The only other option would be to drive to work, but this would mean paying the daily £8 congestion charge. I think I should do this, but my partner is not keen on me losing almost £2,000 a year off my salary - she thinks I should either do the daily three-and-a-half-hour commute or turn down the job. Should I tell her it's my money and I'll spend it how I like or should I give up the opportunity of going down south?
AWhile it's not everyone's cup of tea, some of us have no problem going down south every day. Mind you, no one wants to be spending ages doing it, as it does get a little tiring and slightly boring after a while.
That said, if your partner would rather you did it this way, you should probably listen to her.
While this might be the job of your dreams, unless you are getting a massive salary increase - and if you were, I doubt you would be writing to me with this dilemma - pretty soon you will start to begrudge the fact you are paying an additional £8 every day over and above the normal running costs of your car just to get to work.
The knowledge that your colleagues are £2,000 better off than you are for doing the same job will also start to wind you up, especially if your working day is longer than theirs.
However, I actually have a solution that will make you both very happy. It is possible to drive from north to south through the very centre of London without paying any congestion charge.
Transport for London left one route free - which is not widely publicised - just so that it is possible to drive from north to south.
If you drive from the A40 Westway, through the Edgware Road, down Park Lane and then onto Vauxhall Bridge Road, you will avoid all the congestion cameras and the charge.
Therefore, this will not only save you the £2,000, but it also means you can get out of bed slightly later and enjoy going down south every day.
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