by Ashley
Happy Monday! I hope you’re all starting out your week on a high note. It’s still hot as blazes in Arizona, but I can just sense that Fall is coming and I, for one, can NOT wait!!!
Anyway, you may recall that my kiddos recently started a new preschool (they go to the JCC). This was a tough decision for us as a family, as the cost is substantial and the facility is not near our home (it’s about a 30-40 minute drive each way, depending on traffic).
For the first few weeks they were attending preschool I would simply drop them off and then return back to the other side of town where we live, due to a myriad of reasons (once was because I had a dental appointment, once was for a vision appointment, once was to conduct a work-related Skype call, etc.). But within the past couple of weeks things have settled down a bit and I’ve settled into a new routine of sorts.
The girls go to preschool from 9am-4pm on MWF, so on those days I will dress in work out clothes, drop them at their classroom, and go immediately to the locker room to lock up my stuff (I bring a change of clothes, my purse, and a laptop bag to carry my laptop and work stuff). Sometimes I work out at the JCC gym on facility and sometimes I go right across the street to a beautiful “river path” (said in quotations because it’s a dry bed for 99% of the year…no real “river” to speak of), where I love to run. I’ll get a good workout in, then go clean myself up and change in the JCC locker room (which is somewhat awkward if I had run on the river path….walking into the JCC all gross and sweaty just to use their facility to shower/change. Kind of weird). At that point, I get to work!
I’ve been mixing up my work location. Most of the time I’ll start at the JCC (they have a library and lots of different seating areas with wifi access). Around lunch time I’ve been leaving. I’ll eat my lunch in the car, generally a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, and some pretzels or carrot sticks, or something similar. I’ll drive over to the local library and continue working there. Their wifi is spotty, but a lot of the work I do doesn’t actually require wifi as long as I’ve downloaded the things I need in advance (my projects eventually have to be transmitted through email, but they can be completed on my computer in the absence of internet connection and then emailed at a later time). A couple of times I have gone to a coffee shop, but then I have to buy a drink (generally in the $3-$4 range for coffee-shop prices), and although it’s a more comfortable work environment than the library (the library closest to the JCC is tiny and only has 1 table to work at), I hate to spend that money, which I feel like completely off-sets any gasoline savings I’ve earned by staying in the area all day rather than going home to work.
So that’s basically where we’re at. Of the 3 days the girls are in preschool, my goal is to stay in the area at least once or twice a week. There’s always one day when I need/want to come back home so I can tend to things around the house (like doing laundry or housework in-between work), but I think this is a comfortable arrangement for me.
Savings from Staying at the JCC
I found this fun website that calculates gas costs.
I put in our address, the JCC address, our vehicle information, etc. and was told that a round-trip cost comes to $5.58 in gasoline.
Then there’s also the time costs involved. If I were to make the full round trip in an hour (30 minutes each way), but I have to make it twice (drop off and pick up), we’re talking about 2 hours of the day being eaten up. However, I’d be committed to one drop-off and one pick-up regardless, so we’re really only talking about a 1-hour savings of time. But 1 hour is still substantial.
So the real savings comes to: $5.58 + 1 hour of time (valued at my hourly rate, which has never been disclosed).
Of course any of these savings are immediately discounted if I buy coffee-shop drinks, or if I were to eat out for lunch (so far I’ve always brought my lunch from home). It’s a tricky balance, but I think the decision to stay at the JCC 1-2 days per week and come home 1-2 days per week is a good balance of my needs.
How long is your commute to work? What’s the norm in your area?
It’s all relative, right? When we lived in Florida a 30 minute commute each way was standard. In L.A. 30 minutes is probably below-average. And here in Tucson 30 minutes is above-average.
What other public places could I work from?
Like I said, the public library really isn’t the most comfortable work environment – 1 table and no nearby outlets for my computer. Maybe I could/should just stay at the JCC all day, but it feels a little strange to just post up for the entire day (eating lunch and all). Of course, I could move around – maybe start in the library and then move to the art gallery. Or sit outside in the sculpture garden for a bit and then inside to the common area. The point is that there are options at the JCC. Any other (FREE) places to work that you would suggest?
Hi, I’m Ashley! Arizonan on paper, Texan at heart. Lover of running, blogging, and all things cheeeeese. Early 40s, married mother of two, working in academia. Trying to finally (finally!) pay off that ridiculous 6-digit student loan debt!
My commute to work is about 25 minutes. I live in a super small town. I’m a high school counselor, our town doesn’t it’s own high school and there are only 30 kids in the elementary school. My commute is average to short for our area.
I myself have worked in the train, on the plane, in the hallway of university, at the doctor’s office, by the pool, in the hotel room, in the hotel lobby…
If the library at JCC isn’t super busy, I would just stay there and work from there. Seems like the most logical & most convenient – at least from the outside… Depending on the size of the JCC librabry, I would just look for a spot you like & just make use of that. (e.g. i have a favorite spot in my library, that’s close to a window -> so natural light; but also somewhat hidden behind shelves -> not that much distraction and has a plug -> yay no need to depend on the laptop battery.
And it’s not like you’re “stealing” from them… you’re paying quite a large ammount of money, so might as well use what’s included in the price…
I’d assume with whatever other option you come up with, there will be additional costs included… if you rent an office room = additional costs, if you go to the café = additional costs,
I agree with staying at the JCC if you can find a spot to settle in and be productive. I sometimes have a hard time finding a place where I can get in the groove and it seems like that place changes every few months on me.
The library is my secret that people don’t seem to make enough use of. Just a pointer that you may be able to do some things to make your work spaces more comfortable – bring a pillow for your seat, or pack a thermos of coffee, or invest in whatever plugs, connectors, chargers, data plans, headset, or productivity services that would make it easier to work like this. It can be a few extra dollars up front for the investment but may pay off in the long run.
I like the new routine! If you are able to get settled in by about 10 am and work until 3 pm or so without getting too distracted, I’m impressed. My biggest challenge to doing this would be the lack of an external monitor.
I LOVE the library by our house – it even has little private work rooms! But the library by the JCC leaves a lot to be desired. But, in general, I totally agree! I started working from libraries a lot when I first started graduate school and I love it! Totally free and I always find myself to be super productive there!
My commute is anywhere from 15 minutes in the summer when this place clears out to up to 60 min if you add in the school run and additional traffic. It can be brutal and unpredictable. 30 minutes isn’t so bad!
You must live in a college town if it clears out for summer and gets busy when school is in session. When I lived in Florida we had crazy amounts of “snow birds” that would flock in when the weather turned cold (people from the Northern states that come south for the winter). You would literally have to plan extra time for everything – not just drive-time, but wait time for dinner, time to grocery shop (oh, how older folks LOVE to take their time grocery shopping!), etc etc etc. So funny!
seems like you could schedule some of your posts to be on other days of the week since Jim and Stephannie are both gone now..
Ugh. I need to email Jeffrey. I guess I’ve kind of taken over Tuesday without ever really asking about it, but I’m really hesitant to touch Thursday. I don’t know what the status is right now with Steph, but with everything they’ve been dealing with I’d hate to offend and/or step on her toes.
Good idea!
Commutes in Maine are generally 30-45 minutes. Lots of country here lol. Of course the people who live in the few cities we have obviously don’t have far to commute.
I’d start to ask around and see if there is another family who you can carpool with to preschool. Even if it gets you out of driving one day a week. We carpool and I get so much more done on those days, it easily frees up over an hour for me, and our preschool is only 10 minutes away. But, I gain back the time getting there, getting signed in, putting stuff away, and returning home. Then, running back for pickup, loading the kids, etc. I miss having the time to visit with the other parents on those days, but it is so helpful overall.
I love how u broke it down with gas cost and time and sometimes its not worth the gas money. Sometimes i forget to return a redbox dvd and i realize ill spend more in gas to go return it then the $1.20/day rental. Thanks and I love reading your posts! 🙂