Comments on: The Cost of Our Jobs

By: infinte banking

infinte banking — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:19:16 +0000

@donna it’s crazy what’s going on with health insurance lately, lucky for your friend getting hired part time! I can honestly say this is the first time i’ve even considered the “other side of the coin” when it comes to changing jobs. However at this point with unemployment at record highs I don’t think anybody is turning down anything they can get…

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #268 : Carnival of Personal Finance

Carnival of Personal Finance #268 : Carnival of Personal Finance — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:05:06 +0000

[...] DINKS Finance: The Cost of Our Jobs. [...]

By: Kristina

Kristina — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:43:58 +0000

I agree. Too many people focus on money. When we consider a job offer we also need to consider how it will affect our home life and family life. Yes, making $100,000 per year is great, but at what cost? There is a scene in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” that a character says…Let me know when your relationship blows up in smoke. That means it’s time for a promotion.

By: Donna Freedman

Donna Freedman — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:23:30 +0000

I work at home as a writer, so I avoid the “business attire” trap and the commuting costs. What I wish I had, though, is a company that paid a portion of my medical insurance. Right now I’m paying $338 a month for an HMO, but at least I can *get* insurance. A friend of mine said her insurance was about to go up to $750 a month (!) but fortunately she was hired part-time at a place that gets her the same level of coverage for only $70 a month. BIG difference, that.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:41:05 +0000

A good cafeteria and convenience stores that do not gouge you makes a big difference towards wanting to go to work for me. I simply cannot believe how many places have terrible cafeteria’s and charge a ton for crappy food. As far as wardrobe is concerned, I do not see that you have to spend a ton of money to get a quality wardrobe together. However, unless you are dramatically changing career fields, I do not see this as a revolving expense when you change jobs, though.

I have lots of work related expenses, but I don’t really think about them. I bring my own lunch, because the cafeteria sucks and is way over priced ( I hate places that charge by weight for salad), and the only convenience store at work has a captive audience so only takes cash and charges triple what you would normally pay at a 7 eleven. i do not expense going to conferences, which I attend a lot, b/c normally those conferences make my life easier by being closer to my house than work.

By: Dan @ Casual Kitchen

Dan @ Casual Kitchen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:28:41 +0000

Agreed that people in general, including myself, over-focus on the salary/benefits part of a job. But there are also non-dollar costs worth thinking about: the cost to your health and long term sanity of a job with long hours or a monster commute. Taking a job that involves more hours can cost you precious time for relationships with your spouse, family or kids. In many cases these are far more “costly” than things like wardrobe or commuting costs.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post!

Dan