The Cost of Working

So.....I made a major mistake today by calculating the cost of my commute from Anne Arundel County to Washington, D.C. Each month, between gas, parking and car payment, I shell out $840 JUST TO GO TO WORK. I feel ill.

Granted, the decision to drive to work rather than take public transportation is one I made conciously. I absolutely despise the two modes of transportation I would have to take into the city - the MARC train and the Metro. Both are depressing, unreliable and sweltering in the summer and damp and stinky the rest of the time. And undoubtedly crowded now that gas prices are so high. So yes - I would rather be in my own car, with the temperature at a comfortable level and the ambient noise selected by me, than jammed into a tin can during what ultimately is the same travel time.

But $840?!? That's almost $900! And THAT'S almost a grand! And that doesn't even take into account the cost of dressing for a professional work environment. Everyone laughs at me for shopping at Marshall's and Ann Taylor (sales only!) but is there an alternative?

I don't go out to eat as much, don't collect wine like I used to, and have cut back on traveling for pleasure. Sure, these are minimal sacrifices when you consider some people have to choose between filling up their gas tanks or putting food on the table. But they're my sacrifices and I am still allowed to bitch about them.

Back to the transportation -- the logical alternative would be to move closer to work. Right? The problem there is that I own a home, and now isn't exactly the best time to sell, especially if you've owned your home for less than 5 years, which I have. And anything worth considering in D.C. is upwards of $500,000. So....looks like I'm going to stick with the commute. But I am still going to bitch about it!