Worth having longer commute for more bang for your buck?

SailorSam

There were times i hated working on the Cabs but the one thing good about it was the commute before starting work. All i had to do was walk down the path and switch the radio on.

Davesnave

Dird wrote: »

Advancements in technology mean that modern cars come equipped with radios...some even have the option to plug your phone in to use the songs on that :eek: .

Oh, that's OK then. I thought people still had to concentrate when driving, and that tired people find this much more difficult.

Silly me!

jackieblack

Anatidaephobia wrote: »

Commuting is not for me. Life is too short.

Living in a tiny flat in town, when I could live in a nice house in a more rural area is not for me.
Life is too short!

marksoton

I think it very much depends on the individual.

I've done over a decade of travelling anything up to 350 miles round trip just to get to a site every day. Having said that it is tiring and the whole time i'm commuting i'm relatively unproductive apart from phone calls. Quite often getting home in the evening and having to deal with a days worth of emails from people sat at a desk all day.

One of my sites is now one motorway junction away and it's made a big difference to my work/life balance and quite probably my general wellbeing.

Whilst my work is not typical or common it does go to prove that commuting is stressful and does affect ones lifestyle. It shouldn't be under estimated, especially with our crammed road network. Unfortunately it is by a lot of employers.

StaffieTerrier

I agree with those who say it depends on the type of roads and traffic you have to deal with.

I live 11 miles from my work place, located in a city centre. It takes 20-25 minutes to get to work (I start early) but anything up to an hour to get home. My partner works 25 miles away and it takes him 30-40 minutes each way, as he's driving on a dual carriage way for most of the distance and travelling in the opposite direction to the majority of the traffic that works in the city.

You really need to try travelling the distance at your normal travelling times to decide whether you can put up with the commute.

divadee

We took a trip out today and viewed 5 places. 1 I have fallen for. The commute was 45 mins door to door. We are going to do it Monday after work to see what it's like then and do a second viewing at the same time.

divadee

jackieblack wrote: »

Living in a tiny flat in town, when I could live in a nice house in a more rural area is not for me.
Life is too short!

This is exactly it for us. For our small budget it's a small flat with no garden space. I can get a 4 bed with a garden and conservatory where we are looking.

persa

Personally, I'd go for a shorter commute every time.

What's the point in having a nice big house if you can't enjoy it because you're stuck commuting?

You seem to be valuing square foot... Never underestimate the value of an extra 5 minutes in bed in the morning.

divadee

persa wrote: »

Personally, I'd go for a shorter commute every time.

What's the point in having a nice big house if you can't enjoy it because you're stuck commuting?

You seem to be valuing square foot... Never underestimate the value of an extra 5 minutes in bed in the morning.

That is the dilemma for us. But we will have to buy leasehold and the service charges are at least £1200 a year for flats in this area. And ground rent is an average of £100-250 a year. It all soon mounts up!!

We also can't really add value to a flat. A freehold house we can extend and add value etc... And have a much better home life. We aren't going out clubbing all the time people now! A quiet night at home or in the pub is all we want.

SailorSam

divadee wrote: »

We took a trip out today and viewed 5 places. 1 I have fallen for. The commute was 45 mins door to door. We are going to do it Monday after work to see what it's like then and do a second viewing at the same time.

Did you say how long it took you now ?
If it's say 20/25mins and you're not happy. I think 45mins isn't a lot extra if you're going to have a better quality of life.