The Short Commute: Cost Savings of Working From Home

By Cathryn Harper

Every day, I wake up, wash, brush, and get dressed. I then walk the 22-step commute to work. Well, not every day. Some days, with deadline and communication demands, I delay the personal maintenance in order to get right to work. I have that option. I work from home.

Employers reap some very real benefits from employees working from home: reduced rent and office space and increased unpaid hours worked. Almost all employees that I know working from home sign in two hours earlier than when they are in the office and sign-off at least an hour later. And on the flip side, employees benefit too from unexpected savings.

While it is not for everyone, those with discipline and organizational skills will find the home office a productive, efficient choice. The upside? It saves money, time, and provides schedule flexibility. The downside? Isolation, 3-D communication, and IT help. Most who choose to work from home do so because of the convenience, but the cost savings can be significant.

Let's start with the obvious. The average commute in the U.S. is 16 miles each way, and most commuters outside of major cities drive a personal vehicle. The average car gets 25 mpg, and the average gas price today is $3.59 per gallon. The average full time worker commutes 250 days a year, allowing for two weeks of vacation. If you are not making that commute, you can find other ways to spend that $1,148.

The elimination of the commute also reduces your annual mileage by 8,000, which should lower auto insurance fees. Additional considerations with regard to commutes include costs for automobile maintenance, such as oil, tires, and tune-ups, which vary according to vehicle, but could range from $2,000 to $5,000 a year.

The average commute time of 30 minutes per day translates into 125 hours a year. That can be allotted to productive tasks as opposed to learning the intimate details of your drive time radio host.

The corporate wardrobe is another line item that dives significantly when working from home. Dry cleaning costs alone can run to $3,000 a year, and in a business where keeping up appearances is a high priority, updating a sophisticated office wardrobe costs plenty and takes time. Working from home, instead of needing five days of Vogue, I dress for success only for face-to-face meetings, sporting business casual as the norm.

While there is no free lunch, it costs less to eat at home than to pay for the average three days out and two days of brown bag noon repasts. Average lunch costs for those three days, plus groceries for the remaining days, will take about $1,500 a year from your pocket. Eating at home can make good use of leftovers and allow healthier choices.

Additional savings can come from tax write-offs for home offices, but make sure to plan carefully there. IRS rules are specific, so follow them closely and review them every year for changes that may affect how you set things up.

While the debate rages on regarding the pros and cons of working from home, as a veteran of the short commute, I have to say the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Nothing can replace the nuances gained from face-to-face interaction. Meetings in 3-D always deliver unspoken messages that are lost in 2-D translation to the Skype screen. And creative meetings are sometimes stilted by technology.

Still, the office chatter, social visits, and event planning that goes on during a day at the office can be detrimental to productivity. Working from home, for me, offers sanctuary, order, and flexibility, with a pretty good economic savings over commuting. It may not work for everyone but it might work for you.

Cathryn is a working mother of three. A self-professed health and fitness nut, Cathryn loves to research and write about health and wellness related topics. To learn more please visit http://www.cathrynharperpress.com/

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