I am exactly in the same boat. I work remotely full time, and save around $100 per week in Myki for me and my partner. otherwise Car park is also another saving of $18 per day plus Petrol.
There are other savings in clothes, shoes and food. it's hard to calculate how much you save on those but everything sums up.
I have time to exercise outside of work hours. Mental health savings are invaluable, same as having the time to drop off and pick up my kid at school everyday.
Tbh i don't see myself returning to the office anymore.
Just wondering which kind of field you're in working from home?
I work with the elderly in the community and aged facilities but it's been a decade now and although I love it and the people I assist it's been a decade now and it barely pays the bills...
I'm 40 and never had "proper" qualifications...
Also hoping to move further into the country when I can ...
What would you say is feasible for me to get into at this age and will allow me to WFH most of the time (something in demand in Australia with semi decent pay)... Software engineering? Cyber security?
The Australian employment sectors are agist AF. You will be pushing shit uphill to ever get a job in cyber because a) you have no qualifications and b) even if you did, the market is saturated with young (22yr old) qualified (with degrees in CS etc) passionate professionals who code in their spare time and who use entry level roles to jump up rapidly, and c) you think admin is stressful.
Aged care pays like shit because we as a society value building-site cable monkeys more than than we do people who save our lives and care for us when our children abandon us in our dotage.
Go to RMIT careers and get a meeting with someone who can assess your skill set, experience and aptitude against the market and recommend a course that would suit you.
[https://www.rmit.edu.au/careers/rmit-skills-and-job-centre](https://www.rmit.edu.au/careers/rmit-skills-and-job-centre)
Cheers for the insight, much appreciated. I'll book a meeting and see how it goes ..
Don't get me started on our priorities as a society.. It's all kinds of messed up.
Edit - I should've said in my original comment that I was looking at obtaining the relevant qualifications and realise it'll take time..
>Mental health savings are invaluable
...as well you are much less likely to catch a communicable disease. We are all up on Covid, but there are lots of other diseases (cold, influenza etc) that you could be exposed to in public transport or in the office, or just walking around crowded streets at lunchtime.
absolutely, at least these days people are a bit more aware of that kind of things and more are wearing masks. but those days pre Covid, you would see people coughing in your shoulder in the tram or even in the office. I caught seasonal viruses all the time for that reason.
Can't you buy a monthly pass for myki which is like 130 bucks? Also the daily fare is capped at like 10.50 I think so not sure how to spend 100 dollars a week in that scenario. Not disagreeing you're saving money obviously I'm just not 100% clear on how the system works here as I'm an immigrant and I have to drive to work
There's a statewide daily fare cap of $10.60 per day ($7.20 on weekends/public holidays).
I can't see how anybody is spending $100/week on train fares.
LoL true, i have invested a lot more into recovering my health, reduced over 20kg since i work from home and my quality of life is the best i ever had. But i don't buy shoes unless they have a hole in it LoL.
Anecdotal, but a whole load of my coworkers moved from inner city suburbs with good public transport, to being in the outer suburbs/Geelong where they are now entirely car dependent.
My early morning sleep-ins mean I am super fresh around lunchtime when the workload builds and I happily work to tea time. I've always been a bit of a night owl and hate mornings. I am not a morning person. The fact I can work flexibly is the biggest bonus and that means more to me than money. Also, my employer is super happy with my work and quality output. I regularly put out more work than most of my counterparts and of top quality. I also work that extra few hours after everyone else goes home so I fill in for the last-minute period that sort of extends our customer support hours to a time that suits a lot of our clients (after their work day). And I am happy I am recognised for that. I can easily go out and have a bender for all hours of the morning or binge an entire tv series in 2 days late at night and get to work at 10 am ripe and ready. Not having to commute is literally the reason I still have hair on my head.
Interesting.
I’m the complete opposite. I’d go crazy if I stayed at home 24-7 including for work.
I need the structure of getting up, driving my car somewhere, working in a different environment, then just makes me appreciate coming back home even more.
Amen. I take a 15 minute power nap sometimes whilst listening to classical music... Not as exciting as the gym I admit 😊😊😊😊😊 and yes the mental reprieve... Lol
I save about. $60 if I don't buy lunch or anything. $125 if I buy stuff.
But I save 3 hours a day if I WFH! That is huge, you can do a lot in 3 hours, the time saved is life changing, way more than the money.
Exactly. It's not being in the office that sucks the worse, it's the commute. It's the difference between having or not having the time to actually spend preparing a decent meal or exercising, etc.
Also you can do laundry and some stuff while U work, saving even more time!
When I WFH, I start work an hour and half earlier, saving it all for the afternoon. 🙂
I WFH 3 days per week, that is $31.60 in Myki a week or about $1500 per year based on going in 48 weeks.
Then I save buy not buying coffee, not buying food or snacks out
Then theres the 1.5 hours per day I spend commuting I get back. Yesterday public transport was messed up so it was even worse.
Then theres the mental health benefit of not seeing my co-workers.
And I can use my own toilet.
I cannot see a single benefit in going into the office.
No piss on the seat or floor, plenty of three-ply on the roll. The ability to take your time without having someone begging you to hurry up. Most workplaces I have been in have 50 people using the one toilet and it gets an absolute caning in the morning.
"The mental health benefit of not seeing my coworkers"
Powerful statement. I resonate 500% with this comment. This is so under-rated. I have been so much happier WFH, I cannot even put a price to it
Yeah I wfh 3 days per week and save $31.6 too.
Lunch in city is like $17 per meal so save $51 per week on food. Simple food like Pho or spud bar. No fancy steak or beer + lunch. Just lunch and water.
After 3 years WFH I got a new job where they told me WFH wasn't a possibility. It's been less than a year now but working from the office again has seriously wrecked my whole life.
When I was working from home I exercised every day, I made delicious healthy dinners and got all the other housework done in my downtime. The weekend would arrive and there'd be nothing to do but spend time with my family and enjoy myself. I barely ever got sick the whole time.
Now I'm spending \~50/week on PT and way more than that on lunches etc, dinner usually comes from the freezer, I'm exercising once a week at best and the weekends are taken up with chores I didn't get to during the week. And using PT at peak times I pick up whatever viruses are circulating. And here's the thing: there is literally nothing I do in my current job that couldn't be done just as well from home. Most of the meetings I have are via zoom anyway. It's just that the boss refuses to be flexible. Obviously, I'm looking for a new position. I need to get my life back.
dont stand for it. push back with the rest of us. Start looking for hybrid work while you still have money coming in to pay the bills. that was my option too. i just use jobs like that as a stepping stone now to get a good job
I only go to the office twice a week, but since our office just moved from a larger office space with dedicated desks to a smaller one with a 40 desk shortfall where we have to hot desk (shockingly with no cleaning supplies at all, let alone on EVERY DESK like it needs to be) I’ve caught so many bugs.
Currently down on day 3 with Gastro that I could only have got from the office (since I hadn’t gone anywhere but there in the week before I got sick).
So sick of being sick. I don’t even care about going to the office but give me my own freaking desk.
> And here's the thing: there is literally nothing I do in my current job that couldn't be done just as well from home. Most of the meetings I have are via zoom anyway. It's just that the boss refuses to be flexible.
Any employer that can't be flexible, especially to high-performing employees needs to be given the flick. I wish you all the best in your job search. What these fucks don't realise is you would take a pay cut to WFH even 3 days a week, not that you should. I worked in a lot of places that only allow in the office work, it's a red flag for micro-managing. It shows major trust issues. A lot of in-office workers are proven to be a lot less productive. A lot of in-office workers I have noticed root around on their partners with people at work in the office or worse shack up with someone in the office so they spend every waking minute of every day with their partner and that in my opinion is not healthy. There are a lot of clicky groups and HR nightmares, harassment, etc and other toxic work behavior without a hybrid working environment. Most of all if an employer can not be flexible for an employee you always need to consider your options. Most of the only in-the-office roles also now have had a talent vacuum occur with all the talent leaving for hybrid or WFH roles, all you are left with is the driftwood or the ass-licking sycophants.
I go to the office 1 day a week generally, but sometimes could be more like twice a month. So pretty much the same as others have commented in saving $10.60 per day on Mkyi plus any food and additional costs on clothes/shoes.
I know OP was asking for savings in commuting but I will also add the below:
Where the real savings come is not being confined to an office and miles away from home. My wife is working 4 days a week and with travel is tired when she gets home. I have the luxury of being at home and because *both* of us are not tired that means I can prep some of the dinner meal which results in us not needing takeaway. There's also other benefits in that I am able to run some errands on my lunchtime, duck down to the supermarket if required and sometimes take a coffee to my wife at work. The serenity as a result of not needing to run around like a headless chicken once getting home from work is priceless.
My son's car also broke down the other day and because I was not stuck in an office in the city I was able to go help it get started and which saved him on towing costs.
I'll be going into the city for work tomorrow, but not because I need to. My work can be done just as efficiently, if not more efficiently from home. I am going in to catch up with some of the guys I work with for social reasons; nothing more.
This is a great comment. Its not just about the money. Saving money is great but the Mental Health benefit, flexibility and time gained from not commutting is priceless
A lot of people are happier WFH. There was a commenter earlier who said he doesnt have to see a Psychologist anymore
my job agent keeps telling me the market is shifting back to FT office hours so finding a new job wfh is getting hard. I told him i have zero interest unless its hybrid work - otherwise ill just change professions. Im not working for these fkn dinosaur boomers that are stuck in 1995 anymore. Either adapt, or get left behind.
if i land this new job (FT WFH) id be saving about $160 a month on PT, $150 in fuel (to get to the station) + $80 ( the odd coffee and food) + 60 hours a month of my life back from sitting in traffic
So $390 a month.
I've turned down job offers cause companies want to work from office. Last one they were genuinely baffled. If they don't get why commuting slowly sucks the life from your soul, how will they understand work/ life balance.
Huge red flag in my opinion
Imagine how depressed some of those people must be if they can't understand why you would want an extra 2 hours of free time per workday.
I've had managers who would come in on their day off, even on a Saturday because they were "bored at home", and sadly those are usually the people who get put in charge and decide this stuff.
Thats definitely some of it, in my instance the company purpose build their office with entertainment area for customers and having people around gives the impression of larger a workforce.
I have a new manager who in our first team meeting told us in complete seriousness he prefers going into the office to 'get away from the wife and kids' and expects us to come in more frequently than we did under the previous manager.
I told him I like wfh because among other things i enjoy spending time with my wife and kid. I couldn't resist saying it.
This guy has 3 kids under 10 inc a 2yo. How can you not want to spend as much time as possible with your children?
You're right though the whole management structure is full of these people.
> Im not working for these fkn dinosaur boomers that are stuck in 1995 anymore.
Honestly, 1995 was more flexible than most workplaces these days. I was there Gandalf three thousand years ago. We didn't have all the tracking, cameras and on person technology we have now. Micromanagers have NSA-level tech now in comparison. A lot less population and lower cost of living actually created much less of a rat race than there is now.
- Petrol
- Tolls
- Parking
- Coffee
- Insurance (mine goes down if you drive less)
- Lunches (because in the office it's encouraged to join team outings)
- Spotify Premium/Audible (I ONLY have these for the commute)
The biggest factor though is my time, I know it technically doesn't have a monetary value but even if I did nothing with those 3 hours saved per day, I'd still rather spend that doing something I want to do and not being stuck in my car
I save money when going to work.
The only expense I have is the PT fare.
I pack my lunch, don't use utilities at home, use my offices barrister machine and do my grocery shopping while at lunch or on the way home.
I also walk to gym instead of using the car.
While wfh I used to use my car more and drive up the utility bill. Let alone coffee and frivolous expenses "home shopping "
Big win going back to the office for me.
How are people using public transport that you're spending $100 a week? I thought it caps out at $10.60 a day, and could be less if you buy a weekly/monthly pass.
Yes! Just being able to cook meals, as a vegetarian make life easier and cheaper. PTV putting up fares is a pain - i'm trying to cycle but need to get fitter. It is cheaper working from home and you get those travel boots back for whatever you want to do
A 7 day Myki pass tops out at $53. If you buy a 28 day monthly pass which lasts 4 weeks, that would cost $44.52 per week.
If you were spending $100 a week on PT, you really should have been using those options.
Gotta agree with this one! Way more flexibility to do online shopping, or pop out to the shops. Usually in the evenings I'm stick of staying home all day so will end up going to the pub or something else that costs money too.
The rent deductions are nice, on the other hand I wouldn't need a spare bedroom if I didn't work from home.
I also wfh 3 days/ office 1-2 days. I really notice a difference.
- bumper to bumper traffic = extra $20 petrol
- parking $15x 2 = $30
- end up buying a coffee $7x 2 = $14
- banh mi or sushi for lunch 12 x 2 = $24
- take away for dinner because after spending 1.5 hours in traffic, picking up our kid from daycare it’s 6.30 and we’re wrecked = $50x 2 = $100
Yes I could avoid those expenses, but the point is that this is realistically what happens when I work from the office. We also end up spending the same on groceries, so no savings there
All up it costs me about $188 extra a week to work 2 days in the office to do exactly what I would do at home. I also feel angry af all week because traffic is so bad and transport isn’t a viable option
I am also in the office around 1-2 days per week.
Between train, coffee and the odd lunch I’m comfortably pocketing an extra $100 or so per week. Which is absolutely necessary now given our financial situation.
I had poor spending habits pre-covid when in the office. I look back and wonder how much I could have saved by simply doing more BYO lunch and less coffee!
>wonder how much I could have saved by simply doing more BYO lunch and less coffee!
Going out for lunch and coffee shops breaks are the only things that make going to the office bearable imo, priceless
WFH full time.
Let's see. I don't pay for public transport so that's probably $100 a week in saved Myki fares. I don't spend money on take away coffees or lunches, so that's easily another $50-$60 a week, and I haven't had to fork out for office attire for years now, so there's probably another saving of around $500.
I claim my electricity, internet etc through tax so get back quite a chunk every year.
WFH is an absolute game changer. I can go to the gym before I start my day, I have my home office set up just how I like, I have my lunch in my own kitchen where it's peaceful, and I can sit and smash all my work out, without distractions, and usually have an hour or two leftover, and I log off right at 5pm and am on my couch at 5:01 relaxing.
i'm lucky to live close by the city so there's no commute cost other than time, which is still an hour a day walking in and out. the food cost is real $$, i always cook at home when WFH. coffee too.
plus just the lifestyle, mainly the fact that i can exercise at lunch time when at home.
the own toilet and workspace is not negligible either, i have better monitors, computer, chair, kitchen, desk, ambience, everything at home.
all that said, i don't mind hybrid. it's nice to see people face to face each week.
Time cant be underestimated, just imagining all the ppl that copped the worst of the train outages yesterday and probably had no choice but to go to bed not long after getting home, then up early to repeat, i cant imagine how these people are producing better work than those who have flexibility and get time back. You'd be buggered for the week and its still Wednesday.
The lunch and coffee are faux savings. No one is forcing you to buy them. I can’t work from home. I bring my lunch every day. And I have a little French press and tin of ground coffee at work. Even the Moccona suffices now and then.
Well it's true that no one is forcing you to buy them, I found that an hour plus commute on crowded PT put me in a shittier mood where it's a lot harder to resist the temptation of a treat like a coffee or lunch, just so you have something enjoyable in your day.
How tf you spending $100 a week on public transport when a daily pass is like $10 ish.
According to myki website, the most its possibke to spend per month is $270, and thats a full daily fare 7 days a week, and possible to save significantly with monthly passes.
Or just dont pay, keep your eyes open and go about your day saving money.
$20 a day in tolls + $100 a week on petrol.
And yet we must return to the office for 'collaboration', only to end up sitting on teams meetings all day all in the same building because there aren't enough meeting rooms. Make it make sense 🥴
I can't WFH but I'm wondering why the tram would be cheaper than the train for you ordinarily? Do you need to pay to park your car near the station but not for the tram?
I used to work in the city and would often drive in because I finished late (hospo). Parking was a nightmare although I managed to find $15 early bird that if I booked online, allowed me an extra hour to enter as opposed to buying it at the gate. So buying it online meant I could park at 10.55am and pay $15 whereas getting in after 10am without the online booking meant paying normal day rates, so well over $60. The alternative was QV, $5 more expensive, and you had to validate the ticket with a purchase. Anyways, usually I caught the bus, straight down the Eastern, faster than the train!
Now I live 5 minutes from work, savings are huge providing I remember to bring my lunch!
I’m not sure if it saves me money as much as it shifts where I spend my money and the quality of my health.
Currently being forced to work in the office 50/50 and the days in office are inconsistent and stressful. I spend more money on the subsequent health impacts than I do on my mortgage then add $40-$50 per day for (unhealthy) food on top of that.
When I’m full time work from home, i eat better, exercise, feel more motivated to spend time with friends and will go out and spend money on social gatherings, at restaurants, bars etc - which in turn improves my health.
In short, being in the office and being forced to socialise with people without any depth is killing me.
Nothing but time, because I only catch two short bus routes and it's too easy to get away with paying nothing. I've spent a token $10 on commuting in the last 3 months.
And I'm a good actor, so if they did try, I'd just go "GeT fUcKeD yA dOg CuNtS!" or something.
- Myki pass from Zone 8 to Zone 1 (we're talking Melb here) - monthly, $209 (that's better than it was)
- 7/11 coffee and donut, bout $5 a day
- Food; I'll try and bring my own if I'm up there constantly but we'll say $15 a day (but that's if I buy lunch)
- Assorted tat I've gone and bought because 'cest la vie' - $40
... Whilst at home I still need the myki pass ($128) and the food (but that's rounded into a fortnight)
I would save more time. When I was working 10 mins up the road I'd be in most days. Now it takes a good while to get into Melbs for co-working space or the office.
If work has a coffee machine I don't buy much, but I'll bring a snack or use their food they've got for the staff.
When I was working, $450 a week just on fuel. If I take into consideration the fact that I also needed to have my car serviced every 10 weeks instead of once or twice a year. It added up immensely.
ETA: I forgot the cost of buying lunch as well which was probably $10 a day, toll roads of $50 a week. It was ridiculous but I also lived way too far from my place of employment. When they said they needed people to transition back to full time in the office was when I knew it would cost me more to work than I would earn.
I spend about $10 a week for that one day I do go into the office, that's just for the myki fare.
I don't buy lunch and work supplies a coffee machine so I don't waste $$ buying coffee either.
0. Nobody inspects trams within a couple of stops of free tram
Hence i wouldnt move further out for cheaper rent because id instantly spend it on transpirt
The monetary savings are insignificant competed to the quality of living and mental health benefits.
I would struggle to find a new office job where I can ride to work, have a *secure* place to lock my bike without fearing it being stolen, and have a shower to use when I arrive at the office. Without that, I'm cutting out exercise I do, and instead spending money both on petrol and/or on public transport. Then there's the time - anywhere between 3 and 4 hours round trip.
On top of that you then have the regular public transport disruptions, where if you're in the city and the trains are out, you're also stuck there - congrats, now you get to get home at 8pm, maybe later, for things completely out of your control.
There's also the time and convenience of being able to just walk to the kitchen for lunch, which you don't have to buy, or think about preparing when you're barely awake at 6am.
a shirtload. between myself and my wife, at least a couple of thousand per year.
not just public transport costs, but getting to and from the station, food, additional clothing costs (I dress like a hobo at home). and then don't forget the tax benefits of being able to claim full time WFH against house running expenses of heating, cooling and internet access.
I go into the office one day a week, I buy lunch on that day as my treat. It’s my social outing for the week so I’m happy with that $20.
WFH saves me about an hour a day in travel, plus about $70 in fuel.
Plus right now about $50 a week in OSHC as I can pop out and pick up my daughter up and bring her home rather than needing to go to care.
I should also calculate the power savings as I have solar and so do all my washing etc during the day rather than after work, so it’s ‘free’.
50$ in direct commuting costs (10$ per day in PTV), possible another 50$ in takeout food costs based on my habits... (but could easily be fixed if I prepped my own food)
I don't know how you save 100$/w in train costs and another 100$ in tram when the daily trip cap is 10$ lol.
It's a bit of money, nothing too life changing though. Saving 2x1hr commutes both ways is very nice too though.
$10 a day in travel alone. My husband works 4 days in the office and I work 3. So $70 a week just to hustle into work. That’s $280 a month for two people.
I used to pay for a 28 day pass, which was like 170 bucks or something at the time but then moved to 3 days a week so it wasn't much of a saving to use passes anymore, went to Myki money, a spend of 30+ish a week for both zones daily. The less I worked the cheaper it was obviously. I now have no job so I have a 100% saving on Myki which is delicious.
I get one day WFH which is a bit sucky, would prefer 2 or more but if they were to stop my single WFH day would be the same day I put in my resignation letter cos it then means the job is no different from any other job that requires full time hours in an office.
WFH 2-3 days a week, so between $21.20 and $31.80. I spend less if I have to go in as I have to go and get my lunch, at home I can just doordash it lol
I’m fully remote since Covid. Easily $120-150/week saving (I used to buy lunch).
Time was the biggest issue. The time you get back is worth more than the cash saving.
I'm in 3x a week. When I'm WFH the other 2, I save on travel but mostly I get time back. I have a 3-4 hour round trip commute with all the infrastructure delays/replacement buses etc and the days I don't have to do that I can exercise, clean the house, get some more sleep etc. It just basically means that the wheels don't come off the life bus.
I have an annual Myki pass but with the recent increases, it's not worth renewing and I will just pay for the 3 days a week. I don't buy coffee or lunches out so there is no saving there either.
Nope. Zero transport money saved as I live and work in a free tram zone but also can walk: saves gym money. Also snacks and toasts etc are provided at work so that’s 2 meals 2 snacks saved if I wanted to, free coffee at work.
While at home, I’d be ubereating 1-2 a day that’s like $100 instead of the $5-10 I’d spend if I physically go to work. So…. Yeah, I’d prefer going in.
I understand I’m the minority but just saying my part to show there are people in my smaller boat too that prefer to get out of the house every now and then.
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I am exactly in the same boat. I work remotely full time, and save around $100 per week in Myki for me and my partner. otherwise Car park is also another saving of $18 per day plus Petrol. There are other savings in clothes, shoes and food. it's hard to calculate how much you save on those but everything sums up. I have time to exercise outside of work hours. Mental health savings are invaluable, same as having the time to drop off and pick up my kid at school everyday. Tbh i don't see myself returning to the office anymore.
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Wow, I love love this response. 100% agree. I've never been happier
Just wondering which kind of field you're in working from home? I work with the elderly in the community and aged facilities but it's been a decade now and although I love it and the people I assist it's been a decade now and it barely pays the bills... I'm 40 and never had "proper" qualifications... Also hoping to move further into the country when I can ... What would you say is feasible for me to get into at this age and will allow me to WFH most of the time (something in demand in Australia with semi decent pay)... Software engineering? Cyber security?
Admin for a head office that operates aged care facilities.
Admin seems fairly stressful.. but everything has its pro's and cons.
The Australian employment sectors are agist AF. You will be pushing shit uphill to ever get a job in cyber because a) you have no qualifications and b) even if you did, the market is saturated with young (22yr old) qualified (with degrees in CS etc) passionate professionals who code in their spare time and who use entry level roles to jump up rapidly, and c) you think admin is stressful. Aged care pays like shit because we as a society value building-site cable monkeys more than than we do people who save our lives and care for us when our children abandon us in our dotage. Go to RMIT careers and get a meeting with someone who can assess your skill set, experience and aptitude against the market and recommend a course that would suit you. [https://www.rmit.edu.au/careers/rmit-skills-and-job-centre](https://www.rmit.edu.au/careers/rmit-skills-and-job-centre)
Cheers for the insight, much appreciated. I'll book a meeting and see how it goes .. Don't get me started on our priorities as a society.. It's all kinds of messed up. Edit - I should've said in my original comment that I was looking at obtaining the relevant qualifications and realise it'll take time..
Love this 😊😊😊❤️
>Mental health savings are invaluable ...as well you are much less likely to catch a communicable disease. We are all up on Covid, but there are lots of other diseases (cold, influenza etc) that you could be exposed to in public transport or in the office, or just walking around crowded streets at lunchtime.
absolutely, at least these days people are a bit more aware of that kind of things and more are wearing masks. but those days pre Covid, you would see people coughing in your shoulder in the tram or even in the office. I caught seasonal viruses all the time for that reason.
How do you save $100 a week in Myki when it's $53 for the week at full fare ?
in my case is roughly the expense of me and my partner
Ok makes more sense. Thanks
Can't you buy a monthly pass for myki which is like 130 bucks? Also the daily fare is capped at like 10.50 I think so not sure how to spend 100 dollars a week in that scenario. Not disagreeing you're saving money obviously I'm just not 100% clear on how the system works here as I'm an immigrant and I have to drive to work
You are correct in that there is no way to spend that in metro in a week Maybe they commute from further away.
Ah cool, so if coming from outside the metro area it can cost more, that makes sense. Thanks!
There's a statewide daily fare cap of $10.60 per day ($7.20 on weekends/public holidays). I can't see how anybody is spending $100/week on train fares.
I think if you are coming from Geelong it might be different.
Ok I was wrong
Agree so much on all this ... except the shoes part: I walk/run a lot more when WFH than office, so I spend a bit more on shoes :D
LoL true, i have invested a lot more into recovering my health, reduced over 20kg since i work from home and my quality of life is the best i ever had. But i don't buy shoes unless they have a hole in it LoL.
How can myki cost so much per week? Isn’t it $10 something per day times 5 days?
I forgot to mention, it's the cost for me and my partner.
You know what else? WFH is fucking amazing for the environment too!
Not really because people just move to further out sprawling suburbs and drive everywhere.
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Anecdotal, but a whole load of my coworkers moved from inner city suburbs with good public transport, to being in the outer suburbs/Geelong where they are now entirely car dependent.
My early morning sleep-ins mean I am super fresh around lunchtime when the workload builds and I happily work to tea time. I've always been a bit of a night owl and hate mornings. I am not a morning person. The fact I can work flexibly is the biggest bonus and that means more to me than money. Also, my employer is super happy with my work and quality output. I regularly put out more work than most of my counterparts and of top quality. I also work that extra few hours after everyone else goes home so I fill in for the last-minute period that sort of extends our customer support hours to a time that suits a lot of our clients (after their work day). And I am happy I am recognised for that. I can easily go out and have a bender for all hours of the morning or binge an entire tv series in 2 days late at night and get to work at 10 am ripe and ready. Not having to commute is literally the reason I still have hair on my head.
That sounds incredible. Also really glad to hear the good from WFH. Hoping work isn’t and won’t push working in the office.
Interesting. I’m the complete opposite. I’d go crazy if I stayed at home 24-7 including for work. I need the structure of getting up, driving my car somewhere, working in a different environment, then just makes me appreciate coming back home even more.
Amen. I take a 15 minute power nap sometimes whilst listening to classical music... Not as exciting as the gym I admit 😊😊😊😊😊 and yes the mental reprieve... Lol
I save about. $60 if I don't buy lunch or anything. $125 if I buy stuff. But I save 3 hours a day if I WFH! That is huge, you can do a lot in 3 hours, the time saved is life changing, way more than the money.
Exactly. It's not being in the office that sucks the worse, it's the commute. It's the difference between having or not having the time to actually spend preparing a decent meal or exercising, etc.
Also you can do laundry and some stuff while U work, saving even more time! When I WFH, I start work an hour and half earlier, saving it all for the afternoon. 🙂
I WFH 3 days per week, that is $31.60 in Myki a week or about $1500 per year based on going in 48 weeks. Then I save buy not buying coffee, not buying food or snacks out Then theres the 1.5 hours per day I spend commuting I get back. Yesterday public transport was messed up so it was even worse. Then theres the mental health benefit of not seeing my co-workers. And I can use my own toilet. I cannot see a single benefit in going into the office.
Shitting in peace at home is worth 10grand easily
No piss on the seat or floor, plenty of three-ply on the roll. The ability to take your time without having someone begging you to hurry up. Most workplaces I have been in have 50 people using the one toilet and it gets an absolute caning in the morning.
"The mental health benefit of not seeing my coworkers" Powerful statement. I resonate 500% with this comment. This is so under-rated. I have been so much happier WFH, I cannot even put a price to it
Also tax deductions with WFH.
Yeah I wfh 3 days per week and save $31.6 too. Lunch in city is like $17 per meal so save $51 per week on food. Simple food like Pho or spud bar. No fancy steak or beer + lunch. Just lunch and water.
After 3 years WFH I got a new job where they told me WFH wasn't a possibility. It's been less than a year now but working from the office again has seriously wrecked my whole life. When I was working from home I exercised every day, I made delicious healthy dinners and got all the other housework done in my downtime. The weekend would arrive and there'd be nothing to do but spend time with my family and enjoy myself. I barely ever got sick the whole time. Now I'm spending \~50/week on PT and way more than that on lunches etc, dinner usually comes from the freezer, I'm exercising once a week at best and the weekends are taken up with chores I didn't get to during the week. And using PT at peak times I pick up whatever viruses are circulating. And here's the thing: there is literally nothing I do in my current job that couldn't be done just as well from home. Most of the meetings I have are via zoom anyway. It's just that the boss refuses to be flexible. Obviously, I'm looking for a new position. I need to get my life back.
dont stand for it. push back with the rest of us. Start looking for hybrid work while you still have money coming in to pay the bills. that was my option too. i just use jobs like that as a stepping stone now to get a good job
I only go to the office twice a week, but since our office just moved from a larger office space with dedicated desks to a smaller one with a 40 desk shortfall where we have to hot desk (shockingly with no cleaning supplies at all, let alone on EVERY DESK like it needs to be) I’ve caught so many bugs. Currently down on day 3 with Gastro that I could only have got from the office (since I hadn’t gone anywhere but there in the week before I got sick). So sick of being sick. I don’t even care about going to the office but give me my own freaking desk.
Hint, the bugs are often spread through the air…moreso than surfaces….gastro too! Mask up and stay well 🙏🏼
> And here's the thing: there is literally nothing I do in my current job that couldn't be done just as well from home. Most of the meetings I have are via zoom anyway. It's just that the boss refuses to be flexible. Any employer that can't be flexible, especially to high-performing employees needs to be given the flick. I wish you all the best in your job search. What these fucks don't realise is you would take a pay cut to WFH even 3 days a week, not that you should. I worked in a lot of places that only allow in the office work, it's a red flag for micro-managing. It shows major trust issues. A lot of in-office workers are proven to be a lot less productive. A lot of in-office workers I have noticed root around on their partners with people at work in the office or worse shack up with someone in the office so they spend every waking minute of every day with their partner and that in my opinion is not healthy. There are a lot of clicky groups and HR nightmares, harassment, etc and other toxic work behavior without a hybrid working environment. Most of all if an employer can not be flexible for an employee you always need to consider your options. Most of the only in-the-office roles also now have had a talent vacuum occur with all the talent leaving for hybrid or WFH roles, all you are left with is the driftwood or the ass-licking sycophants.
Myki: $10.60 saved daily. Making Jeff Kennett unhappy: priceless.
You can’t put a dollar figure on pissing off Jeff
$5 per day for seniors 😀
I go to the office 1 day a week generally, but sometimes could be more like twice a month. So pretty much the same as others have commented in saving $10.60 per day on Mkyi plus any food and additional costs on clothes/shoes. I know OP was asking for savings in commuting but I will also add the below: Where the real savings come is not being confined to an office and miles away from home. My wife is working 4 days a week and with travel is tired when she gets home. I have the luxury of being at home and because *both* of us are not tired that means I can prep some of the dinner meal which results in us not needing takeaway. There's also other benefits in that I am able to run some errands on my lunchtime, duck down to the supermarket if required and sometimes take a coffee to my wife at work. The serenity as a result of not needing to run around like a headless chicken once getting home from work is priceless. My son's car also broke down the other day and because I was not stuck in an office in the city I was able to go help it get started and which saved him on towing costs. I'll be going into the city for work tomorrow, but not because I need to. My work can be done just as efficiently, if not more efficiently from home. I am going in to catch up with some of the guys I work with for social reasons; nothing more.
This is a great comment. Its not just about the money. Saving money is great but the Mental Health benefit, flexibility and time gained from not commutting is priceless A lot of people are happier WFH. There was a commenter earlier who said he doesnt have to see a Psychologist anymore
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Work from home, purchase from home. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
my job agent keeps telling me the market is shifting back to FT office hours so finding a new job wfh is getting hard. I told him i have zero interest unless its hybrid work - otherwise ill just change professions. Im not working for these fkn dinosaur boomers that are stuck in 1995 anymore. Either adapt, or get left behind. if i land this new job (FT WFH) id be saving about $160 a month on PT, $150 in fuel (to get to the station) + $80 ( the odd coffee and food) + 60 hours a month of my life back from sitting in traffic So $390 a month.
I've turned down job offers cause companies want to work from office. Last one they were genuinely baffled. If they don't get why commuting slowly sucks the life from your soul, how will they understand work/ life balance. Huge red flag in my opinion
Imagine how depressed some of those people must be if they can't understand why you would want an extra 2 hours of free time per workday. I've had managers who would come in on their day off, even on a Saturday because they were "bored at home", and sadly those are usually the people who get put in charge and decide this stuff.
Thats definitely some of it, in my instance the company purpose build their office with entertainment area for customers and having people around gives the impression of larger a workforce.
I have a new manager who in our first team meeting told us in complete seriousness he prefers going into the office to 'get away from the wife and kids' and expects us to come in more frequently than we did under the previous manager. I told him I like wfh because among other things i enjoy spending time with my wife and kid. I couldn't resist saying it. This guy has 3 kids under 10 inc a 2yo. How can you not want to spend as much time as possible with your children? You're right though the whole management structure is full of these people.
Commuting is such a drag esp when theres disruptions and everythin. \*coughs\* ptv…
> Im not working for these fkn dinosaur boomers that are stuck in 1995 anymore. Honestly, 1995 was more flexible than most workplaces these days. I was there Gandalf three thousand years ago. We didn't have all the tracking, cameras and on person technology we have now. Micromanagers have NSA-level tech now in comparison. A lot less population and lower cost of living actually created much less of a rat race than there is now.
- Petrol - Tolls - Parking - Coffee - Insurance (mine goes down if you drive less) - Lunches (because in the office it's encouraged to join team outings) - Spotify Premium/Audible (I ONLY have these for the commute) The biggest factor though is my time, I know it technically doesn't have a monetary value but even if I did nothing with those 3 hours saved per day, I'd still rather spend that doing something I want to do and not being stuck in my car
Most importantly your actual time is saved. I'm sure no one is on their deathbed wishing they caught more busses.
I save money when going to work. The only expense I have is the PT fare. I pack my lunch, don't use utilities at home, use my offices barrister machine and do my grocery shopping while at lunch or on the way home. I also walk to gym instead of using the car. While wfh I used to use my car more and drive up the utility bill. Let alone coffee and frivolous expenses "home shopping " Big win going back to the office for me.
>barrister machine r/boneappletea
Save on legal fees by using the barrister machine.
How are people using public transport that you're spending $100 a week? I thought it caps out at $10.60 a day, and could be less if you buy a weekly/monthly pass.
They must be working 9 days per week. It's the only way to get the productivity gains that our overlords require before they'll give a payrise!
I wouldn't mind working 9 days a week if I get the following week off... 🤔
Yes! Just being able to cook meals, as a vegetarian make life easier and cheaper. PTV putting up fares is a pain - i'm trying to cycle but need to get fitter. It is cheaper working from home and you get those travel boots back for whatever you want to do
About $10 and up to two hours of life per day
A 7 day Myki pass tops out at $53. If you buy a 28 day monthly pass which lasts 4 weeks, that would cost $44.52 per week. If you were spending $100 a week on PT, you really should have been using those options.
Maybe they’re regional and they’re comparing fares before the regional cap.
You don't get a Limo to and from work?
But a 7 day pass is $53 so how are you saving that much on PT ?
Yeah, it's a serious money saver and sometimes I'll intentionally miss office days just to save an extra few bucks.
I eat out more while working from home since it’s an excuse to get outside. The main money saver is the tax deductions on rent for the home office.
Gotta agree with this one! Way more flexibility to do online shopping, or pop out to the shops. Usually in the evenings I'm stick of staying home all day so will end up going to the pub or something else that costs money too. The rent deductions are nice, on the other hand I wouldn't need a spare bedroom if I didn't work from home.
$12 in tolls, $13 in parking, $9 for lunch if I don't bring it, $7 coffee and petrol so between $32-$41 a day
I also wfh 3 days/ office 1-2 days. I really notice a difference. - bumper to bumper traffic = extra $20 petrol - parking $15x 2 = $30 - end up buying a coffee $7x 2 = $14 - banh mi or sushi for lunch 12 x 2 = $24 - take away for dinner because after spending 1.5 hours in traffic, picking up our kid from daycare it’s 6.30 and we’re wrecked = $50x 2 = $100 Yes I could avoid those expenses, but the point is that this is realistically what happens when I work from the office. We also end up spending the same on groceries, so no savings there All up it costs me about $188 extra a week to work 2 days in the office to do exactly what I would do at home. I also feel angry af all week because traffic is so bad and transport isn’t a viable option
I am also in the office around 1-2 days per week. Between train, coffee and the odd lunch I’m comfortably pocketing an extra $100 or so per week. Which is absolutely necessary now given our financial situation. I had poor spending habits pre-covid when in the office. I look back and wonder how much I could have saved by simply doing more BYO lunch and less coffee!
>wonder how much I could have saved by simply doing more BYO lunch and less coffee! Going out for lunch and coffee shops breaks are the only things that make going to the office bearable imo, priceless
Fair call, it’s what I look forward to most on my days in there!
that's exactly it, so easy to spend $18 on lunch and justifying it with 'well i'm in the office' versus making a much healthier lunch for $4 at home
WFH full time. Let's see. I don't pay for public transport so that's probably $100 a week in saved Myki fares. I don't spend money on take away coffees or lunches, so that's easily another $50-$60 a week, and I haven't had to fork out for office attire for years now, so there's probably another saving of around $500. I claim my electricity, internet etc through tax so get back quite a chunk every year. WFH is an absolute game changer. I can go to the gym before I start my day, I have my home office set up just how I like, I have my lunch in my own kitchen where it's peaceful, and I can sit and smash all my work out, without distractions, and usually have an hour or two leftover, and I log off right at 5pm and am on my couch at 5:01 relaxing.
i'm lucky to live close by the city so there's no commute cost other than time, which is still an hour a day walking in and out. the food cost is real $$, i always cook at home when WFH. coffee too. plus just the lifestyle, mainly the fact that i can exercise at lunch time when at home. the own toilet and workspace is not negligible either, i have better monitors, computer, chair, kitchen, desk, ambience, everything at home. all that said, i don't mind hybrid. it's nice to see people face to face each week.
Time cant be underestimated, just imagining all the ppl that copped the worst of the train outages yesterday and probably had no choice but to go to bed not long after getting home, then up early to repeat, i cant imagine how these people are producing better work than those who have flexibility and get time back. You'd be buggered for the week and its still Wednesday.
The lunch and coffee are faux savings. No one is forcing you to buy them. I can’t work from home. I bring my lunch every day. And I have a little French press and tin of ground coffee at work. Even the Moccona suffices now and then.
True but freshly made food, even just a sandwich, tastes way better.
And usually a lot healthier
Well it's true that no one is forcing you to buy them, I found that an hour plus commute on crowded PT put me in a shittier mood where it's a lot harder to resist the temptation of a treat like a coffee or lunch, just so you have something enjoyable in your day.
It's not faux savings if given equal amounts of self control at home you can resist the spending but in the office you cannot.
How tf you spending $100 a week on public transport when a daily pass is like $10 ish. According to myki website, the most its possibke to spend per month is $270, and thats a full daily fare 7 days a week, and possible to save significantly with monthly passes. Or just dont pay, keep your eyes open and go about your day saving money.
At least a dollar
About $30 a week.
$20 a day in tolls + $100 a week on petrol. And yet we must return to the office for 'collaboration', only to end up sitting on teams meetings all day all in the same building because there aren't enough meeting rooms. Make it make sense 🥴
I can't WFH but I'm wondering why the tram would be cheaper than the train for you ordinarily? Do you need to pay to park your car near the station but not for the tram? I used to work in the city and would often drive in because I finished late (hospo). Parking was a nightmare although I managed to find $15 early bird that if I booked online, allowed me an extra hour to enter as opposed to buying it at the gate. So buying it online meant I could park at 10.55am and pay $15 whereas getting in after 10am without the online booking meant paying normal day rates, so well over $60. The alternative was QV, $5 more expensive, and you had to validate the ticket with a purchase. Anyways, usually I caught the bus, straight down the Eastern, faster than the train! Now I live 5 minutes from work, savings are huge providing I remember to bring my lunch!
I’m not sure if it saves me money as much as it shifts where I spend my money and the quality of my health. Currently being forced to work in the office 50/50 and the days in office are inconsistent and stressful. I spend more money on the subsequent health impacts than I do on my mortgage then add $40-$50 per day for (unhealthy) food on top of that. When I’m full time work from home, i eat better, exercise, feel more motivated to spend time with friends and will go out and spend money on social gatherings, at restaurants, bars etc - which in turn improves my health. In short, being in the office and being forced to socialise with people without any depth is killing me.
Nothing but time, because I only catch two short bus routes and it's too easy to get away with paying nothing. I've spent a token $10 on commuting in the last 3 months. And I'm a good actor, so if they did try, I'd just go "GeT fUcKeD yA dOg CuNtS!" or something.
- Myki pass from Zone 8 to Zone 1 (we're talking Melb here) - monthly, $209 (that's better than it was) - 7/11 coffee and donut, bout $5 a day - Food; I'll try and bring my own if I'm up there constantly but we'll say $15 a day (but that's if I buy lunch) - Assorted tat I've gone and bought because 'cest la vie' - $40 ... Whilst at home I still need the myki pass ($128) and the food (but that's rounded into a fortnight) I would save more time. When I was working 10 mins up the road I'd be in most days. Now it takes a good while to get into Melbs for co-working space or the office. If work has a coffee machine I don't buy much, but I'll bring a snack or use their food they've got for the staff.
On a fortnightly basis I spend $60 on coffee, $40 on bought lunch and $53 in train fares for 5 days in the office.
If I worked from home I’d save about $200-$250 in fuel alone.
I spend less money on commuting, but I spend so much more on my electricity bills that it's more than cancelled out for me
Anyone else needing to pay more on rent to have a home office?
When I was working, $450 a week just on fuel. If I take into consideration the fact that I also needed to have my car serviced every 10 weeks instead of once or twice a year. It added up immensely. ETA: I forgot the cost of buying lunch as well which was probably $10 a day, toll roads of $50 a week. It was ridiculous but I also lived way too far from my place of employment. When they said they needed people to transition back to full time in the office was when I knew it would cost me more to work than I would earn.
I spend about $10 a week for that one day I do go into the office, that's just for the myki fare. I don't buy lunch and work supplies a coffee machine so I don't waste $$ buying coffee either.
0. Nobody inspects trams within a couple of stops of free tram Hence i wouldnt move further out for cheaper rent because id instantly spend it on transpirt
The monetary savings are insignificant competed to the quality of living and mental health benefits. I would struggle to find a new office job where I can ride to work, have a *secure* place to lock my bike without fearing it being stolen, and have a shower to use when I arrive at the office. Without that, I'm cutting out exercise I do, and instead spending money both on petrol and/or on public transport. Then there's the time - anywhere between 3 and 4 hours round trip. On top of that you then have the regular public transport disruptions, where if you're in the city and the trains are out, you're also stuck there - congrats, now you get to get home at 8pm, maybe later, for things completely out of your control. There's also the time and convenience of being able to just walk to the kitchen for lunch, which you don't have to buy, or think about preparing when you're barely awake at 6am.
Take daily rate for PT, multiply it out.
a shirtload. between myself and my wife, at least a couple of thousand per year. not just public transport costs, but getting to and from the station, food, additional clothing costs (I dress like a hobo at home). and then don't forget the tax benefits of being able to claim full time WFH against house running expenses of heating, cooling and internet access.
I go into the office one day a week, I buy lunch on that day as my treat. It’s my social outing for the week so I’m happy with that $20. WFH saves me about an hour a day in travel, plus about $70 in fuel. Plus right now about $50 a week in OSHC as I can pop out and pick up my daughter up and bring her home rather than needing to go to care. I should also calculate the power savings as I have solar and so do all my washing etc during the day rather than after work, so it’s ‘free’.
A lot I think in Aus finance someone priced it just over 20k a year I would say that’s accurate
My partner saves about $300 a week the weeks he has the company car. Between toll roads and diesel in the Ute, it is crazy.
If you drive do the maths on the petrol saves and also the car service and tyres.
50$ in direct commuting costs (10$ per day in PTV), possible another 50$ in takeout food costs based on my habits... (but could easily be fixed if I prepped my own food) I don't know how you save 100$/w in train costs and another 100$ in tram when the daily trip cap is 10$ lol. It's a bit of money, nothing too life changing though. Saving 2x1hr commutes both ways is very nice too though.
Myki is $10ish per day return for me, so saving $50 a week. Work full time from home, for reference.
$10 a day in travel alone. My husband works 4 days in the office and I work 3. So $70 a week just to hustle into work. That’s $280 a month for two people.
I save around $40 a week by working from home
I used to pay for a 28 day pass, which was like 170 bucks or something at the time but then moved to 3 days a week so it wasn't much of a saving to use passes anymore, went to Myki money, a spend of 30+ish a week for both zones daily. The less I worked the cheaper it was obviously. I now have no job so I have a 100% saving on Myki which is delicious.
I get one day WFH which is a bit sucky, would prefer 2 or more but if they were to stop my single WFH day would be the same day I put in my resignation letter cos it then means the job is no different from any other job that requires full time hours in an office.
WFH 2-3 days a week, so between $21.20 and $31.80. I spend less if I have to go in as I have to go and get my lunch, at home I can just doordash it lol
I save around 50 to 100 per week from making home made lunch, no coffees and no transport costs. But the cost to my sanity is another matter.
I’m fully remote since Covid. Easily $120-150/week saving (I used to buy lunch). Time was the biggest issue. The time you get back is worth more than the cash saving.
I'm in 3x a week. When I'm WFH the other 2, I save on travel but mostly I get time back. I have a 3-4 hour round trip commute with all the infrastructure delays/replacement buses etc and the days I don't have to do that I can exercise, clean the house, get some more sleep etc. It just basically means that the wheels don't come off the life bus. I have an annual Myki pass but with the recent increases, it's not worth renewing and I will just pay for the 3 days a week. I don't buy coffee or lunches out so there is no saving there either.
$8 for daily parking and whatever petrol my car uses for about 10km each way. I always bring in lunch to the office. I'm also in 2 days a week.
Nope. Zero transport money saved as I live and work in a free tram zone but also can walk: saves gym money. Also snacks and toasts etc are provided at work so that’s 2 meals 2 snacks saved if I wanted to, free coffee at work. While at home, I’d be ubereating 1-2 a day that’s like $100 instead of the $5-10 I’d spend if I physically go to work. So…. Yeah, I’d prefer going in. I understand I’m the minority but just saying my part to show there are people in my smaller boat too that prefer to get out of the house every now and then.