Wednesday, February 06, 2008

What is your time worth?



The average one-way commute in America is 24 minutes (21 minutes here in Minneapolis). I value my time highly; consequently I chose to live in a central location so that my commute remains low (12 minutes one way). I'm continually astounded by how much time my fellow Americans are willing to spend in their cars. Many of my coworkers have commutes in excess of 45 minutes one-way. When asked why they choose to locate so far from the metro center, I hear the same refrain again and again: you get more housing for your money. One guy justified the difference in housing cost this way: "The money I save on the house buys a lot of gas". In his mind, it's simply a question of dollars expended, not time wasted. How much time is reasonable to spend in a car in a given day? I find it difficult to fathom that this is such a high priority for people. Can anyone explain this to me?

2 Comments:

Blogger Erica M said...

My response to that is always, "Do you really actually need that much house?"

4:00 PM  
Blogger Generalissimo said...

A Viking Funeral - F150 Style

I should be able to do everything from my car! I want a drive-thru medical exams, work outs, financial services and even cremation! Sweet baby Jesus -- I just envisioned my last blaze of glory: Pedal to the metal... Driving the old F150 straight into an oven.

So I postulate: Like a viking burned with his ship; an American should be turned to ashes with his or her car. Who needs a headstone? Use my license plate.

5:45 PM  

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