Here's the ultimate hack: buy a bike for the station-to-office leg. Most towns have cheap parking. A train season ticket to London will hurt, but it's still cheaper than renting a cardboard box in Zone 2.
And remember: no one is going to Instagram your commute. But they will envy your three-bedroom house with a spare room. While they're fighting for microwave space in a shared flat, you'll be sipping tea in your own garden—which probably has dandelions, but it's yours.
So grab a map, find a town that sounds a bit sad, and move there. Your bank account will high-five you. And if it gets lonely, just remember: you can afford a cat. London renters can't.
