesting and a challenge. It's only £28k but we're lucky, we don't have children yet and our mortgage is only £700 a month so our outgoings aren't huge. Sure, I miss the money a bit but I don't miss being constantly tired and miserable.
Just after Christmas, I knocked it on the head and took a job at a company 30 minutes down the road. I'm still managing a team and the work is interesting and a challenge. It's only £28k but we're lucky, we don't have children yet and our mortgage is only £700 a month so our outgoings aren't huge. Sure, I miss the money a bit but I don't miss being constantly tired and miserable.
A few points from me that may or may not be worth thinking about:
- make sure you compare the full financial package (pension, healthcare, other benefits etc) to ensure you are comparing like for like.
- I don't think you said how old you are but I would do longer commutes/higher wages until kids come along, then work closer for less money if necessary.
- you should consider the work and the pleasure you will get from it. There's no point being home more if you're miserable from a day working a rubbish job
- is the train an option over driving? Sorry, I know this is PH but an hour on a train reading a paper/book/podcast etc is much more relaxing than an hour in the car after a long day.
FWIW I spent 10 years consulting where I was either away in a hotel or working from home. I was actually at home 75% of the time. But I was miserable in the job and it was having a massive negative effect of my home life (wife and 2 young girls).
2 years ago I quite for a £10k salary cut, plus the cost of commuting into London from zone 8 and I've never been happier. Sure, I'm out of the house more than I was, but I have separate work and home time, with a train journey to form a buffer between the two. I've also had 3 promotions in 2 years, so my take home is now what I was previously earning and I'm doing a job I enjoy.
HTH
- make sure you compare the full financial package (pension, healthcare, other benefits etc) to ensure you are comparing like for like.
- I don't think you said how old you are but I would do longer commutes/higher wages until kids come along, then work closer for less money if necessary.
- you should consider the work and the pleasure you will get from it. There's no point being home more if you're miserable from a day working a rubbish job
- is the train an option over driving? Sorry, I know this is PH but an hour on a train reading a paper/book/podcast etc is much more relaxing than an hour in the car after a long day.
FWIW I spent 10 years consulting where I was either away in a hotel or working from home. I was actually at home 75% of the time. But I was miserable in the job and it was having a massive negative effect of my home life (wife and 2 young girls).
2 years ago I quite for a £10k salary cut, plus the cost of commuting into London from zone 8 and I've never been happier. Sure, I'm out of the house more than I was, but I have separate work and home time, with a train journey to form a buffer between the two. I've also had 3 promotions in 2 years, so my take home is now what I was previously earning and I'm doing a job I enjoy.
HTH
wiggy001 said:
A few points from me that may or may not be worth thinking about:
- make sure you compare the full financial package (pension, healthcare, other benefits etc) to ensure you are comparing like for like.
- I don't think you said how old you are but I would do longer commutes/higher wages until kids come along, then work closer for less money if necessary.
- you should consider the work and the pleasure you will get from it. There's no point being home more if you're miserable from a day working a rubbish job
- is the train an option over driving? Sorry, I know this is PH but an hour on a train reading a paper/book/podcast etc is much more relaxing than an hour in the car after a long day.
FWIW I spent 10 years consulting where I was either away in a hotel or working from home. I was actually at home 75% of the time. But I was miserable in the job and it was having a massive negative effect of my home life (wife and 2 young girls).
2 years ago I quite for a £10k salary cut, plus the cost of commuting into London from zone 8 and I've never been happier. Sure, I'm out of the house more than I was, but I have separate work and home time, with a train journey to form a buffer between the two. I've also had 3 promotions in 2 years, so my take home is now what I was previously earning and I'm doing a job I enjoy.
HTH
Conversely, I took a job paying more money with a 2 hr commute each way (three days per week) and we have a one year old. With an understanding wife, and through working together, it works well. - make sure you compare the full financial package (pension, healthcare, other benefits etc) to ensure you are comparing like for like.
- I don't think you said how old you are but I would do longer commutes/higher wages until kids come along, then work closer for less money if necessary.
- you should consider the work and the pleasure you will get from it. There's no point being home more if you're miserable from a day working a rubbish job
- is the train an option over driving? Sorry, I know this is PH but an hour on a train reading a paper/book/podcast etc is much more relaxing than an hour in the car after a long day.
FWIW I spent 10 years consulting where I was either away in a hotel or working from home. I was actually at home 75% of the time. But I was miserable in the job and it was having a massive negative effect of my home life (wife and 2 young girls).
2 years ago I quite for a £10k salary cut, plus the cost of commuting into London from zone 8 and I've never been happier. Sure, I'm out of the house more than I was, but I have separate work and home time, with a train journey to form a buffer between the two. I've also had 3 promotions in 2 years, so my take home is now what I was previously earning and I'm doing a job I enjoy.
HTH
I actually find it helpful with the time spent on the train somewhat more productive than being in the office. Longer term, I suspect that the commuting will reduce even more and it'll be money (and time) in the bank - a little pain now for a much stronger position later was worthwhile in my case.
Hi everyone, thank you all for taking the time to reply.
I've given this a lot of thought and continue to.
I went for the interview for the job close to home and money was discussed. They could tell this was a massive step down for me because of the company I am contracting at currently, and said they are concerned about it. I told them the minimum I'd be happy with and they seemed to agree, and said the money would rise a little if my performance was good by the end of the probation period.
The offer then came through from their HR by email and it was even less than we had discussed in interview, which was already low. Only a small amount less, but its almost the principal of it. At risk of cutting off my nose to spite my face, I'd rather drive an hour to get an extra 3.50 an hour out of pure principal and what I know I'm worth to an employer in my field.
Hopefully, a happy medium has come up, I have an interview next week for a role somewhere in between, commute and pay wise. 30 mins on a good run, 40 on a bad one, good company, but they want me in a more senior role, which is fine, I've done it before, but it was a lot of extra hassle for little reward. Hopefully the company are being honest when they say it's a 40 hour week with an early finish Friday, and that they pride themselves on succession planning and see me doing more there. Jam tomorrow and all that. But sounds quite good. I'll let you know how I get on.
I've given this a lot of thought and continue to.
I went for the interview for the job close to home and money was discussed. They could tell this was a massive step down for me because of the company I am contracting at currently, and said they are concerned about it. I told them the minimum I'd be happy with and they seemed to agree, and said the money would rise a little if my performance was good by the end of the probation period.
The offer then came through from their HR by email and it was even less than we had discussed in interview, which was already low. Only a small amount less, but its almost the principal of it. At risk of cutting off my nose to spite my face, I'd rather drive an hour to get an extra 3.50 an hour out of pure principal and what I know I'm worth to an employer in my field.
Hopefully, a happy medium has come up, I have an interview next week for a role somewhere in between, commute and pay wise. 30 mins on a good run, 40 on a bad one, good company, but they want me in a more senior role, which is fine, I've done it before, but it was a lot of extra hassle for little reward. Hopefully the company are being honest when they say it's a 40 hour week with an early finish Friday, and that they pride themselves on succession planning and see me doing more there. Jam tomorrow and all that. But sounds quite good. I'll let you know how I get on.
Hi,
Do you forecast to buy a house ? If yes, it is a good motivation to continue the commute, to have a good mortgage deal, and increase the deposit.
I commute 90 miles return trip, and I see your point... Between insurance, maintenance, petrol and devaluation (estimated), the car is roughly £ 4.5k a year...For a ten year old hatchback, driving quietly....
Not easy choice, as said, long commute also play on your mental/attitude, especially when there is road work and/or accident... Asking your OH to tell you when the commute has too big impact on you VS the extra money could also be a way to manage it
Do you forecast to buy a house ? If yes, it is a good motivation to continue the commute, to have a good mortgage deal, and increase the deposit.
I commute 90 miles return trip, and I see your point... Between insurance, maintenance, petrol and devaluation (estimated), the car is roughly £ 4.5k a year...For a ten year old hatchback, driving quietly....
Not easy choice, as said, long commute also play on your mental/attitude, especially when there is road work and/or accident... Asking your OH to tell you when the commute has too big impact on you VS the extra money could also be a way to manage it
Meh, there's obviously far too many variables at play for anyone to give a definitive answer. Not to mention, everyone is different and all that...
I can only speak from my own experiences and I have found that although the commute can be painful at times (26 miles to Manchester via the M62 taking anywhere from 45m - 1h30m), the extra money is worth it. But this may be down to my field (IT) as I literally cannot get a similar job role within a 10 mile radius, they just don't exist, yet... Luckily my latest employer has a very flexible working policy so I tend to WFH 2/3 times per week which does make those commuting days more bearable.
However, maybe I'm greedy and still too young to appreciate it but I just don't think I could ever stomach a pay cut. I always said that once my salary hits "X" I'll consider going part-time, but once I hit it couldn't do it as I feel I'm too young and could do with any extra money now (plus the WFH thing helped a lot). Work hard whilst you're young and able and all that...
I hope this "in-between" role works out for you OP.
I can only speak from my own experiences and I have found that although the commute can be painful at times (26 miles to Manchester via the M62 taking anywhere from 45m - 1h30m), the extra money is worth it. But this may be down to my field (IT) as I literally cannot get a similar job role within a 10 mile radius, they just don't exist, yet... Luckily my latest employer has a very flexible working policy so I tend to WFH 2/3 times per week which does make those commuting days more bearable.
However, maybe I'm greedy and still too young to appreciate it but I just don't think I could ever stomach a pay cut. I always said that once my salary hits "X" I'll consider going part-time, but once I hit it couldn't do it as I feel I'm too young and could do with any extra money now (plus the WFH thing helped a lot). Work hard whilst you're young and able and all that...
I hope this "in-between" role works out for you OP.
My commute is a 5 min walk to work and its fantastic... my car insurance costs less, petrol spend is negligible,less wear and tear on the car, lunches at home.
I used to commute about 30 mins by car which wasn't bad at all but moving close to work has turned out well in terms of life balance and money saved.
I used to commute about 30 mins by car which wasn't bad at all but moving close to work has turned out well in terms of life balance and money saved.
Ive went from a 11 mile each way commute too a 25 mile commute each way been currently there 9 months and the last 4 over winter have really started to feel the distance getting up at 7-7.30 leaving at 8 to get to work by 9am then leaving at 6pm and getting home just before 7pm that if there hasn't been a crash.
Pretty much living to work is what I feel like atm however the pay increase made the move worthwhile and have gained qualification being mot and going through ford training with next being hybrid. Am considering moving down too Cardiff so I don't even need to drive and can either walk or bike into work would save approx.£250 a month in fuel and less wear on the car.
How anyone can do more than a hour commute each way staggers me surely that's cant be good for your mental health being out of your house for that long and being on the road too.
Pretty much living to work is what I feel like atm however the pay increase made the move worthwhile and have gained qualification being mot and going through ford training with next being hybrid. Am considering moving down too Cardiff so I don't even need to drive and can either walk or bike into work would save approx.£250 a month in fuel and less wear on the car.
How anyone can do more than a hour commute each way staggers me surely that's cant be good for your mental health being out of your house for that long and being on the road too.
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