Money makes the world go round. Show me the money. For love or money. Money talks. Yes, there’s a long list of famous quotes and phrases about money. That’s because, despite all those who say “money doesn’t buy happiness” or “you can’t take it with you”, money really is a major factor in most of our lives and affects our general quality of life.

What does this have to do with telecommuting you ask? Everything! 

Let’s be honest… while it’s nice to claim that you’re telecommuting to help save the environment, really it’s all that savings in time, and money that keeps you working at home! Even a modest 1/2 hour commute each way (and I don’t know that many people who have a much shorter drive than that during rush hour) still means you’re saving 1 hour per day. That’s 5 hours per week if you’re telecommuting exclusively - who couldn’t use time like that? And if you have an hour commute each way, we’re looking at reclaiming some serious time. What’s your equivalent hourly rate - times 5 or 10? What time-saving services do you pay for because you don’t have time to do it yourself?

But that’s just the beginning. What about the cost of your commute? Let’s say your car gets 25mpg (and there are many cars which get much worse mileage than that), you drive 30 miles each way, and gas costs $3.25/gallon. That’s $7.80 per round-trip! Of course your mileage (and driving distance and gas prices) may vary! But you get the idea. That more than pays for a fancy latte from Starbucks every day. Or, if you keep that money in your pocket, you’re saving nearly $40 per week. And of course, that’s just gas - I haven’t included the cost of wear-and-tear and maintenance work on your car.

But wait, there’s more! How much do you pay for those lousy lunches at the cafeteria - and what do you save be cobbling together a sandwich from the food in the fridge? Sure - you have to buy a bit more food to keep that fridge stocked, but it’s far cheaper at the grocery store! And unless you’re in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley like I am (where everyone wears jeans and t-shirts to work), chances are you have to keep an office wardrobe up-to-date. How much do you spend on nice clothing (and dry-cleaning) as compared to the cost of a few extra t-shirts and pairs of comfy pants?

Now, to be fair, I haven’t mentioned the increased costs from your electric and gas bill (you have to keep your heater running more when you’re home all day - and you have to pay for the electricity to run your computer and keep some lights on). But compared to the above cost savings, it’s a drop in the bucket.

Yes, the cost of going into the office really adds up. And why do I belabor this point? Well sometimes people forget to factor this into decision-making processes. If you’re choosing between a job that allows telecommuting but pays a bit less and one that doesn’t allow it and pays more, you’ve got to consider how much of that higher paycheck you’re throwing away on commuting and other factors. And don’t forget - those expenses on gas, clothes, etc are post-tax dollars - how many extra pre-tax dollars do you have to earn to cover these costs?

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