The Commute

desertcircus wrote: »

Bicycle?

I used to do that, but the sheer amount of clowns that drive on the roads is unreal added to me being tired in the morning and I felt that it just wasn't worth the risk. I would regularly have close calls on the bike.

Its one hour to college in the morning, which is when Im basically asleep so it usually works out that i wake up just when i get in which is good.

On the hour home it isn't too bad as i go over all the lectures in my head and think about what i need to do/work on when i get home.

Abi wrote: »

This may be so, but there's no crystal ball that will tell you the arse is going to fall out of the bucket.

It is so. Many people have bought houses knowing full well they will have to commute 4 hours a day. Many probably bought them for those same old frenzied buzz words of 'getting on the ladder' and 'renting is dead money'.

Quote me where I said they aren't worthy examples please, with that exact wording.

Why with that exact wording? People are allowed use a word that represents anothers view from their perspective, without requiring that word to be used by the other person in the first place. I gave my examples of city based activities for kids that people often don't consider, when valuing a front/back garden so highly. Your response was to point out the holes in them as examples of things kids and families can do. You don't have to use the same words for the meaning to be clear.

Taken out of context so you can continue to brand me as a snob. I've told you I almost bought one of these houses. And the only reason why that didn't go through was because I was unsure whether I wanted to get financially tied to someone I've split up with since. Again, point rendered invalid.

After you were branding me as a snob, I saw an opportunity to show you how people can (mis)interpret and be (mis)interpreted as snobs.

The fact that you don't like me arguing my view and calling me a troll speaks volumes.

Argue your view all you want, I have no problem whatsoever with that. But when I repeat several times that I'm talking about one thing (people who had a choice) and you eventually state you're actually talking about another (people who don't have a choice), you're just wasting my time.

I think we both accept that there are some in this situation because they've been forced to commute because they've lost work. but your determination to point out that wannabe snobs force this on themselves so they can have a garden is the bit about the debate that irks me. I really don't personally believe anyone would do that. I think if there was a way of relocating, most probably would.

Yes I totally agree that there are some in the situation because of unforeseen circumstances.

There are also many out there who rushed to get a house and chose their location knowing full well it meant a terribly long commute. The motivation behind their choice more than likely being the want for what Irish people view as a 'normal' house, and refusing to consider a place closer to work that didn't match that conservative view of what a family dwelling should be, such as having its own bit of land and a garden. And now they're living through that choice and missing out on a lot of their kid's lives. It's not about snobbery, it's about conservative thinking and rushing in to buying. I don't think society views people who live hours away from their place of work as privileged.

I Germany, you are supposed to travel 90 minutes to work each way, when the Employment Agency offers a job to you...just to mention it

Simtech wrote: »

As far as I know the GAA paid his fares.

And not just that the school he teaches him isn't too far from London city airport.

That over night sail and rail is rough though, met a guy on it once pisshed off his hole saying how he has to do this every week.

Someone above was saying why wouldnt he fly, my only guess is that with the expenses he probably doesn't have a lot left over so if the flight is 100 and the sail is 45.. he's going to do it for sure.

You know its not That bad, its the two or three hour wait in the cold after you get off the train.

cournioni wrote: »

Why live there when you can have a better quality of life else where? My missus commutes daily from Dundalk, comes back to a lovely place in the centre of town for half the rent that she would have to pay in Dublin for a shoebox in a crap area.

Quality of life includes time spent relaxing, not time spent on a train or driving. The longer you commute, the lower your quality of life (coming from someone who used to commute 3 hours a day). The more dependency you have on long distance commuting, the more susceptible you are to problems like road closures, floods, traffic, etc. I gave up my commute and now live a 30 minute walk, 15 minute cycle or 10 minutes on the Luas to work. I leaves me with 3+ hours a day more to spend with my family.

A monthly ticket from Dundalk to Dublin is €267.00 assuming you're not travelling any futher by train or on any other form of transport. Parking is another €30 per month so that's almost €300 a month just to get to the city centre. Houses in Dundalk are between 500-700 a month so there's not much difference between Dundalk plus travelling costs and renting in Dublin.

Of course, if you dislike Dublin (having actually lived in it) and want to live in Dundalk, that's fair enough.

Storminateacup wrote: »

Well I apologise for wanting to own my own home instead of paying someone elses morgages for them.

You can want your own home, but a lot of people feel (rightly in my opinion) that saying things like 'rent is dead money' is what encouraged people into the housing bubble.

Rent clearly isn't dead money. You're not paying someone elses mortgage, you're paying for somewhere for you to live, and the flexibility to move somewhere else if circumstances or your quality of accommodation change. You might not feel like that's value for money (and it might not be for you), but it's certainly not dead.

Storminateacup wrote: »

Tremelo wrote: »

That's part of the big con that so many gullible people just accept. When you hear something often enough, why question it, eh?

Renting is not dead money. You're paying for a service. You're paying for excellent flexibility. You're paying for freedom from maintenance and repair costs. Renting is a *good* thing, if you rent sensibly.

But hey, why not rent your house from the bank for a few decades instead, pay them a nice cut of interest too, and pump thousands into lawns, appliances, furnishings, services, and general upkeep while you're at it.

Dead money :rolleyes:

Well I apologise for wanting to own my own home instead of paying someone elses morgages for them.

Even if it costs you an extra fifty thousand quid over the life of the mortgage?

Houses in this country are losing value faster than they're collecting rent; in that circumstance it makes absolutely no financial sense to buy. In some cases you'd be better off renting a place and physically burning fifty quid a month than buying. "Rent is dead money" is a terrible approach. If you want to own a place, fine, just don't try to fool yourself it's financially sensible.

southsiderosie wrote: »

TBH, this just sounds immature - life as a grown-up is about making compromises and choices. Again, unless you have a professional job where you can telecommute, this is a completely unrealistic way of thinking about work-life balance. To me, this is like saying "I want to be a high powered attorney and make lots of money! But I want to be home every day at 5pm to see my kids!". You can't have it both ways.

HAS ALLIE MCBEAL TAUGHT US NOTHING?!

I did "The Commute" a few year ago, well in 1997/1998 to be exact (SHAME!)

On the train to the BIG Schmoke at 6.20am, into Heuston, hit the ground running to get the first bus (no luas then) up the quays and run over to College Green, phew...

home again at 8 that evening.....

I didn't have kids at the time, couldn't have done it if I had, but I didn't consider moving to Dublin because I knew absolutely nobody there (still don't). There was the same 6 people on the platform every morning and everybody thought we were mad, we were the only cars in the car park back then - but now there isn't enough room in the car park every day it's over flowing. Luckily enough I only had to do it for a couple of years, for me it was worth it, the extra time travelling was better than sitting in a bed sit on my own. I'm guessing I'm probably older than a lot of posters here (I'm mid-30's) and I was lucky enough to be earning enough in Dublin to be pumping the money into building a house down in the sticks before the boom hit.

I don't know what's the right decision, or even if there is a right decision as everyone's circumstances are different. I do know a couple who decided to move nearer Dublin rather that commute, they moved to Portarlington and commuted to Dublin everyday. But they knew nobody in Portarlington and ended up driving to Tipperary every evening from Portarlington anyway.

I was lucky enough to be able to hand in my notice the year I got married and get a job down here, but for the people who are stuck commuting indefinately it must be a nightmare. Plain and simple fact is that there isn't enough jobs outside Dublin, but surely everyone can't move to Dublin?

If I were the girl living in the middle of Donegal however I'd prefer to lick the floor of Tesco's in Letterkenny clean on a daily basis than what she puts herself through. Just my opinion though