Do you think 40 miles is too far to commute?

Question

My wife and I really like a house, and right I already commute about 30 miles to work. Some days I wish I was closer. What do you think? Would you drive 40 miles one way to work?

Answer 1

One key question is how LONG in minutes is the commute. 30 miles could take anywhere from 30 min. on uncongested highways to 90 min. in a big city. The other consideration is the cost at $4 per gallon. Are there carpool opportunities?

Right now I am doing 90 miles in 90 min. and carpooling most every day. Although I enjoy the conversations in the carpool, wasting life for  3 hours per day is a major drag. Plus I have an 8 hour per day job, so it is tolerable. This is a temporary situation - we are moving to 55 miles and 60 minutes.

Answer 2

with gas as much as it is I'd have to think about...would it be worth it financially?  Would have to work more to commute to work?  with this said, my father drives 45 miles one way to work. he uses his motor cycle with a 45 mpg during the summer and a van with a 25 mpg during the winter.  and his buddy does an amazing 100 miles on way to work. ( how is that possible, well he lives in Evergreen here in CO and works at DIA)  Which comes to be a 100 miles.  So 40 miles is not bad compare to those gentlemen.

You see the guy that commutes 100 miles HAS to work over time to pay for gas alone.  and the time driving is time spent away from his family.  100 miles to me is a little ridiculous.  40 is managable.

Answer 3

Get a car that runs on natural gas (methane) and it won't be so bad in the wallet, anyway. It's 85 cents a gallon in Utah, but that's the cheapest in the nation. Also consider your time away from home. Is it really worth it? 40 miles each way can be a real headache if it's congested and slow. What's your time and sanity worth?

Answer 4

OMG, I dont use 40miles in a day. I sometimes can go 7 or 8 days and only put 100 miles on the hoo-ride.

Answer 5

If I absolutely had to do it, I guess I would.  For example, if I couldn't move because I had to take care of my aging mom, or if my wife had a job near there, or something like that.  But that's a ridiculous amount of time, energy and money to waste for a stupid reason like you "really like a house".  The novelty of a nice house is going to get old really fast.  There are plenty of houses that you will like that are much closer to your work.  Think about it like this:  when you get home from work at the end of an 8-hour day, which would you rather do - go immediately to a regular house, or drive for an hour to go to a "nice" house?

Answer 6

No, I would not commute 40 miles one way any work day.

Upon arrival at this community decades ago people said

I was crazy to even suggest rural residence having a 25

mile one way weekday commute.  I can presently walk to work and usually do so in snow when roads are too icy.