This is my first week on the new job. I am slowly adapting from having a 7-3:30 schedule with a 10 min each way commute to an 8-5 schedule with a 60-90 minute commute. It is not a supremely easy transition, especially considering I had about 8 weeks of not working at all in between.

Part of my new schedule it taking public transit. My commute could be slightly shorter if I drove, but it would also be more frustrating, and I’d actually have to drive. Instead, I’ve signed up for the bus pass through work.

The monthly bus/light rail pass, if I were to buy it on my own would be $189/month. That’s a lot of money. Last night while waiting for the train, I heard a young man mention that through his work, he was able to get the pass for $65/month, and how great a deal he thought that was. Believe it or not, it was a reminder I needed.

You see, with my current employer, I can get the pass for $132 every quarter – that’s $44/month. It is definitely a good deal, and a better deal than that young man was so excited to be getting from his company. But here’s the thing- with my last company, I got my pass for $35/year. That’s right, I used to pay, for the entire year, less than I am now paying per month, for the exact same bus pass.

With my last job, I didn’t use the pass that often, but at $35/year, it was a deal I just could not pass up. I am now going to be using the pass pretty much every work day, so it’s worth the $44/month (as a side note, a monthly parking pass would be $125, plus gas and wear on the car). But I was having a hard time thinking of this as a great benefit because of how little I used to pay.

But then I heard that young man, and I remembered- just because a perk isn’t as good as one you previously had doesn’t mean it’s not still a good perk.