Do you take milage into account with job offers?

[farley2k]

Right now I commute 70-80 miles a day for work. I have a job offer which is 1 mile or so from home, but is $5000 a year less. I am trying to figure up how much saving that mileage is worth.

Any ideas?

[amyschiff]

Congrats on the job offer!

I definitely consider mileage with job offers (I almost took one 1.25 hours away from my boyfriend's hometown which would have meant A LOT of weekend travel).

At 70 miles per day you are set to drive at least 17,500 miles a year (I based it on a 50-week year to allow for 2 weeks vacation). Divide that by how many mpg your car gets to figure out how many gallons you will use in a year. Then multiply the result by the price of gas per gallon. A 20mpg car would cost about $3500 in gas at 4.10/gallon.

However, the money saved on gas isn't necessarily all you should consider. For instance, 17,500 miles is a lot more wear and tear on your vehicle than the ~250 the new job would have, which means less in repairs down the road.

Secondly, gas will likely continue to increase in price, so the amount spent on gas for a year is a VERY rough estimate (i.e. it will likely be more than what you can estimate now).

A final, non-tangible benefit is the time you will save with such a short commute.

My gut would say that the new job is a very comparable alternative.

[Gootsy]

A final, non-tangible benefit is the time you will save with such a short commute.

Which, IMMHO, is the most important benefit hehe.

Also 1 mile depending on conditions (sidewalks/weather/you), could be walked/cycled without too much difficulty. Which would be healthier, and you'd save a little extra on gas.

The less time could also mean you could use that to prepare meals for work and save money that way as well (assuming you don't already do that).

There's no guarantee that gas will continue to increase, but even if it dropped considerably, I think the quality of life benefits of working close to home far outway the $5000 paycut.

[jdp]

Absolutely. Why I am where I am. Gave up an hour commute, moved to a cheaper town 8 miles from work instead of 48. Tried to find a job 'back there' but it wasn't happening. Now you have a job closer to home (did you factor in your time/wage for driving into your wage calculations?) w/o being THAT much less. Unless you absolutely need the additional $2,500 or so balance after factoring in gas, time, wear and tear (can you get an insurance discount for driving less?) then go with whichever job would make you happier.

[lucille]

I used to make it a major factor due to the time used. It just didn't make sense to be spending 45 minutes in traffic twice a day. Now it is the financial factor of gas prices.

[Cindysu]

I think it depends on the other benefits (health insurance, dental, vacation, overtime, 401k matching, etc) With a new job, you may have a waiting period for those items that you already receive now. Is it possible for you to get a laptop and work from home one day a week, or work longer days and you get one day off every week or every other week?

On the other hand, do you have children in daycare where you'll be saving money by picking them up earlier and spending more time with them with a shorter commute?

And of course, which job do you like better? To me, $5000 (which is only what, $3600 after taxes) isn't a factor if I really like one job better than the other. Of course the hard part is you don't know the new job, or the co-workers until you work there and then it's too late to ask for your old job back.

[Megan]

I think it's a factor that has to be considered along with everything else, both in terms of time and in terms of cost of gas.

[farley2k]

They actually came up a bit in salary so now it is about even when you consider gas.

Thanks for all the advice. Now I just hope I like the people which is the one thing you really can't judge until you start at a work place.

[purplefdu]

I always take into account mileage, but mostly because I don't like a long commute. 30mins is my max in any direction. If its further and I really want the job or its a really great job I'd be more likely to try and move than drive so far. High gas prices just make it more sensible than ever.

[Philip Brewer]

Remember to figure the difference after taxes. You have to earn a lot more than $2,500 to buy $2,500 worth of gas--depending on your tax bracket, taxes could come very close to making things come out even.

Personally, I'd give up a lot of cash to avoid a long commute, but that's just me.