Comments on: Commuting and Consuming http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/ The Sweet Release of Reason Tue, 22 May 2012 20:28:45 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jen http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7649 Jen Fri, 24 Feb 2006 19:42:33 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7649 Maybe they live in Gaithersburg and mom has a 10 minute commute. But it takes dad two hours during rush to get to Alexandria. Isn’t it just bizaree that people do this. Not so bizarre. Have you heard the saying, "if Momma ain't happy, then nobody's happy?" What is his wife's happiness worth to him? Is her shorter commute essential because it is necessary for her to get to daycare becore they close and put the kids out on the curb? There's many factors that come into play in these arrangements including interpersonal relationship factors and practical factors that come into play in cases like this. The partners in this scenario has to put these factors into play with other considerations such as how much he loves his particular job, if that job can move, the quality of the schools closer to work, etc. etc. etc. I work in downtown KC and there are neat lofts here and would live there in a heartbeat without kids and have no commute, but since I do have kids and couldn't afford the loft and private school, I can't do it because the public schools in that area are unacceptable to me. So, if my trade off is happy commute, unhappy/horribly educated kids, then I drive for awhile. You can never generalize these decisions as smart or not smart because the factors that come into play are so different for each individual. Maybe they live in Gaithersburg and mom has a 10 minute commute. But it takes dad two hours during rush to get to Alexandria. Isn’t it just bizaree that people do this.

Not so bizarre. Have you heard the saying, “if Momma ain’t happy, then nobody’s happy?” What is his wife’s happiness worth to him? Is her shorter commute essential because it is necessary for her to get to daycare becore they close and put the kids out on the curb? There’s many factors that come into play in these arrangements including interpersonal relationship factors and practical factors that come into play in cases like this. The partners in this scenario has to put these factors into play with other considerations such as how much he loves his particular job, if that job can move, the quality of the schools closer to work, etc. etc. etc. I work in downtown KC and there are neat lofts here and would live there in a heartbeat without kids and have no commute, but since I do have kids and couldn’t afford the loft and private school, I can’t do it because the public schools in that area are unacceptable to me. So, if my trade off is happy commute, unhappy/horribly educated kids, then I drive for awhile. You can never generalize these decisions as smart or not smart because the factors that come into play are so different for each individual.

]]> By: Jen http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7661 Jen Fri, 24 Feb 2006 19:42:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7661 Maybe they live in Gaithersburg and mom has a 10 minute commute. But it takes dad two hours during rush to get to Alexandria. Isn’t it just bizaree that people do this. Not so bizarre. Have you heard the saying, "if Momma ain't happy, then nobody's happy?" What is his wife's happiness worth to him? Is her shorter commute essential because it is necessary for her to get to daycare becore they close and put the kids out on the curb? There's many factors that come into play in these arrangements including interpersonal relationship factors and practical factors that come into play in cases like this. The partners in this scenario has to put these factors into play with other considerations such as how much he loves his particular job, if that job can move, the quality of the schools closer to work, etc. etc. etc. I work in downtown KC and there are neat lofts here and would live there in a heartbeat without kids and have no commute, but since I do have kids and couldn't afford the loft and private school, I can't do it because the public schools in that area are unacceptable to me. So, if my trade off is happy commute, unhappy/horribly educated kids, then I drive for awhile. You can never generalize these decisions as smart or not smart because the factors that come into play are so different for each individual. Maybe they live in Gaithersburg and mom has a 10 minute commute. But it takes dad two hours during rush to get to Alexandria. Isn’t it just bizaree that people do this.

Not so bizarre. Have you heard the saying, “if Momma ain’t happy, then nobody’s happy?” What is his wife’s happiness worth to him? Is her shorter commute essential because it is necessary for her to get to daycare becore they close and put the kids out on the curb? There’s many factors that come into play in these arrangements including interpersonal relationship factors and practical factors that come into play in cases like this. The partners in this scenario has to put these factors into play with other considerations such as how much he loves his particular job, if that job can move, the quality of the schools closer to work, etc. etc. etc. I work in downtown KC and there are neat lofts here and would live there in a heartbeat without kids and have no commute, but since I do have kids and couldn’t afford the loft and private school, I can’t do it because the public schools in that area are unacceptable to me. So, if my trade off is happy commute, unhappy/horribly educated kids, then I drive for awhile. You can never generalize these decisions as smart or not smart because the factors that come into play are so different for each individual.

]]> By: smg http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7648 smg Fri, 24 Feb 2006 06:20:33 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7648 Another Bay Area commuter, I go the opposite direction: I live on the "sprawling" peninsula and work in San Francisco, with a 45-80 minute commute each way, length dependent on time of day. My partner has a job on the peninsula that requires living close by. The commute is grating and expensive. I am moving up to San Francisco alone soon, and the increased rent I will pay living alone will not hurt my lifestyle, as I will no longer have commuting expenses. The trade-off, of course, is that I will no longer regularly see my partner, which is hardly an optimal lifestyle. Perhaps if I had the money to hire a personal limo driver... Another Bay Area commuter, I go the opposite direction: I live on the “sprawling” peninsula and work in San Francisco, with a 45-80 minute commute each way, length dependent on time of day. My partner has a job on the peninsula that requires living close by. The commute is grating and expensive. I am moving up to San Francisco alone soon, and the increased rent I will pay living alone will not hurt my lifestyle, as I will no longer have commuting expenses. The trade-off, of course, is that I will no longer regularly see my partner, which is hardly an optimal lifestyle. Perhaps if I had the money to hire a personal limo driver…

]]> By: smg http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7660 smg Fri, 24 Feb 2006 06:20:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7660 Another Bay Area commuter, I go the opposite direction: I live on the "sprawling" peninsula and work in San Francisco, with a 45-80 minute commute each way, length dependent on time of day. My partner has a job on the peninsula that requires living close by. The commute is grating and expensive. I am moving up to San Francisco alone soon, and the increased rent I will pay living alone will not hurt my lifestyle, as I will no longer have commuting expenses. The trade-off, of course, is that I will no longer regularly see my partner, which is hardly an optimal lifestyle. Perhaps if I had the money to hire a personal limo driver... Another Bay Area commuter, I go the opposite direction: I live on the “sprawling” peninsula and work in San Francisco, with a 45-80 minute commute each way, length dependent on time of day. My partner has a job on the peninsula that requires living close by. The commute is grating and expensive. I am moving up to San Francisco alone soon, and the increased rent I will pay living alone will not hurt my lifestyle, as I will no longer have commuting expenses. The trade-off, of course, is that I will no longer regularly see my partner, which is hardly an optimal lifestyle. Perhaps if I had the money to hire a personal limo driver…

]]> By: Tim http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7647 Tim Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:32:36 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7647 Back in 2003, I had a commute on precisely the stretch of 395 that article discusses. After 6 months, I hated it so much that I broke my lease and moved into the city. It wasn't significantly more expensive, but that's only because I went from 0 roommates to 2. My happiness level went up a <i>lot</i> after the move. Now I live 7 minutes from work just outside St. Louis. At its worst, traffic might add 5 minutes to my commute. My girlfriend is 10 minutes away, a major college campus is 5 minutes away, and virtually any type of store you can think of is less than 5 minutes as well. The only real downside to my current situation is that most of the interesting people I know are hundreds of miles away. If I had the income and leisure time to visit New York and DC several times per year, it might be an optimal lifestyle. Back in 2003, I had a commute on precisely the stretch of 395 that article discusses. After 6 months, I hated it so much that I broke my lease and moved into the city. It wasn’t significantly more expensive, but that’s only because I went from 0 roommates to 2. My happiness level went up a lot after the move.

Now I live 7 minutes from work just outside St. Louis. At its worst, traffic might add 5 minutes to my commute. My girlfriend is 10 minutes away, a major college campus is 5 minutes away, and virtually any type of store you can think of is less than 5 minutes as well.

The only real downside to my current situation is that most of the interesting people I know are hundreds of miles away. If I had the income and leisure time to visit New York and DC several times per year, it might be an optimal lifestyle.

]]> By: Tim http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7659 Tim Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:32:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7659 Back in 2003, I had a commute on precisely the stretch of 395 that article discusses. After 6 months, I hated it so much that I broke my lease and moved into the city. It wasn't significantly more expensive, but that's only because I went from 0 roommates to 2. My happiness level went up a <i>lot</i> after the move. Now I live 7 minutes from work just outside St. Louis. At its worst, traffic might add 5 minutes to my commute. My girlfriend is 10 minutes away, a major college campus is 5 minutes away, and virtually any type of store you can think of is less than 5 minutes as well. The only real downside to my current situation is that most of the interesting people I know are hundreds of miles away. If I had the income and leisure time to visit New York and DC several times per year, it might be an optimal lifestyle. Back in 2003, I had a commute on precisely the stretch of 395 that article discusses. After 6 months, I hated it so much that I broke my lease and moved into the city. It wasn’t significantly more expensive, but that’s only because I went from 0 roommates to 2. My happiness level went up a lot after the move.

Now I live 7 minutes from work just outside St. Louis. At its worst, traffic might add 5 minutes to my commute. My girlfriend is 10 minutes away, a major college campus is 5 minutes away, and virtually any type of store you can think of is less than 5 minutes as well.

The only real downside to my current situation is that most of the interesting people I know are hundreds of miles away. If I had the income and leisure time to visit New York and DC several times per year, it might be an optimal lifestyle.

]]> By: ptm http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7646 ptm Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:52:14 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7646 My hedonically optimal consumption is available on my income, and is close to the life I live. I live and work in Salt Lake City. It's a midsize city whose work- and housing- sectors are pretty evenly distributed, so it's easy for me to choose to have a short commute (others choose to live in urban neighborhoods, or religious ones, or nearby small rural towns, etc). Most significantly, I'm really into outdoorsy stuff, and it's easy to do that here. My hedonically optimal consumption is available on my income, and is close to the life I live.
I live and work in Salt Lake City. It’s a midsize city whose work- and housing- sectors are pretty evenly distributed, so it’s easy for me to choose to have a short commute (others choose to live in urban neighborhoods, or religious ones, or nearby small rural towns, etc). Most significantly, I’m really into outdoorsy stuff, and it’s easy to do that here.

]]> By: ptm http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7658 ptm Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:52:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7658 My hedonically optimal consumption is available on my income, and is close to the life I live. I live and work in Salt Lake City. It's a midsize city whose work- and housing- sectors are pretty evenly distributed, so it's easy for me to choose to have a short commute (others choose to live in urban neighborhoods, or religious ones, or nearby small rural towns, etc). Most significantly, I'm really into outdoorsy stuff, and it's easy to do that here. My hedonically optimal consumption is available on my income, and is close to the life I live.
I live and work in Salt Lake City. It’s a midsize city whose work- and housing- sectors are pretty evenly distributed, so it’s easy for me to choose to have a short commute (others choose to live in urban neighborhoods, or religious ones, or nearby small rural towns, etc). Most significantly, I’m really into outdoorsy stuff, and it’s easy to do that here.

]]> By: Han Meng http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7645 Han Meng Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:14:45 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7645 I live in a small midwest university town, where I ended up because that's where I found a job teaching. I like to walk and walk a half hour to school five days a week. I would prefer being able to enjoy what a big city offers, but didn't find a job in one. Even if I did, at my current salary I couldn't afford to live in my own house in a decent neigborhood. My consumption is just about optimal. (I can afford to visit big cities on those long academic vacations.) I'll accept a raise, though! PhD's in my field (one of worst paid in the Liberal Arts) make far less than in most others; in fact, the average local high school teacher's pay is the same as mine, and I've been working here almost 20 years. I live in a small midwest university town, where I ended up because that’s where I found a job teaching. I like to walk and walk a half hour to school five days a week. I would prefer being able to enjoy what a big city offers, but didn’t find a job in one. Even if I did, at my current salary I couldn’t afford to live in my own house in a decent neigborhood.

My consumption is just about optimal. (I can afford to visit big cities on those long academic vacations.) I’ll accept a raise, though! PhD’s in my field (one of worst paid in the Liberal Arts) make far less than in most others; in fact, the average local high school teacher’s pay is the same as mine, and I’ve been working here almost 20 years.

]]> By: Han Meng http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7657 Han Meng Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:14:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7657 I live in a small midwest university town, where I ended up because that's where I found a job teaching. I like to walk and walk a half hour to school five days a week. I would prefer being able to enjoy what a big city offers, but didn't find a job in one. Even if I did, at my current salary I couldn't afford to live in my own house in a decent neigborhood. My consumption is just about optimal. (I can afford to visit big cities on those long academic vacations.) I'll accept a raise, though! PhD's in my field (one of worst paid in the Liberal Arts) make far less than in most others; in fact, the average local high school teacher's pay is the same as mine, and I've been working here almost 20 years. I live in a small midwest university town, where I ended up because that’s where I found a job teaching. I like to walk and walk a half hour to school five days a week. I would prefer being able to enjoy what a big city offers, but didn’t find a job in one. Even if I did, at my current salary I couldn’t afford to live in my own house in a decent neigborhood.

My consumption is just about optimal. (I can afford to visit big cities on those long academic vacations.) I’ll accept a raise, though! PhD’s in my field (one of worst paid in the Liberal Arts) make far less than in most others; in fact, the average local high school teacher’s pay is the same as mine, and I’ve been working here almost 20 years.

]]> By: John Thompson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7644 John Thompson Mon, 20 Feb 2006 15:42:09 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7644 "'He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.' Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in." Nope. Read it again Robert. “‘He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.’

Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in.”

Nope. Read it again Robert.

]]> By: John Thompson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7656 John Thompson Mon, 20 Feb 2006 15:42:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7656 "'He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.' Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in." Nope. Read it again Robert. “‘He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.’

Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in.”

Nope. Read it again Robert.

]]> By: Robert Schwartz http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7643 Robert Schwartz Fri, 17 Feb 2006 14:38:54 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7643 "He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic." Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in. “He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.”

Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in.

]]> By: Robert Schwartz http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7655 Robert Schwartz Fri, 17 Feb 2006 14:38:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7655 "He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic." Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in. “He awakes at 4 a.m. to come to work and often waits until after 7 p.m. to leave so he can miss the heaviest traffic.”

Did they mean 7 a.m.? maybe he should sleep-in.

]]> By: Will Wilkinson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7642 Will Wilkinson Fri, 17 Feb 2006 03:39:33 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2006/02/16/commuting-and-consuming/#comment-7642 Nicholas, That's definitely an understandable tradeoff. More stories! Nicholas, That’s definitely an understandable tradeoff.

More stories!

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