Hey Blog readers, this girl is tired. Oh my goodness. I’m only at day 2 of the NEW job and already I’m exhausted. Why, you ask? Because trying to figure out my commute is stress in a basket. Which leads me to today’s topic: Getting to work on time VS not looking like a sweaty mess upon arrival. Because, really, is one more important than the other? NO.
When you are looking for your apartment and you find a darling area, with a Food Co-op, no less, and a gorgeous park, don’t just think: flat-out awesome!. Instead, think: what time do I need to get up for work commuting from this comely heaven? I , friends, did not ask that question. As such, on shower days, expect to hear my alarm at 7:05am. Am I being a wuss? Is that not early to you? Sorry, I don’t think I introduced you to the circles under my eyes and my aching joints. Hmm…no wonder people get so mean here.
That said, think about the effects of your commute when you make your apartment choices. If you spend a shorter time commuting, maybe you’d be better suited to live in a busier area. If you spend longer, maybe you need a quieter neighborhood to regroup. People work different ways of course – though personally I’m kind of enjoying my cave of a bedroom in efforts to block out the world during my downtime. Sure, it blocks out the sun too…but hey it’s dark by the time I get home anyways! Yikes, I really need to stop taking the bitter pills. Next time I write, I’ll be sure to do it when I’m not le tired.
The last piece of advice(Yes, I realize I’ve mostly been groaning) is the other key to commuting: finding the best route. A good website, with fairly accurate times, is hopstop.com. It takes into account re-routes and picks a route according to your liking—some involve more walking, others more subway transfers. If you don’t like the route they pick, you can also easily refresh – and they have maps for Boston, New York, Chicago amongst other cities.
G’luck fellow public transit riders — I understand you fully know. And next time you nearly run over that old lady. . . I’ll kindly look the other way.
No problem!
Here’s the link to the IRS Tax publication: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p521.pdf
Hope this helps!!
Ooo tax deductable? You don’t say!
Thanks for the tip, H!
I’m in this exact situation as we speak, except I am moving to a city that is a little bit closer than the distance from Chicago to NY. Instead of selling all of my stuff, my mom and a few family members are helping me pack up that truck (a small budget truck) and head to Baltimore, MD from Troy, NY.
For me, money was the main priority. The truck will only cost a measly $125, while a flight for both my mother and I would cost something on the order of $300 plus I’d have to ship everything else and then buy some new furniture to replace the ones I sold.
Yes gas is expensive, but I’m thinking that a 350 mile trip will only cost $125 in gas and $40 in tolls.
Also, don’t forget you can deduct these costs from your taxes if you are moving because of a new job.