Becoming a Freelance Writer can save you Money
When thinking about becoming a freelance writer, most people are worried about making enough money. But did you ever stop to think that working at home as a freelance writer will save you money as well? When it comes down to it, you could save hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars per month.
Here are three ways that you can save money by becoming a home based freelance writer.
1. When you work in an office, there is a good chance that you will spend money on lunch, day in and day out. This is something that I used to do, and it proved to be costly. Everyday, I would spend an average of $4-5 at McDonalds or another fast food joint. If you multiply this by an average of 20 workdays a month, I was spending just about $100. And guess what? Some people spend even more, and others add breakfast into the equation as well. When you work at home, it is safe to say that you will not be running out to grab fast food everyday at lunch. After all, what’s wrong with the leftovers in the refrigerator?
2. Gas prices are high, and unfortunately it does not appear that they are falling. For me, this used to be a killer thanks to a 50 mile round trip commute to the office. Before I was a home based freelance writer I was filling up my gas tank at least once per week for just about $50. Now, I usually fill up once per month. This works out to a savings of approximately $150.
3. Do you know how expensive daycare is? I have yet to have to pay this bill, but in the future this may change. After a bit of research in my area, it appears that daycare for one child is around $700-900 per month. Even though it may be difficult to work at home and take care of a child, it is probably worth the savings. Since I don’t have kids, that is only my opinion, but saving that kind of money sounds like a great idea to me!
Based on the three expenses above, becoming a home based freelance writer could save you on average $1,050/month. Over the course of a year, that works out to $12,600!
As you can see, even if you do not make as much money freelance writing as you do with your current job, the savings may cancel out these lost earnings in the end.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:42 am
WOW very good analysis and this analysis not only applies for freelance writing and its worth to note for all Home Based working
October 15th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Sudarshan - You are right about that! Anybody working from home can save in these areas…
October 15th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Another added bonus is apparel. It can be expensive to maintain a professional wardrobe, dry clean it, etc. While I don’t advocate working in your pajamas (I think it’s easier to get in the mindset to work if you have to dress for it), it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper to wear jeans and a t-shirt!
Thanks for the breakdown, Chris
October 15th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Yep, you save money just doing your work at home. But you won’t get to connect with other people or networking with others. There’s pros and cons for everything.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
And also the waste of time, to go to your office, during rush hours, and to get back.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Re: connecting with other people as what has David mentioned, one working trend called co-working is gaining popularity. Anyone currently doing this?
October 17th, 2007 at 11:07 am
You guys and gals all added valid points. As you can see, working from home in any capacity can save you big money!
October 17th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
[...] a steady income as a freelance writer can be a challenge at first, but Chris Bibey reminds us how becoming a freelance writer can save you money. Based on his calculations, he can save at least $12,600 a year by working from home. And [...]