I read an article, on a work at home website for moms, that talked about ways to save money. And it was written by a mom who wrote her suggestions based on her own experience. Of course, being a System Thinker, I think it’s awesome when moms (or dads) who work from home are on the constant lookout for ways to be more efficient.
And this mom shared some great work at home money-saving benefits.
Like time. Just think of all those little time thieves you can avoid when you work in your own place. Of course, gas and the commute are the most obvious. But you’ve also gotta find a parking spot and park your car. You might have that walk from the garage to the office building. You gotta go buy work clothes. And you might even have an elevator ride twice a day.
So, skip all that when your office is in your house.
The mom who wrote the article also mentioned a lot of the expenses of owning a car or paying for the bus or train to work. Those can add up to a lot more than most people track.
And how about food? This mom also wrote about how most people, who work outside the home, tend to pick up snacks. And grab lunch somewhere with “the gang.” That not only drains the bank account faster, it also adds inches to your waistline faster.
Here’s a way you might not have considered to save money by working at home. Cell phone data. When you’re out and about and at work outside your home, you don’t have access to wifi as much. And it doesn’t take long for social media, mapping, and mobile browser searches to use up your data. So, you either have to pay for more when you go over, or pay for a higher data plan.
You can tell this mom really checks it all out.
She also listed a couple of more obvious benefits of a work at home life. Childcare. And tax benefits. But she added a couple more of the less obvious ways to save money, too. Like your own coffee machine. Instead of paying $3 to $5 for a cup of coffee, make your own for a fraction of that…even when you brew organic.
And if you have kids, you can save a ton of dough on childcare. Of course, that means you’d better get serious about organizing. Because kids are a whole ‘nother job. So, you’ll work two jobs in one place.
But the rewards of watching your kids grow far outweigh the disadvantages.
Just a couple more ways to save money…
Walk your own dog. Because dog walkers and doggie daycare are expensive. And you can count your dog walking time as part of your own exercise time. That’s what I call batching.
Plus, you could even consider cutting your own hair. I know that sounds like crazy talk to you ladies. But there are actually some very good tutorials on YouTube and other video sites. So, yes…it can be done. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much you could potentially save by skipping the salon.
But I didn’t actually share this with you to give you money-saving ideas.
I wanted you to see how much thought and action some work at home moms put into their days. And they’re called “moms” because they have kids. And, as I mentioned, those kids are a whole ‘nother job. So, I think you moms who take care of kids, while you’re working, are amazing.
And YOU are great examples of why there’s a day dedicated to mom this weekend.
Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one of you.
Stay Ready,