How far are you willing to commute to work

[starbucksnurse]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I cannot find the thread. Anyhow, I have an opportunity to live just about Rent free. My sister moved into her moms house and her house is now vacant (3 bedrooms, 1 bath with finished basement, eik, fp, front porch and huge backyard). She keep tempting me to move into the empty house with my kids but I just got this new job and it would be one hell of a commute. (She lives down by the Jersey Shore). I'm wondering if it would be possible or even worth it just to commute back and forth to work. All I would have to pay is the utility bills (water, lights, gas, etc...) and maybe go half on the property taxes. What do y'all think?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i'm not in new york and have no idea how far that commute would be . . . but for free housing, i'd make a long commute!

[guiltysins]

I don't mind long commute if they are a straight ride also depending on the kind of shift you've got. If you're working the night shift I don't think a 1 or 2 hour straight commute would be bad but if you have to be there at about 7am then that may be an issue.

[caliotter3]

For free rent, I would consider the commute also. You might also consider getting a sleeping room near the job if your kids are of an age that they could be alone for some of the time. You could go home on some days and others spend the night (or day) at your sleeping room.

[theatredork]

It depends on where you'd be on the Jersey Shore. I found that when I did the same commute briefly it was much easier to drive instead of taking mass transit. As long as I got to a bridge or tunnel by 6:30am, I was fine. It's also an expensive commute with gas and tolls. If you're taking the parkway + turnpike + bridge/tunnel, it can cost you $18.70, not including any tolls exiting the parkway to your town.

Personally, I ended up spending $425 on gas and tolls each month. This didn't even include parking costs.