Quiver0f10 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Pretend gas is not an issue and then decided how far would be too far for Dh to commute every day? Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My MIL still drives 1 hour 15 min one way and has been doing this since 1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staci in MO Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My dh commutes an hour each way. That's still way too long, but we don't want to live where he works. I think for my family, an hour is our limit. I do hear of a lot of people who commute 90 minutes, so obviously somebody thinks it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in TN Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 It depends on traffic. My dh drives 1 1/2 hours to work each day, but the traffic isn't bad. There is no way we could afford a house and acreage that we have now where he works. It's worth it to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Heather Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My parents both drive 1.5 hours one way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Anything more than one hour each way is too much commute time, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 For us it would depend on the job. Wonderful job, higher salary=willing to have a longer commute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I think more than 45 min is too much. It's different if both members of a couple are working and need to be working, there may be balance of job location issues there. Otherwise, one should look at trading off the size of house and land they have if they have a long commute. Commuting is wasted time. You are reading a bedtime story, watching a little league game or having a glass of wine with your spouse. How can you enjoy a bigger house and land if you aren't home anyway. Dh used to commute 45-1:15 each way. He's now 5 minutes from home. A change of jobs could obviously change his commute, but his relationship with the dc the last couple years has been great. With a short commute he can work late and still see dc before bed, he can work a half day due to an appointment and actually arrive home half way through the day, he can leave work see a performance and go back to work. With a long commute you just stay at work. You cna't plan on going back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 For a job that dh loves and *if* gas were not a factor, I think an hour and 15 minutes each way would be the max for our family. As it is, dh does commute about that time, and it hasn't been a problem for him because he really enjoys his job-- but in our case, the gas and the wear and tear on the car is a factor, a HUGE factor in fact. I recently realized that we are spending 1/4 of dh's takehome pay on gas. That is crazy! So for us, even though the commute itself is doable, the cost is not, so he's looking for a new job closer to home, even if he doesn't enjoy it as much. Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I'd say an hour is max... 45 minutes is better. We often think about moving to a place thats 45 miutes away.... it would be so much nicer there. Right now dh works 5 minutes from home... It's such a relief to see him at lunch. Often times thats when I can get a few minute break from the kids... or he puts the baby down for a nap (He can get her to sleep in 5 minutes... I dont know what his secret is.) I'm not sure I'm willing to give that up for a prettier place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clwcain Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 In a perfect world, I'd work from home. As it is, I can tolerate my present commute of 30-45 minutes each way, but I would prefer <15 minutes. All the men in my family are the same way, fwiw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My husband did a 1-1.5 hour commute each way for 6 years (plus extra driving around for his job). It really wore on him and took up so much of his day. Right now his commute is closer to a half hour each way (highway miles) with very little extra driving. For him, that is perfect. It gives him some quiet time both coming and going. Sometimes he talks on his cell phone, sometimes he listens to books on CD, sometimes he just vegges. :) It also depends on whether that time is spent in stop and go city traffic or easy highway miles. I'd say 45 minutes, tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 The point at which dh comes come cranky and tired is too far away. He hates driving in highway traffic for any length of time at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My MIL still drives 1 hour 15 min one way and has been doing this since 1985 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancypants Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Anything more than an hour makes me personally go bananas (I remember commuting before kids!!) And if I were at home while my hubby commuted I would feel that anything over an hour each way (which is still long imo) would be robbing the family and the commuter of time together... Having said that, sometimes there are no other affordable options and you gotta do what you gotta do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 My dh has a 40 minute commute one way. That is about the limit for us. He plans his comings and goings around slower traffic times so that means he goes in VERY early. Now that I'm thinking about it, I realize that ever since we've been married his commute has been about the same, even when we lived in a different state. I would LOVE for dh to work about 10 minutes from our house, but realistically I don't see that ever happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Pretend gas is not an issue and then decided how far would be too far for Dh to commute every day? Thanks :) 45 min, MAX, over long term. 30 min or less is more sustainable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 DH's commute is 10 minutes. He works 1.5 miles from home. Sometimes a train going through the middle of town will add 5 minutes to his commute. Before he moved his offices to our town, his commute was 1-1.5 hours each way. The way I look at it is that a 1-hour commute takes 470 hours per year (taking time off for vacations, holidays, sick time). This is 29 days of waking hours (using 16 hours awake each day because I don't drive while sleeping). So, from my point of view, a one-hour commute is way too long -- I would not want to give up 29 unpaid entire days a year to simply drive to work. RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancypants Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 DH's commute is 10 minutes. He works 1.5 miles from home. Sometimes a train going through the middle of town will add 5 minutes to his commute. Before he moved his offices to our town, his commute was 1-1.5 hours each way. The way I look at it is that a 1-hour commute takes 470 hours per year (taking time off for vacations, holidays, sick time). This is 29 days of waking hours (using 16 hours awake each day because I don't drive while sleeping). So, from my point of view, a one-hour commute is way too long -- I would not want to give up 29 unpaid entire days a year to simply to drive to work. RC Math people are wonderful. The world needs more of you. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks everyone. Right now he drives @ 14 miles each way all city traffic. An opportunity has come up and I am not sure of all the details and even if it will work out, so I don't really want to say much, but it would mean an hour commute each way. The only good thing is it would be mostly back roads until he got into town here. Of course we do have to consider gas so I don't know what would make sense LOL. Thanks for answering my poll. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 It was an easy, pleasant drive, so he didn't mind too much, but he was glad when that ended. He now has a 6 minute commute. We purposely bought close to his workplace because we are commute adverse - not just for gas reasons, but for family and environmental reasons. I don't know what is too much for your family, though. For me, an hour each way would be 10 hours a week, and that's an entire workday - just for driving. I want those two hours a day with my husband! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanamom Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Pretend gas is not an issue and then decided how far would be too far for Dh to commute every day? Thanks :) I think it varies from person to person! My DH drives 1.5 hours to work (each way). On really bad, bad traffic days, he has been stuck in the car for up to 2 hours on his drive home. He does it because he loves his job, but I could never do it. I used to drive just 30 minutes twice a week to a part time job, and it wore. me. out. I'm a driving wimp! Now- a long commute using public transportation is a different animal. When we lived in Hawaii, DH took the bus to work and that worked out fine. Since he wasn't driving, he could get stuff done on his laptop or read. So his time wasn't quite as wasted. It would be awesome if DH could take the train to his current job; he could really use that time to get things done with mobile internet. But- unfortunately, there is only one train that goes from here to there- and he would have to leave much too early from work to be sure to catch the one and only train home. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 For a job that dh loves and *if* gas were not a factor, I think an hour and 15 minutes each way would be the max for our family. As it is, dh does commute about that time, and it hasn't been a problem for him because he really enjoys his job-- but in our case, the gas and the wear and tear on the car is a factor, a HUGE factor in fact. I recently realized that we are spending 1/4 of dh's takehome pay on gas. That is crazy! So for us, even though the commute itself is doable, the cost is not, so he's looking for a new job closer to home, even if he doesn't enjoy it as much. Erica Hey Erica, If your dh enjoys his job and IF his employers really value him, is there anyway he could talk them into working from home 2 days a week to save gas? Or switch to 4 10 hour days? Even just to save a little while you look around? I hear on the news about employers switching schedules to the 4/10 workweek to help commuters save. If his work is at all portable of course. Jami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessMcG Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Dh was commuting 45 minutes. We ended up moving to get closer to work. His commute is now less than 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Well we've never really done much of a commute, deliberately. Dh drove 20 min. to his first job, then we moved a little closer and it was under 15 min. Then he worked from home for 3 years and telecommuted to CA and later TX from Missouri. His current job is a 20-25 min. drive, but no highways, just several stoplights. I think for our family 30 min. would be a max. Dh would come home fried and needing recovery if he had a highway drive or longer than 30 min. drive. That's just him. This way we get him happy and ready to jump in when he gets home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 An hour one way just about killed me. 45 minutes was better. An hour would be my absolute, reluctant limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 Thanks everyone for the replies. I do think it would be too far every day and I know I would hate driving it, so I am sure DH would get sick of it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cricket1178 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 My dh drives 1hr and 20 mins. one way each day. I think it's too long, but it is worth it to dh to be able to live where we live and do a job he likes. As a family, the kids and I hardly notice because his hours are such that he is home by 3:30pm everyday. He does go to bed early, but he is here for the important stuff. He also works 10 hours/day so he has 4 days on and 3 days off. It works for our family.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 DH used to have an hour commute and he saw the children very little. We wouldn't want to do it again. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 DH hates driving AND public transit. He's been lucky in that he's always lived within 3 miles of his workplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 It takes DH about 45 minutes to an hour to get to work. He's been doing it for 9 years now. He would prefer to live closer, but he also understands how much I appreciate living a few streets over from my family and is willing to sacrafice it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I would think in terms of "how much time will he be gone everyday?" My dh had a 75 mile commute (one way) that took anywhere from 75 mintues to 3 hours (each way) depending on traffic. This meant that he was gone, generally, anywhere from 15 to 18 hours a day. The time he was home, he slept. It was very bad. I would look at how many hours dh has to work each day, add in the number of hours he'd have to commute, add in 7 or 8 hours of sleep, and see how much is left from 24 hours. If he doesn't have at least two hours to unwind and enjoy the family each day, then he needs a shorter commute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.