For almost a year now, I’ve been working from home full time. Little did I know that doing so could save our family so much money. If you’re thinking about quitting your day job and working from home, here are some money saving benefits to consider!
1. Less commuting.
This is the most obvious cost savings, but boy does all the gas money add up!
Calculate how much money you spend on gas. What are the current gas prices in your area? How many miles do you get per gallon? How far is work? How many trips do you take per month? You might be surprised by how much money you’re spending on your way to and from work.
You’ll also save money by having fewer vehicle repairs. In fact, you might be able to get rid of a car entirely and save even more money on insurance!
2. Less eating out.
When I had my day job, I would eat out on a regular basis. Bagged lunches were seldom seen, and unhealthy fast food was the norm.
Working from home, you’ll find that you’ll be less tempted to go out for a meal. It takes extra effort to get ready, get in the car, and head to your favorite restaurant. Why do so when you have a refrigerator full of food?
Eating out can be a very expensive habit, and working from home can help you break it.
3. No more daycare.
Having a work-from-home job also allows you to be with your children instead of sending them to daycare – and that, can save you a bundle.
Don’t worry too much about not being able to focus on your work. School-aged children will be in class most of the day unless you’re choosing to homeschool them. If having children home while you’re trying to get work done becomes a bit overwhelming, try working early in the morning or late at night while your little ones are asleep.
Bottom line? No more daycare means more money in your pocket.
4. You’ll have more work time.
When I rise in the morning, ta-da! I’m already at work!
Think about how much time you spend getting ready for your job, going to work, taking 15-minute breaks, taking a lunch or dinner break, and then driving home. All of that can easily turn into a couple of hours per day!
Working from home enables you to choose the length of your breaks and become a little more productive than waiting in the back room for your break to end. In addition, you could choose to have a “working lunch break” where you do some lighter work tasks such as reading.
5. No more expensive work clothing.
Depending on your job, you might feel the need to buy work clothing on a regular basis. No more! Feel free to wear whatever you want at your work-at-home job.
6. You’ll be able to find more residual income.
Too many jobs limit your potential for income. Some pay you by the hour, others pay you by the task. Instead of working once to get paid once, find ways to work once and get paid again and again – well into the future. Aim for residual income.
An example of residual income comes from professional blogging. With every article a professional blogger writes, they forever have (or at least until they take down the website) the potential to make advertising revenue from their article. They can actually make money while they sleep!
Working from home saves you potentially lost income by freeing up your time and giving you more room find residual income opportunities.
7. You’ll be better organized and on top of things.
Being away from home means less time organizing, paying your bills, keeping up with housework, making a budget, and so much more. But when you’re working at home, you can make sure you’re living up to your household responsibilities – and that can save your family a lot of money. Have you seen what housecleaners make these days? And who knows, you might use some of your extra time to find ways to cut your expenses!
Final Thoughts
As you can see, working from home will directly and indirectly save you money. In fact, you might find yourself making more money working from home than at your old job!
There are plenty of real companies that will pay you to work from home. There are also a lot of legitimate home-based business ideas you can use to get started.
Working from home isn’t for everyone, and you’ll certainly encounter some obstacles and challenges (just like at your day job). But for a growing number of people, working from home is just the ticket to a happier and more productive life.
Do you daydream about working from home? How close are you to making the leap? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
All seven ways truely save money! I do dream of working from home. I’d eventually like to do everything out of my home office and have some sort of office sharing agreement for when I need to meet with clients. It is probably a few years away for me, but I’ll get there little by little.
Oliver
Thanks ChristianPF! I really enjoy this article. It has given me a great idea. God bless!
I am not an accountant but I think there is a way to deduct your home office from your taxes, too if you are self employed. You can probably speak with an accountant or Google this on the internet to see if you qualify.
I have worked from home for 13 years as a medical language specialist and have found myself at the end of that career due to the nature of the business and floods of newcomers to the business. Other than another (tiny) side job caring for a vacation home, I am currently unemployed. Writing has always been my passion but for some reason I am terrified to pursue this area, aside from a few Christian devotions I have published in magazines, etc. God has blessed me greatly and I am not particularly motivated by money. Any tips on how to take the dive?
I love working from home for all the reasons you mentioned it saves so much money, but for me the biggest one is being able to work around my children and their needs.
I love the tax advantages here in Australia too, such as a portion of all my bills, my home office etc are all tax deductible.
I worked from home for eleven years and after a layoff, went back to an office job with a 45-60 minute commute. I can work from home periodically but not full time in my new job. What I really miss is the 1.5 to 2 hours a day that I’m losing because of the commute.
I really trust the information I read on this website – what a God send! Just wondering though, do you endorse the “Work at home – no fee” Google ad at the top of this article?
A great article which lists many Pros for working from home. It is an ideal dream for many to work at home and this article provides many reasons why. If you are looking at ways to make money at home look into webdesign and blogging. Thank you for this great post.
All good points, John. My husband dropped his full time day job to pursue his own business from home and as you said, there are challenges and obstacles. I’ve been a stay at home wife/mom for 20 years. I’ve taken side jobs here and there as the opportunities arose, such as house keeping, cleaning for apartment buildings, etc. Then we started home educating to save on the cost of private school tuition. In addition to this, we started yet another business related to ministry and I’m a full time blogger. We’ve met more than our fair share of obstacles. It’s all worth it though. Funny how the obstacles, as frustrating as they are, teach us valuable lessons and opens more doors in the long run.
Our first business was in-home day care. We had one vehicle ( a large custom conversion van all business expensed ) because we both worked at home and enjoyed being with our own small children at the same time we worked. We worked long hours and had to be absolutely dependable to our customers. In return our personal expenses all became busines expenses. We had almost NO normal commercial overhead as we used our personal property as business, my law of duplicity. To even come close to the marginal income we produce at home we would have to had grossed twice as much working just to break even. As we where not govt beurocrats or big corporation ceo’s that was never likely to happen. Now as granparents we have gone back to home busines now in agriculure. Income from Eggs, produce, etc sold at farmers market is a fun way to enjoy retirement. Geting a job is a waist of time and my patience. I like telling morons that atempt to anoy me to hit the road. Life is what you make it.
Thanks for this article. It’s actually an encouragement as I’ve decided to give blogging a go. I like point 6. Would be great to go into greater detail on residual income for moms in the future. Great post.
Good article!
I’m living and workink in Hungary (Europe). I’ve been working from home almost 4 years, so I think I’ve got a “little” experience in this way of doing my job.
Beside this advantages (these are really true), there is one main disadvantage, that I’d like to mention:
You are all day at home alone, without any colleague, without a working community, without friends…
1st month is fantastic
2nd is OK
form the 3rd You’re going totally crazy!
These are really great advices. I’d rather like to work from home than my regular job. I’ll certainly try to follow up the tips you shared in the post. So, indirectly you’re gonna save my money
Thanks John!
Hey you’re welcome! Thanks for the encouragement!
I am a rookie would like to work from home right now. I would like some help and info please anyone!