Bad News at Work

[Black wallnut]

Today I found out that on the first of May my job will be moving 40 miles away!

I have been given a choice to commute or I can go back to driving truck.

The bad part is that if I commute my travel costs will be at least $200/ month and if I choose the other option I will most likely not make as much as I do now.

Worse than that is the fact that since Thomas was born Mrs. Walnut is not able to work and given the job market in our city is unlikely to be able to find employment that would pay any more than the cost of day care.

Your prayers for guidence and wisdom are well appreciated.

[SillyGoose]

Hey Mark, Hope that things work out for you guys. Any chance of carpooling with someone from your town? My bil lives 50 miles from his job and found someone very close by to carpool with a couple times a week.

[Ken Weaver]

Some tough decisions ahead Mark, go easy and keep the faith, things will workout somehow.

[bhanna1]

another thing

Sorry to hear this. Been in like situations. Another thing to keep in mind, the commute will kill your car in no more than 2 years. If you're driving a VW diesel or a hybrid the cost won't be unmanigable, just about anything else will eat you alive.

[Stormbringer]

Another thing to keep in mind, the commute will kill your car in no more than 2 years.

Just what I'm sure he was looking to hear

[leehljp]

Mark,

I know that is a tough decision. I hate commuting simply because of the wasted time and cost. I will lift you and your family up in prayer for your decision.

[430752]

bite the bullet

other than another job, you've got to bite the bullet. Trade in whatever you have for either a hybrid or a diesel. The Man is currently giving above the line tax reduction for hybrids (and maybe diesels too?), so that makes it much easier. before, it was a below the line deduction. But car must be new. I think the cap is like $2,60, so 2,600 straight off the bottom line next april will be nice. Also, each car is allowed a different offset, since each hybrid offers different fuel savings. (e.g., prius is max, accord or escape is minimal).

just trying to translate it into dollars and sense.

curt j.

[jspelbring]

2 wheels

Would a scooter or MC be an option? I get 80+ MPG on my little commuter scooter. I can't drive year round, but it does help.

[dlminehart]

Mark, as someone commuting 77 miles each way because of a shortage of local jobs (plus getting paid less because the job is not "in" my more high-paying urban area), I can feel your prospective pain. I don't know that a vehicle swap is economical unless your existing one is already on the way out. There's a good likelihood you'll have to join the great majority of us downwardly mobile Americans, competing in a global marketplace with folks who can only dream of having half what we do.

Well, they don't yet have free public libraries, with books on tape for the asking! My 70 minute commute conveniently uses exactly one side of a CD. Doesn't make up for time away from home and family, but does ease the boredom.

Drive safely!

[buckeye]

Another thing to keep in mind, the commute will kill your car in no more than 2 years. If you're driving a VW diesel or a hybrid the cost won't be unmanigable, just about anything else will eat you alive.

This makes no sense. I was commuting 110 miles a day in a 1998 GMC van that got 16 MPG. When gas prices went up, I found a 1995 Saturn wtih 87,000 miles on it that gets 35 MPG for $2000. I plan to drive it for at least 5 years doing my own maintenance. Buying a hybrid or a diesel does not pay for itself unless you plan on keeping it for at least 10 years. The overall cost of buying a used car that gets good mileage far outweighs buying an expensive new car even if it does get better mileage. If you run the numbers taking into account gas, monthly payments, insurance and maintence you will come out way ahead.

[JR]

FWIW - I've done some 40+ mile commutes. They are no fun, but I imagine in your neck of the woods it would go pretty quickly. 40 LA miles is truly not fun.

I drove 4x4 SUVs in the days of my long commutes. If I were doing it today I'd try to have an econo-box dedicated to the task. Everthing about a larger vehicle wears on you at maintenance time - tires, brakes, oil, transfer case, trans cooler, everything just costs more and there's more to break. Not to mention fuel.

I just felt like a dope when doing maintenance.

My 2c.
JR

[gchapman]

Prayers from here!

My wife and I had to deal with the same thing. Only it was her job 44 miles away. She has found peace and joy in her commute. Books on tape is the key. Sometimes she sits in the driveway to finish a chapter. She gets unwound from a day of special ed kidergarteners during her drive home. Cell phones were the other key. It's only on really nasty snowy days that I get nervous for her. Best wishes.

Glenn

[Warren]

Mark, I've got friends here in Alaska that drive up to 60 miles each way for work daily. One of them uses the CD player to listen to books he doesn't have time to read; another uses the CD player to learn new language. The smartest of the three (I think) uses the three hours as "battery charging time." He considers that time to be his exclusively. So while keeping an eye out for moose on the road and the various crazy commuters, he solves the problems of the world and decompress. He's kinda laid back anyway.

When the weather is really bad, he says the drive can be a lot of work. But, when it's nice out, the window is down, and his pipe is lit he thoroughly enjoys the drive time.

I guess I'd suggest not letting the angst get to you too early, there might be a positive in the change. Make the adjustment for a while, keep an ear out for another job, and see what you can do to make the commute as much of a positive as possible. If you detest it, then that's the time to look to make a change.

Good luck in whatever you chose!

[bfrikken]

I commute approx 100 miles a day for my job. I get around 28 mpg in my Olds Alero, which is now paid off entirely. I've done the math many times over and see no savings in simply buying a hybrid. Haven't looked at a diesel, but again, not sure what this would save.

The tax incentive is nice for those already looking at a new car. Unless you can pay cash on that New car, you'll have to (more then likely) carry full insurance on it. I'm now able to drop mine on my car to a more reasonable basic coverage. Luckily my car is getting close to 30 mpg. So putting on around 24k miles a year (approx) I figure I can get 2 more years out of my already 5 year old vehicle with minimum (read affordable) maintenance. And that is payment free on the vehicle (read sunk cost).

FWIW, I trust in the statements of Everything happening for a reason and things finding a way to work out for the best. Just find that nugget and hold on to it. Things always can be worse (I like to think better is right around the corner )

[billwmeyer]

Mark,
My prayers are on the way. I guess about the only option that I came up with that hasn't been mentioned is moving. I don't know what your situation is of course, but if you are a homeowner with decent equity built into your home, you may find a property with a nice yard for the kids, and a large workshop. Maybe there will even be a job opportunity for Mrs. Walnut. Again, I don't know your situation, but I thought I would throw this out. Given the options of commuting or driving a truck, I would commute. Why drive all day to avoid an 80 minute drive? Of course this is an oversimplificaton.

Good luck, and listen to your heart on this one.
Bill