Is this commute too much?

[commuterquery]

Hi!

just wondered if someone could give some advice or perspective on this.

right now I’m commuting about 55 minutes door to door by car, both to and from work. It’s only 25 miles from my house to my work but busy traffic. I work 9-5.30.

I’ve got the opportunity to take a higher paid job but with different hours and a much longer commute. But also- much higher salary. It’s 55 miles, 1 hr 30 minutes door to door but more of a country drive so no traffic. Hours 8.30-5.30

Does anyone know if realistically this would be too much? Just thinking it would be a great opportunity to save some money for a deposit (i still live at home) but realistically I don’t want to be too exhausted. It’s a much higher milage but not a significantly higher commute (30 mins more each way) because of the traffic differences- although with the earlier start I’d need to leave much earlier than I am now

and with the extra petrol I’d be spending a lot more than I am now although I’d be earning more too

just wondered if anyone has any advice or thoughts or experience in this sort of thing at all? Thanks in advance 🙂

It depends on a lot of factors but my gut feeling from reading your post is don't do it! Working can be tiring for people at any age and three hours commute on top of it too is just too much. Most people need that balance unless you absolutely thrive through working whilst really not getting along with your family living situation and HAVE to get out. If you're more you're fine at home and trying to save and don't really self define yourself through money/your job etc and enjoy down time then I'd say skip it and stay where you are.

Is it always quiet, and how vital is it to be there by 830am? By the sounds of including weekends, seems it is. You will not be seeing your house in daylight for about 5 months a year and driving largely in darkness for at least half the journey.

If you can have one night not travelling (hotel or someone willing to have you as a one day a week guest) I expect it would be just about OK.

Also is it really going to be £20k extra (or £12k after tax)?

Surely that's enough for you to move out of home AND save to buy.

Could you get a cheap travel lodge a couple of nights a week nearer the job to save on the commute?

unfortunately not quite! Need to save up a deposit first

Yeah would be about £20k extra - I’ve not included tax or NI in either salary (right now im about 30k before tax and this would be in the region of £50k before tax)

How long would it take you to save for a deposit? And could you buy near to the job?

I do a bit longer four to five days a week. It’s boring and can be quite tiring. I would say you would definitely want an automatic and a selection of audiobooks. In your case though with no kids or responsibilities when you get home though should be doable. Have a defined period though because whilst it was fine when I first started, nine years later it’s wearing thin…

Thanks everyone, got lots to think about!!

unfortunately public transport isn’t an option and neither is WFH

i would consider staying in a premier inn nearby and that is a great idea but honestly I think I’d rather just come home

lots to think about though, thanks everyone!

Agree with this. I’m 25 miles each way to work on country roads. It takes me 50 minutes on a good day but at least a couple of times a week I’m over an hour due to lorries and farm vehicles. Also, a surprising number of drivers that drive the entire distance at 40mph (through 20/30/national speed limit areas) with huge queues of traffic behind them and no hope of getting past.

My longest commute was 2hour 30mins door to door which included: drive to the train station, 2 trains, and walk from train station to the office.

It was hell on earth. I left my house at 6:30am and returned home at 7pm. I did it for a year.

I now work from home which is heaven.

So it’s completely up to you OP. If you think you can cope long term, take the job.

I do think that’s a pretty long commute, especially if you can’t work from home but I would absolutely do it for a 20k pay rise at this stage of your life! Even if you did it for 1 year and reassessed then. Get a podcast / audiobook / music!! on for the journey’s. You’d just need to consider any hobbies you have and where they’d fit in, that would be my only worry x

Hmm good question! I’d expect maybe a year or so to get a really good deposit! I could always move out and rent but tbh I’m happy being at home and I’d rather just stay longer for a bit and save a good deposit and buy somewhere

I used to have a commute like that but I was on the train. Door to door 1.5 hrs. Not gonna lie it was tiring. It depends how much you have going on at home. I had 2 young children and found it very wearing . I went down to a 4 day week. But if it's good money and an easy enough drive I wouldn't think it's worth it good luck

I think what I’ll do is get up early next week on my day off and just drive the commute so I can get a feel for what the roads are like at that time in the morning with traffic and other things

I actually really enjoy driving although it’s rural northern Scotland so as soon as winter kicks in the country roads will be a nightmare so worth considering that too

As you can see by the responses, it’s really individual. I could not tolerate that amount of driving daily but I did do almost 1.5hr daily commute at a similar stage of my life - it was public transport and I would mostly have a seat so could switch off with a book or music.

I am not a fan of driving though, I find it stressful and wouldn’t do your current commute either unless I had no other options.

Hopefully hearing other opinions will help you think through the options. I would recommend you calculating the cost in terms of fuel and wear and tear on your car to be sure the additional income is worth it

I think it's too much yes. You will spend so much time in the car

I’m in a similar position at the moment (apart from living at home) and chose to relocate instead. Currently I have a commute of an hour at the moment, 40 miles and do it about twice a week. However, sometimes it drags on because of traffic for about an extra half hour and I find that I’m so exhausted I can’t do anything in the evening. It’s also difficult when I have to be in the office back to back, and need to have an early night with no time to relax after cooking etc. My new commute would be an hour and a half and I decided that I couldn’t do it and not exhaust myself so chose to relocate instead.

Some things to consider;

How tired are you from your current commute? I think that anything over an hour starts to drain on you very quickly (at least for me when it’s an extra 15 minutes I feel it).

Also, if it’s a £20k pay increase, is it a more stressful job with increased responsibility? That could compound into the extra commute.

Burnout is a real thing and can impact you on any age. It’s important to check in with yourself and not take on more than you can handle. Nothing is ultimately worth your mental health.

An extra half hour doesn’t sound like much but it is an extra 5 hours a week you’ll be spending commuting, I would consider it very carefully.

For me the hassle and cost of moving was worth it.

Do it! Good pay rise. I do 75 to 90 mins each way and I’m ancient. Remember nothing is forever, if you hate it move on.

It’s actually the exact same job, just because of the location the pay is much higher

tbh I’m ok with my current commute, it’s a bit frustrating at times because it’s just stuck in traffic rather than actual driving but I don’t mind it and I sleep well at night so I’m never tired thankfully!

thanks for all the advice (and to everyone else)

wondering if maybe 4 days a week would be more practical , although then I obviously won’t be earning as much

ahh big decisions!

Just did a quick calculation using an online tool- it’s a pay rise of about 1100 per month (after tax and NI) which is obviously a decent amount

but then I suppose I’ll also be paying back more on my student loan etc too

Fucking hell - have been doing that for 32 years !!

With 3 kids at the start oldest was 9 months .. two years later a baby of 1 year and then 6 years later another baby of 1 ... then again i bloody love driving .. can't understand people who choose not to do it .. I find it super relaxing even in a jam .. far easier than small kids (who are now in their 20's !)

I used to have a job where my base moved all the time. What you're describing was my worst levels of commuting before the company paid for a hotel. But was also representative of most of my working days in terms of length (less driving, more work).

It was doable but it was also utterly exhausting. If I had been living at home and had been able to turn up home to dinner on the table I think that would have been more manageable. I lived with friends for a year of it and they'd cook in the week and I cooked at weekends and that was a lot more doable because I'd walk in the door at 6:55 and dinner was on the table by 7:00.

I struggled to have a life outside work when I was doing those hours - again, it was okay when I was living with friends because I socialised with them in the evenings, but I didn't really have the energy for e.g. a regular gym class or whatever - all my socialising was at weekends.

That might be a sacrifice you're prepared to make but do consider it carefully.

20k will be more than an extra £1000 a month which is massive. You'll have an extra 300 miles a week of petrol costs, so probably an extra £50 a week compared to now. You'll also need your car servicing twice as often and your car insurance will go up. It's still probably worth it in cash terms but make sure you do the maths.

You're asking lots of exhausted mums! Like fuck most would do it at that stage.
In my twenties I had a 90 minute London commute and honestly didn't feel it. It would kill me now though (40
With 3 kids)
Was worth it though as now in a job I love (most of the time) and can work from home.

I'm also in the north (east) of Scotland; don't underestimate the hours of daylight and how long you'll go driving in the dark, how one blown over tree will mean you miss work, snow, even heavy rain my seriously fuck up your day.

I'm mostly motorway and it's still quite unpleasant driving in the pitch black at 4pm, I end up with massive headaches from everyone's headlights.