Comments on: Cost of commuting http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/ Simple Living = Frugality = Peace of Mind: Personal Finance and Stress Control Thu, 24 May 2012 21:02:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: dan http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26077 dan Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:01:12 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26077 Yep, we're doing rain catchment for garden water. So far all summer we've had maybe an inch of rain, so it's never enough. Alaska is quite large with boreal rain forest to arid sub-arctic desert. I happen to be in the dry part! The water truck won't go down the last 1.5 miles of my road - part of my plans include a 300-400 gallon tank for the truck (buying water at the local outlet fairly cheap, like a few bucks to fill a truck tank). Lots of people here have water tanks; water in Fairbanks is often so mineral-laden that well water is undrinkable. We have a lot of arsenic in wells too. One trick is to bury them below frost line (like the top of the tank being at least 4' down) and then insulate over them, or place them in a garage. For now though, I'll stick with my free water fillup at a state-tested, year-round spring on my way home. Yep, we’re doing rain catchment for garden water. So far all summer we’ve had maybe an inch of rain, so it’s never enough. Alaska is quite large with boreal rain forest to arid sub-arctic desert. I happen to be in the dry part! The water truck won’t go down the last 1.5 miles of my road – part of my plans include a 300-400 gallon tank for the truck (buying water at the local outlet fairly cheap, like a few bucks to fill a truck tank).
Lots of people here have water tanks; water in Fairbanks is often so mineral-laden that well water is undrinkable. We have a lot of arsenic in wells too. One trick is to bury them below frost line (like the top of the tank being at least 4′ down) and then insulate over them, or place them in a garage.
For now though, I’ll stick with my free water fillup at a state-tested, year-round spring on my way home.

]]> By: funny http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26076 funny Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:14:26 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26076 @ dan: Hereabouts, if you have a place out in the sticks that doesn't have a well, you can hire a truck to haul a tankful of water in for you. Then you just attach the plumbing to your water tank. I understand it'll last a month or so. Plus it rains in Alaska, no? Maybe you could get a collection barrel. You'd have to filter & sanitize it, or you could use it for laundry, flushing, and gardening. O'course, such a thing would presumably freeze solid in the winter there. Voila! Your private backyard skating rink! @ dan: Hereabouts, if you have a place out in the sticks that doesn’t have a well, you can hire a truck to haul a tankful of water in for you. Then you just attach the plumbing to your water tank. I understand it’ll last a month or so. Plus it rains in Alaska, no? Maybe you could get a collection barrel. You’d have to filter & sanitize it, or you could use it for laundry, flushing, and gardening.

O’course, such a thing would presumably freeze solid in the winter there. Voila! Your private backyard skating rink!

]]> By: dan http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26074 dan Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:08:38 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26074 It's defnitely a lifestyle choice, and fun for now. I don't know if I'll want to do it on into old age though. Hauling water 6 gallons at a time and cutting firewood isn't easy. Thinking about the non-commute choice, it's not easy to bike around Fairbanks in winter either. Temps sometimes get to -60F and are colder than -20F quite a lot. I tend to put my bike away at about +45F.! It’s defnitely a lifestyle choice, and fun for now. I don’t know if I’ll want to do it on into old age though. Hauling water 6 gallons at a time and cutting firewood isn’t easy.
Thinking about the non-commute choice, it’s not easy to bike around Fairbanks in winter either. Temps sometimes get to -60F and are colder than -20F quite a lot. I tend to put my bike away at about +45F.!

]]> By: funny http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26058 funny Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:10:26 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26058 @ dan: The 40 acres is big. It's worth quite a lot to have all that space. So is no house payment! @ dan: The 40 acres is big. It’s worth quite a lot to have all that space. So is no house payment!

]]> By: dan http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26051 dan Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:48:00 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26051 I hadn't really thought about it, but since I do have all the records it was easy to figure out. I bought a 3-year old vehicle in 2002, with 50k miles, for $20,500. Let's assume the residual value of my truck is now $0.00, nada, used-up. I paid, including all interest, principal, insurance, gasoline, repairs, maintenance, tires, and accessories (a few $100's) $69,105. In that time I put on 141,000 miles, equaling 49.0 cents per mile. Take out insurance and that drops to 42.6 c/mile. My commute alone is 12,500 miles/year. = $5881/year with insurance, and climbing as gas goes up. I would have a vehicle anyway, whether or not I commuted this far, so some of the costs are somewhat fixed. I could surely commute cheaper with something besides a full-size pickup, but 4x4 and fairly good ground clearance is a necessity on my current road, at the expense of only about 14mpg year-round average. It's all about choices. Even a loan on a different home, at $115,000 principal, 5%, 30 yrs, is about $620/mo. My commute costs are apparently $490/month plus my time, but I get to live on my own 40 acres. I hadn’t really thought about it, but since I do have all the records it was easy to figure out. I bought a 3-year old vehicle in 2002, with 50k miles, for $20,500.
Let’s assume the residual value of my truck is now $0.00, nada, used-up.
I paid, including all interest, principal, insurance, gasoline, repairs, maintenance, tires, and accessories (a few $100′s) $69,105. In that time I put on 141,000 miles, equaling 49.0 cents per mile. Take out insurance and that drops to 42.6 c/mile.
My commute alone is 12,500 miles/year. = $5881/year with insurance, and climbing as gas goes up.
I would have a vehicle anyway, whether or not I commuted this far, so some of the costs are somewhat fixed. I could surely commute cheaper with something besides a full-size pickup, but 4×4 and fairly good ground clearance is a necessity on my current road, at the expense of only about 14mpg year-round average.

It’s all about choices. Even a loan on a different home, at $115,000 principal, 5%, 30 yrs, is about $620/mo. My commute costs are apparently $490/month plus my time, but I get to live on my own 40 acres.

]]> By: funny http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26044 funny Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:52:46 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26044 That's a significant saving on the mortgage payments for a $115,000 loan (i.e., $175,000 - 60,000), which would be something over $500 a month. Have you figured in the cost of owning and maintaining the vehicle? That’s a significant saving on the mortgage payments for a $115,000 loan (i.e., $175,000 – 60,000), which would be something over $500 a month. Have you figured in the cost of owning and maintaining the vehicle?

]]> By: dan http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-26042 dan Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:59:02 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-26042 I live 25 miles from where I work in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have 40 acres and a dry (no running water) cabin, our own power system, and have invested around $60,000 in the land and cabin. I could live in town and bike to work, and own a 3 BR house for about $175,000. Instead I choose to drive the 50 miles round trip at an expense of about $300/month in gasoline costs. But, I have no house payment! I live 25 miles from where I work in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have 40 acres and a dry (no running water) cabin, our own power system, and have invested around $60,000 in the land and cabin.
I could live in town and bike to work, and own a 3 BR house for about $175,000. Instead I choose to drive the 50 miles round trip at an expense of about $300/month in gasoline costs. But, I have no house payment!

]]> By: bArlington http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-25564 bArlington Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:18:10 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-25564 Best decision I ever made - buying a small house inside the Beltway, Washington DC - in Arlington, VA --- as opposed to a large house in the burbs. Driving to work takes 15 min. I can bike to work - that takes 40 min. I can take public transportation - that takes, well, its available, let's put it that way. For most of our time in Arlington, we have been a one car family. We dont live in our cars commuting on the highways - and we dont have the transportation costs. And hey, Arlington is great! Best decision I ever made – buying a small house inside the Beltway, Washington DC – in Arlington, VA — as opposed to a large house in the burbs. Driving to work takes 15 min. I can bike to work – that takes 40 min. I can take public transportation – that takes, well, its available, let’s put it that way. For most of our time in Arlington, we have been a one car family. We dont live in our cars commuting on the highways – and we dont have the transportation costs. And hey, Arlington is great!

]]> By: funny http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-25541 funny Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:38:18 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-25541 @ Simple in France: So, that's $161,830 to $269,720 for an apartment, or $404,580 to $539,440 for a house. That's pretty stiff for a house, though the apartment prices are comparable to what you'd pay around here, at least when the economy's functioning. Cheap compared to New York; about average for other big U.S. cities with real public transit systems; high compared to most U.S. cities. Interesting. Could he get a job in one village and maybe live in a neighboring town? Then of course he'd have to drive to work, which he may not relish under the circumstances. @ Simple in France: So, that’s $161,830 to $269,720 for an apartment, or $404,580 to $539,440 for a house. That’s pretty stiff for a house, though the apartment prices are comparable to what you’d pay around here, at least when the economy’s functioning. Cheap compared to New York; about average for other big U.S. cities with real public transit systems; high compared to most U.S. cities. Interesting.

Could he get a job in one village and maybe live in a neighboring town? Then of course he’d have to drive to work, which he may not relish under the circumstances.

]]> By: Simple in France http://funny-about-money.com/2010/04/20/cost-of-commuting/comment-page-1/#comment-25535 Simple in France Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:21:42 +0000 http://funny-about-money.com/?p=12337#comment-25535 We live in a small city in France of about 50,000 people right now. I've been unable to drive since I moved here in July and still don't have my driver's license. It's never been a problem because we've lived in places where I can walk to all necessities: doctor, groceries, etc. It's also safe enough. If I need to get to a big city--usually for bureaucracy or some kind of technical medical stuff, I can take a bus. Some of the buses are kind of pricey and cumbersome, but I don't need them often. Prices in such a hooked up city: a 3 bedroom apartment will run you 140,000-210,000 euros. Houses are usually closer to the 300-400,000 range. We do have a car that my husband uses to get to work and for weekend trips. Now. . .DH could actually find a job in a small town where housing prices are low AND live in the same town. Why doesn't he do it? Because he doesn't want to live in a small town/village where he's also the school teacher. I think that's kind of a bummer because we could live car free, however, I do understand not wanting to see your students every time you leave the house. No privacy. We live in a small city in France of about 50,000 people right now. I’ve been unable to drive since I moved here in July and still don’t have my driver’s license. It’s never been a problem because we’ve lived in places where I can walk to all necessities: doctor, groceries, etc. It’s also safe enough. If I need to get to a big city–usually for bureaucracy or some kind of technical medical stuff, I can take a bus. Some of the buses are kind of pricey and cumbersome, but I don’t need them often. Prices in such a hooked up city: a 3 bedroom apartment will run you 140,000-210,000 euros. Houses are usually closer to the 300-400,000 range.

We do have a car that my husband uses to get to work and for weekend trips. Now. . .DH could actually find a job in a small town where housing prices are low AND live in the same town. Why doesn’t he do it? Because he doesn’t want to live in a small town/village where he’s also the school teacher. I think that’s kind of a bummer because we could live car free, however, I do understand not wanting to see your students every time you leave the house. No privacy.

]]>