Hi HauntedKnight,
To save on travelling time and money is valuable, true. I travelled up to 2-3 hours for various jobs. (That's return trip)
Yes it cost, in lots of ways. At that time in my life it brought in good returns and lots of work. I'm glad i'm not doing it anymore. Working close to home has its own challenges.
You sound as if you've got your ball rolling on finding the job for you, even if this particular position goes to the other person. That's the strategy that anchors one from being tossed around the work place. I now tend to think that people with ASD are pretty well made for generating our own ways of meeting needs. Sorry about clumsy words, neighbour's calling.! Cheers to you.