Carpool Decisions

Yes, this post is about work. Yes, you can skip it if you want. And yes, I did say I wouldn't post very much about work but this time I just need to. So there.

For a while now the driver of our carpool has been talking about the possibility of moving. She said that if/when she moves she won't be doing the carpool anymore as she wouldn't be living in this city anymore. Well, we knew that if/when this happened I would have to take our car. One of the other people in the carpool doesn't own a car. The other person in our carpool isn't "allowed" to take his car as he shares it with his wife and apparently she bought it not that long ago and only put her name on it. As a result, she controls it. So he technically doesn't have a car either.

Well today she told me that she will not be doing the carpool any long as of the end of this month. So the week of the 30th I will have to take over the carpool.

I don't have many options. I know I could just take the car and not take the other two people to work. But then I'm stuck footing the entire bill as far as gas in the car goes. And trust me, it's not going to be cheap as our car doesn't get that great of gas mileage. And buying a newer car right now is pretty much out of the question.

So realistically my options are as follows:
Take the car and only drive myself.

1.  Take the car and only drive myself.
2. Take the car and take the other people to work as well.
3. Try and find a job closer to home.

Taking the car and only driving myself would be easiest as far as just going to work and coming back home and not worrying about taking other people home or picking anyone up. But again, I'd be paying all the gas in the car.

With the second option I would at least get some gas money. Although, I have a feeling when I tell them what I'd be "charging" to play taxi they may not like it. It's going to be more than what the current driver of the carpool charges every month because her car got better gas mileage and she had three other people helping rather than just two. One of the people in the carpool recently moved and it's a little bit of a haul. It isn't a lot really but it takes at least 15 minutes to get down there and then have to double back to get onto the interstate because the on ramps down there are closed due to ongoing construction. They've been closed for at least three months now. So I could cut him out of the carpool but then I get less gas money per month. 

The third option is tempting as I would love a job closer to home. But it's hard trying to find a job that is not only closer to home but pays equal to what I'm making now and I literally just got that raise. And it would have to have good benefits as well.  And what happens if there is a waiting period to get on their insurance? Lets say I have to wait 90 days before I can join up on that. How do I get my medication without paying a shitload? Not to mention it's rough starting off from the beginning again. I've got three years in where I'm at now. Going back to being low man on the pole wouldn't be easy. It'd be rather frustrating actually.

So now I have about three weeks to figure out exactly what I'm going to do. If anything I'll start off doing the carpool either with or without that second person. As that goes I may start to figure out whether or not it's even worth the pay I'm getting to drive there and back every day. At that point I would know whether or not I should start looking for a new job.

That's the only thing I can think of doing that makes sense right now.