To move or not to move....

but possibly gaining $$ b/c we won't be spending so much in gas. I am torn.

 
I have about a 45 minute commute (longer, if traffic's bad) and I'd love to not only save on gas, but save on commute time.  It makes me crazy to spend that much time just sitting in my car when I know I could be doing something fun.  So, that would be a consideration for me.  On the other hand, I don't think I could go from a single family home on 2 acres to a condo.  That'd be a huge adjustment, especially with the dogs.  I think it would depend on what the longterm plan is.  Would the condo be temporary and eventually you'd buy a house...or ?

Hmmm...assuming you both start work about the same time, could you still carpool but drop off DH 20 minutes early so you can be to work on time?  Or, he can drop you off 20 mins early and keep going?  Or, is there anyone at his new job that lives in the city where you work so you could drop him off there on your way and he could ride farther south?  Does the car have to take premium gas?  I don't know much about cars, but I thought you could choose as long as they're all unleaded.  Could you trade in one of the cars for a gas-efficient hybrid? 
Your house does seem like a lot to give up compared to where you'd move.  Personally, I'd rather have crappy cars or even a single crappy car and carpool in order to have the living conditions I prefer.

The commute time is another thing that gets me. Two hours a day just driving. Bleck. The condo is 20min away from work for me. Oh and I could go home on lunch to let the dogs out for a potty break. But cramming all of our stuff into the condo and dealing with neighbors on the other side of the wall....not sure how well us or the dogs could adjust. Macy is a barker and Prince is territorial....great combo for cramped living situations (sarcasim)
 
Trading in the cars isn't really an option right now. We owe more than what we would get for trade in and wouldn't be worth it. The car has to have premium b/c it is a supercharged engine. But it does get 27mpg which isn't too bad. I do have a co-worker who lives about 2 miles from where DH's work is moving to. So car pooling with her might be an option. And we haven't ruled out carpooling together either. He starts at 8:00 and I start at 8:30 so that would work out. Just the commute home would suck balls and probably take an hour and a half compared to 50min-hour.
 
The house we are at now is actually my mom's that we have agreed to buy from her. We are renting right now but the rent goes towards the sale price of the home until we can get approved for a loan. If we move, I really think the option to buy would go down the drain...and that would suck.
 
I wish the Chevy Volt was being produced. That would solve all our dilemas...40miles w/out using a drop of gasoline. And our commute is about 40-45miles. That would be soooo perfect!!!!

But cramming all of our stuff into the condo and dealing with neighbors on the other side of the wall....not sure how well us or the dogs could adjust. Macy is a barker and Prince is territorial....great combo for cramped living situations (sarcasim)

 
Yeah, doesn't sound good at all, and although it might work out fine, if it didn't, you've got a nightmare on your hands.  I think I'd focus on figuring out how to modify the drive/carpool issue.  Like I said, I hate the commute time (or waste of time), but sometimes it beats the alternative []

I live about 40 minutes away from work, however, I drive during the prime traffic hours and it takes me 1 hour & 10 minutes (almost exactly) to get to and from work every day. That's all because of the traffic I have to endure. I HATE it. It's absolutely awful. I do want to move closer to work, but it means Ash will be at home all day, alone. She currently goes to my mom's while I'm at work. My gas costs are just insane though. I will probably move at the end of the summer. If I were you though, I think I would continue to cough up the gas money if it meant having that living environment. That sounds great and I'm so jealous!

DH drives anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and a half if the traffic is bad. We weighed all our options before deciding to move out that far, and while the cost of the gas (and evil toll road) is pretty stiff, the quality of life out here just doesn't compare to anything back "over the mountain".

In your circumstances, I wouldn't move if you still want to buy that house. 

Are there houses closer to the new place you could rent instead of a condo?
 
I'd say the 2 hours driving could be better spent at that local dog park with your dog.  Perhaps your mom can rent the house to other people for 6 mths to a year while you decide what you want to do.  Then you can move back if you really miss it or perhaps find jobs closer to there.

Not sure how much my opinion is worth... but I'm screaming nooooo!!
Don't move!

I lived in an apartment with ONE dog for 4 months. Worst living situation ever.

A neighbor - 5 doors down - slipped a note under my door saying they were going to report me to the managers if my dog didn't stop barking at nights. Well... she sleeps in my bed. If she barked, I'd know. Turns out that the people simply didn't like dogs, and wanted to make my life h*ll.

But at the same time, Sierra never got comfortable there. With people living all around you, there's strange noises coming from all over the place that she's not allowed to bark at. She was always on alert, and just couldn't relax.
In my opinion, a little bit of gas simply isn't worth the frustration for both you and the puppers.
Especially moving away from open land - I just think the transition wouldn't be good. But maybe that's just me. The country really attracts me, it's my ideal living situation.

I'll never live in the same sort of situation again. I'd much rather pay a little extra for gas. And this is coming from a  student  who's $30,000 in debt.

Good luck with whatever you do. []

i like the idea of looking for a house to rent closer to your work. i personally hate long commutes. when we were looking for a house one of the things that was important to us was being about equal distance from my work and my wife's work. her commute ended up being longer miles wise but time wise both were about the same.

unfortunately she took a new job that put her even farther away from our house (her choice). when we get ready to buy another house, we will try to find a house that lessens her commute. currently she is driving about 45mins-1 hour each way.

it would be nice to live in a more rural setting, but with a small yard and walks the dogs get plenty of exercise. it is a compromise, but getting home sooner means they are crated for less time. plus i am less grouchy! i hate driving.

good luck whatever you choose.

We have found it isn't just the issues of space or money or even time, but more of a different approach to life living in a rural area. It's slower out here. People, on the whole, are nicer. Certainly when they're in the cars, that's for sure. There's not a strip mall on every corner and we have to drive 15 minutes to get to a fast food place with a drive thru. The air is cleaner and my kids see horses and cows and sheep and goats every day, rather than having to go to a petting zoo to see such animals. It just depends on what's important to you all, but take those intangibles into account too. It isn't strictly about the dollar savings, or even the time savings. It's about which situation will bring you more peace and happiness in your life, overall.

We would be renting the condo from a friend, where there would not be any hassle with owning pets. It is extremely hard to find a place to rent, especially a house that will allow pets, let alone 2 dobermans and 2 cats.
 
I do like the country, especially in the summer - watching sunsets, the moon rise, listening to the frogs chirp. It's very relaxing. Oh and it is soooo nice to be able to see the stars and the occasional northern lights. I grew up in the area we are living now. Nothing has really changed, maybe a couple of more fast food resturants but that's about all. I am close to my family (which is a blessing and a curse) but can visit my grandparents and the farm I grew up on anytime I want.
 
Thank you everyone for the advice, it is nice to see we are not the only one's driving our life away to get to work. If our credit was better, we would probably be looking for a place to buy closer to work. As it stands now, we probably will not be able to buy a house for at least 5yrs....maybe longer. []

DH & I are really weighing the options right now. I wish we didn't even have to think about moving, but we do and are trying to make a rational, non-emotional decision about it. I wish finding a job closer to home was possible. But, we live in Michigan, and the economy is one of the worst in the country. We both have decent paying jobs in the IT industry...and for those of you that do live in the country, you realize that there really aren't any computer jobs that pay decent in rural areas. Especially in areas where the main staple of the economy is manufacturing.

Anyways, here are a few pros/cons about both living arrangements. I don't mean to bore you guys but posting here really helps me think about things more logically.

House: 3 bedroom, 2 bath, basement, ~2acres, 2 car garage, 1300sq ft (although we only live in about 900sq ft. The rest is used for storage of all of our junk that we never use)
Pros of house:
Large yard for lots of off-leash play time
Don't have to pick up poop all the time (will clean the yard on weekends if weather is nice)
Central Air
Pool
Basketball hoop
Neighbors are not "in your face"
Dirt road
Quiet and peaceful
Can see the stars
Can watch nice sunsets
Close to family
Helps my mom out financially
Will someday own....?

Cons of House:
Nearest decent shopping is 20min away...everything in town closes around 8pm, 9pm on weekends
40+ miles away from work, about 2 hours worth of commute
Lots of wear & tear on vehicles
Dirt road - more $$ spent on car washes
Propane heat ($300+ monthly bills)
No high speed internet of any kind available (needed for work)
Dogs locked up for about 11 hours daily
Not alot of structured walks
No parks or hiking trails within 20 miles
Not alot of distractions for training purposes (recall, leave-it, etc)
No doggy day care or dog walkers available nearby
No lawn mower - have to pay for lawn care (~$200 a month)
Alot of updates need to be performed (tile the kitchen floor, new carpet, new windows, refinish basement, paint the bedrooms, new roof soon, deck refinishing)

Condo: 2 bedroom, 1 car garage, no yard, 880sq ft
Pros of Condo:
Close to work
30min of commute time daily = more free time
Less wear & tear on vehicles
$4000 year savings in gas (more if gas goes above $3.20/gal)
No propane bill
No lawn care
No house maintenence
High speed internet available
If a server crashes, DH can run get into work right away to fix it
I can go home on lunch to let the dogs out for a potty break
Dogs will only be locked up 4hrs at a time
Lots of structured walks (which they need)
Close to parks, hiking trails, dog park, doggy day care, training facilities
Sidewalks (able to walk in the rain)
Shopping convenience
Central Air
Natural Gas heat
New windows (less heating/cooling bills)
More social opportunities - can join a softball league, after work functions - i.e. we don't have to rush home to let the dogs out

Cons of Condo:
Smaller space
No yard
Have to pick up poop all the time
Dogs will need to be on leash everytime they step foot outdoors
Dogs may bark when we are not home
Cannot be as loud (tv, music)
Have to get rid of pool
May have to get a storage unit for some things
Will have to get rid of alot of junk, some exercise equipment, furniture
No option to buy
Neighbors all around
Further from family
May end up screwing my mom financially (?)

So those are my lists so far. Please feel free to comment and post opinions. FWIW, we have rented this condo before. We did enjoy living there and actually were doing better financially than we are now. And that was on less income.

Geesh,  I don't know.  My first thought was that you should make the move.  As I said, I absolutely loathe my commute, but I'd also give anything to live in the country like you do.  It sounds like the trade-off for having a shorter commute, saving $$, ability to do more, etc.might outweigh the living in the country.  Not sure about the issue for your mom though.  If it would really cause a serious problem for her, I think that might outweigh everything else.