Moving Dilema

[exssnelt]

Here it is. Currently I live in the ciity on my .08 acre lot (not a typo) in a 1500 sq ft house (2 bedrooms), with 3 kids. However, I have 5 beautiful acres of wooded forest in West Virginia. If i build here (WV) it would add 30 mins to an already 1 hour commute. I can accompish all my dreams (and my children's wishes) by moving here (to WV).  However, I'm not so sure about a 90 min commute 1 way. Quality of life vs drive to work?

[isawlogs]

 If all that is stopping you is the commute , go for it , the kids will love ya more for it , if every body is happy you will be more relaxed , more relaxed less stress .. less stress more quality time with your family .... Down side , ya might loose access to high speed internet .  ;D :D

[Norm]

I worked on the road all of my corporate years. The first ten was living in a city pretty much as you describe. Finally got tired of the city and moved to the country, boy what a difference. The commutes were longer and I had more windshield time but in retrospect it was well worth it. My only regret was I didn't do it sooner.

[Mr Mom]

     I had an hour drive to get to a job that i had and the drive seemed to get shorter after a short time.
     If you drive a freeway the one thing that i would get is a C.B for somthing to kill time. Radios and cd get boreing.
     


Thanks Alot Mr Mom

[asy]

You sound like a lovely person, so I'll give you a present:   http://librivox.org/

LibriVox is a site where you can download AUDIO BOOKS for free. They're all public domain and there's no copyright violations by downloading, so they're perfectly legal, and, did I mention FREE?

Get yourself an MP3 player, and a cable that connects it to the car stereo, and download to your heart's content.

That way the trip will seem really short, and you'll look forward to it coz you'll be waiting for the next bit of your book!

That out of the way, I'm just about to move to our farm too, that means I'll have to drive the kids 2.5 hours each way to see their faaaaaather every fortnight. I'm not looking forward to that, but it has to be done. That's what drove me to discover LibriVox. I know it'll do the kids good though.

I can't wait till my son comes home from school and goes swimming in the lagoon instead of sitting in front of the DanG computer all evening. There's just NOTHING to do here other than TV or Computer. At the farm they're always doing something interesting, whether it's organising the wood for the next bonfire, to flying kites (when they're not swimming).

Give your kids the gift of a GREAT outdoor life, and also fresh air to breathe (also the food seems better at country stalls and stores).

One last thing, is there any opportunity in your employment to work remotely, or only go into the office some days a week, and work from home the others? (Not knowing what you do, it may well not be possible).

asy :D

[wesdor]

What kind of road will you drive?  That could make a difference.

My wife drives a lot for her work and has started listening to books on tape / cd.  If you decide to go for the long drive, I'd suggest you look into the books on tape as a way of using that time.

Good luck

Well, since I started typing this, ASY weighed in with the same idea.  I'm happy to be in the same company as an Aussie.  Thanks for the web site with free books.

[Tom]

I don't think the time on the road would be as much of a hindrence as the condition of the roads.  Living in that area of the country presents a lot of snow and ice to a 90 minute commute.

I've done the one hour commute and it would run over some days.  There are a lot of folks doing the 1 1/2 hour commute now, with the county filling up.  They are living in the Next State.

Country roads make for a fine ride when everybody else is fighting on the interstate.

You will have a better chance of your family following your ideals if they have some room to roam.  While that Urban living is convenient, there sure are a lot of intimidations and temptations that go with "the whole community" raising your kids.

[DanG]

I say go for it!  I went from a 10 minute trip to a 1 hour commute when we moved out here.  I found the time spent in the truck to be relaxing, in a way.  In town, I would hit the recliner for a while, just to wind down from the work day.  Out here, I had already had my little down time by the time I got home.  Also, commute time is good for cogitatin'. ;)  When you get home, you've already done all the thinking, so you're ready for action.  Same applies in the mornings.  You got plenty of time to plan your day, and think of some snappy comebacks for the boss. ;D

[Sprucegum]

I went from a 1/2 hour drive to a 10 minute walk but I can't find that 20 minutes I saved.

On the other side of the coin you must consider fuel costs and vehicle depreciation - it won't be cheap to drive that far. My 1/2 hour commute was costing $3-400.00 per month

[metalspinner]

Something else to consider is that you will not be in that job forever.  Better opportunities come along all the time.  We shift our careers and ideas all the time.  I would put the quality of life for the family over an extra few minutes in the car any day.
Besides, I think there will be a personal atomic transporter on the market any day now that will eliminate all of our commutes.  Beam me up Scotty.

[solodan]

And don't forget your time. Time is valuable. Are you being compensated for the 3 hrs a day in your commute? Maybe the bottom line would be the same if you moved to the country and took a lower paying job. Or if you are motivated, go into business for yourself. Or if you are in business for yourself already, move the operation closer. If you truly like being in your vehicle in a commute than, the answer is simple. If you are like myself, and you could not be a happy and productive person if you even have to look at traffic, :-\ :D then you need to consider other options. The funny thing is, as I sit here and type this, I realize that I like driving my truck. Sometimes I'll drive an hour or two just to cut some wood or go fishing or go find a new swimming hole, but I see no lines on the road, usually no pavement, no stop signs, rarely another vehicle, no buildings, no people, and I get no cell service. I love my truck. ;D  I think the  one thing that is hardest for so many transplants to learn when moving to the country, is the fact that they can make a good living working from where ever they want. It is hard for many to let go of certain aspects of city living. Sometimes you need to get creative when living and working in the country. I know plenty of folks that have a winter job and a summer job. They have done it this way for 30 years and live just fine. We saw a business sign somewhere in Wisconsin, near my wifes family, that read  "Taxidermy and Cheese"  Now that is a creative business plan :D

[pasbuild]

Your already driving one hr. one way another 1/2 isn't that much. Were I live your looking at a one hour drive just to get to the next town so it becomes a way of life and you really don't even think about it.  I used to live in that same CITY setting and would not do it again, I have found the quality of life to be more then worth the additional time.

[DanG]

He would have to ask himself if he is being compensated for that hour per day, now.  If not, then that hour has no monetary value to consider.  Changing jobs isn't always a viable option, either.  Say a person is 20+ years into a 30 year retirement plan.  He would find it hard to walk away from that.  Not everybody lives from day to day.  The benefits package of a long-term job is important to a family man, as well.

[DR Buck]

The wife and I drive 1hr 15 min each way 5 days a week to the same day job employer.  Mostly we ride together, but a lot of occassions we drive separate.   The commuting distance is not my favorite thing, but having 57 acres and the freedom and peace of living in the country is.  I wouldn't change it for anything other than more acerage and farther out (after retirement of course)

On days when I drive alone and the times the wife naps (I get to do all the driving) I pass the time talking on ham radio.   I get up to the minute traffic reports and the ability to discuss all the world problems with the other local hams that also have the common long distance Northern VA commutes.

So my suggestion is make the move and get your ham license.  Morse code is nolonger required effective 23 February.

[Burlkraft]

Build yer house.....

Quit yer job.....

Buy a sawmill and make yer livin' that way..... :   :   :

[fat olde elf]

Move to West Virginia..... Buy more land..........

[thecfarm]

I drive almost an hour,one way.I really don't like it,but I wouldn't trade it for anything.I drive to the city to work.Lots of city people thinks I'm nuts driving this far.I just tell them if you saw what I had,you would do it too.But for some all they want is a rented apartment or a small lot like yours.The price of gas has hit my wallet hard,but oh well.We just had a big snow storm.That's what they make vacation time for,I took off 2 days.I would move as soon as I could and never look back.I enjoy living where I am now.I have lived on a lot just like yours for 15 years.I did not enjoy it.I don't know about those audio books,I'm too busy planning what I will do on my days off.Or busy thinking about building something,making something better or eaiser.I've even drew a few pictures of some great idea I had so I would not forget it. I really use that hour drive.

[Tom]

I got one of those little dictation recorders to use on my commute.  You can do a lot of planning on the road.

[stonebroke]

It must take me at least two or three minutes to walk out to the barn. You make your choices as to whats important to you.

Stonebroke

[J_T]

 I'm to close to town now 4mile  : I would rather live in a tent on that farm than a house in the city and am sure my neighbors would feel the same way about it  :D :D

[exssnelt]

I really appreciate all the replies. This job is a retirement job (government). I work at a research facility (I work with Nobel Prize winners), and man do they make me feel dumb, but they are great people. The move would be more for the family. I work a rotating shift (ie 7 days of a day shift, then 7 days in the evening, then 7 days at night.) I will miss most of of rush hour except for 4 days a month. I actually like the drive, I can plan the the day to and from work. So I guess 3 hours a day in a car is not so bad when I look at my family wil have in return. Thanks everyone.

Jim

[DanG]

Sounds to me like you've made a wise decision! 8) 8)  Don't forget to change the address in yer profile. ;D