I say change jobs based on the factors you mentioned.

The loss of 2 weeks vacation is harsh - but not too bad considering most places around HERE don't even give you 1 week until after you've worked there for a year.

The savings in gas and wear-&-tear on your car is worth ALOT.

Sometimes change (even lateral) is good.

Whatever you decide, good luck man!

I don't know...
Sometimes when we ask opinions, we already have an idea of how we want to handle it...
We just want people to help us justify our decisions...

Are you leaning toward leaving? Follow your heart.
It seems like you've weighed the pros and cons... The gas/commute alone is enough for me!

If vacation time is the least of your concerns, I say go for it.

Agree with all that the vacation time thing would be really tough. Can you buy additional time? That's what I'd try to work out.

In any case, sounds like you're ready to go.

i really think i'm ready to go...but for some reason im just holding on to a loveless marriage. two years ago my current boss replaced my buddy who was transferred to another higher volume store...she made no secret that she was sent there to make me quit or be fired. documented everything i didn't do and yet seemed shocked that i wasn't responding to her program. i was put on a 90-day notice that was supposed to all but get me out of the building...but today..i'm her right hand man, her go to guy, the one who is gonna be sitting on the east coast VP meeting next week staying in a hotel 3 miles from my house. i didn't change a thing about me, didn't work any differently. so i went from goat to hero by basically watching everybody else fall by the wayside. we were a privately family owned business when i started in 1998 but they sold the company in 2006 to Bain (yes Mitt Romney Bain) who then cut 25% of the job force through letters and emails. then they cut another 10% the next year. people were so stressed out it was ridiculous. not just store level--ceo's, vp's nobody was safe. they had a lady in my store administer terminations on monday and then they came in and fired her the next day. so i guess i survived the purge for 7 years and im actually a commodity now. but i think its best i leave on a high note because next year could be totally different, depending on the new regime.

I can't speak to the emotional aspect of this, but from a purely fiscal standpoint, your annual savings in gas alone would be around $3800/year. If you are making less than $50,000/yr, that savings is worth more than the two weeks of vacation.

I agree with Carrie that you should see if you can "buy" extra vacation time, (ie, take unpaid leave). Bank your gas savings to fund it.

[Edited 8/20/13 9:12am]

Am I wrong in thinking that commuting 40 miles each way means you spend about two hours a day/ten hours a week in a car just to get to and from work?

Even if I'm underestimating how fast you drive, you're still spending upward of 30 hours a month stuck in a car. Trading two weeks of vacation to get rid of that seems like a no-brainer to me.

Efan said:

Am I wrong in thinking that commuting 40 miles each way means you spend about two hours a day/ten hours a week in a car just to get to and from work?

Even if I'm underestimating how fast you drive, you're still spending upward of 30 hours a month stuck in a car. Trading two weeks of vacation to get rid of that seems like a no-brainer to me.

Commuting time is not the same as vacation time.

Genesia said:

Efan said:

Am I wrong in thinking that commuting 40 miles each way means you spend about two hours a day/ten hours a week in a car just to get to and from work?

Even if I'm underestimating how fast you drive, you're still spending upward of 30 hours a month stuck in a car. Trading two weeks of vacation to get rid of that seems like a no-brainer to me.

Commuting time is not the same as vacation time.

I don't know...an extra hour of sleep every morning is a pretty valuable commodity if you ask me. Not to mention an extra hour to relax at home after work.

Efan said:

Genesia said:

Commuting time is not the same as vacation time.

I don't know...an extra hour of sleep every morning is a pretty valuable commodity if you ask me. Not to mention an extra hour to relax at home after work.

It kind of depends on the commute. My 40-mile commute takes about 40 minutes - less time, actually, than my former 6-mile commute in the city.

All things considered, I'd rather have the vacation time - but maybe that's just me.

Fury said:

I'm not even that upset about the vacation. I only go away on one of them in July anyway. The rest are stay-cations. As they say... Better to leave the party Early and think about what could have been then get shown the door Aginst your will .

Only if you definitely have another party to go to - if you take my meaning.

I know people who left the party early because they were tired and fed up - and they haven't been to a party since.

I did.

Same employer, but I had to go through the whole hiring process.

I had a job that needed me 7am every Sunday. Now I am Monday to Friday. It suits me and my Saturday nights much better.

Efan said:

Am I wrong in thinking that commuting 40 miles each way means you spend about two hours a day/ten hours a week in a car just to get to and from work?

Even if I'm underestimating how fast you drive, you're still spending upward of 30 hours a month stuck in a car. Trading two weeks of vacation to get rid of that seems like a no-brainer to me.

Me too. Extra sleep.. walk or bike to work (I don't use yards as distance).

Fury said:

i really think i'm ready to go...but for some reason im just holding on to a loveless marriage. two years ago my current boss replaced my buddy who was transferred to another higher volume store...she made no secret that she was sent there to make me quit or be fired. documented everything i didn't do and yet seemed shocked that i wasn't responding to her program. i was put on a 90-day notice that was supposed to all but get me out of the building...but today..i'm her right hand man, her go to guy, the one who is gonna be sitting on the east coast VP meeting next week staying in a hotel 3 miles from my house. i didn't change a thing about me, didn't work any differently. so i went from goat to hero by basically watching everybody else fall by the wayside. we were a privately family owned business when i started in 1998 but they sold the company in 2006 to Bain (yes Mitt Romney Bain) who then cut 25% of the job force through letters and emails. then they cut another 10% the next year. people were so stressed out it was ridiculous. not just store level--ceo's, vp's nobody was safe. they had a lady in my store administer terminations on monday and then they came in and fired her the next day. so i guess i survived the purge for 7 years and im actually a commodity now. but i think its best i leave on a high note because next year could be totally different, depending on the new regime.

After reading this, yep, it's time to go. Good luck.

Genesia said:

Fury said:

I'm not even that upset about the vacation. I only go away on one of them in July anyway. The rest are stay-cations. As they say... Better to leave the party Early and think about what could have been then get shown the door Aginst your will .

Only if you definitely have another party to go to - if you take my meaning.

I know people who left the party early because they were tired and fed up - and they haven't been to a party since.

the invitation to the party has been extended...i aint never that damn mad

Fury said:

Genesia said:

Only if you definitely have another party to go to - if you take my meaning.

I know people who left the party early because they were tired and fed up - and they haven't been to a party since.

the invitation to the party has been extended...i aint never that damn mad

Right?! First thing my parents taught me about the working world: Never leave a job willingly - unless you have another job to go to.

Genesia said:

Fury said:

the invitation to the party has been extended...i aint never that damn mad

Right?! First thing my parents taught me about the working world: Never leave a job willingly - unless you have another job to go to.

The only time I left a job because I disliked it... I left to attend post-secondary school.

Cinny said:

Genesia said:

Right?! First thing my parents taught me about the working world: Never leave a job willingly - unless you have another job to go to.

The only time I left a job because I disliked it... I left to attend post-secondary school.

That never would have flown with my parents. I worked all the way through school, too.

In fact, since I turned 16, I have not had a job (of some kind) for a total of about one year.

Genesia said:

Cinny said:

The only time I left a job because I disliked it... I left to attend post-secondary school.

That never would have flown with my parents. I worked all the way through school, too.

In fact, since I turned 16, I have not had a job (of some kind) for a total of about one year.

Best believe I had a job between semesters!