Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Freelancing has also become popular among stay-at-home parents, who are now able to supplement their family’s income on their own terms.
There’s no doubt about it: having a freelance business can be great. You get to pick your own hours, choose what type of work you do, and be your own boss.
I’ve been freelancing for around a year now, and I’m constantly examining my progress to see how I can improve.
In my year of freelancing, here are the three biggest things I’ve learned:
It’s that time of year again. The kids are out of school and you really want to spend time with them and make wonderful memories, but a vacation is out of the question. You can’t get away and, even if you could, it’s way out of your budget.
Uncle Sam took more than his share, or your calculated share, anyway. Credit card bills are bleeding you dry, and you can’t put more on plastic. So you crawl under the covers and hide, wishing a solution would surface.
Here it is.
Look on the bright side, sunshine. For a beautiful time creating memories with your loved ones, you need only two days and some imagination.
Try these staycation ideas for a grand time (without spending a grand!). [ continue reading… ]
The flexibility of freelancing is what’s most appealing to me. I can get assignments done in my sweats or at odd hours of the night.
But while freelancing does come with a lot of flexibility, it can be hard to juggle a self-made workload while you’re pregnant. The harsh truth about running a freelance business, is that there are no paid sick days, and you don’t get a paycheck just for showing up.
During my second pregnancy, I was able to do a lot more freelance work than I was my first pregnancy. I am not sure if I just felt better this time around or if I developed more productive time management skills.
Here’s what I learned about how to balance your workload as an expectant mother in the freelance market.
I am volunteering one day a week as a lunch room helper at my kids’ elementary school this school year. After a few weeks, I can share these observations with my fellow parents:
After a morning spent sitting still and paying attention, most kids would rather talk than eat. This is especially true of the younger children (the older ones are better at multitasking!)
The lunch period passes quickly! Getting the children to and from the lunchroom takes quite a bit of time. If you’re at the end of the line, you’ll have to be fast to eat all of your food.
A lot of food is thrown away. Not just the purchased school lunches, but entire sandwiches, pieces of fruit and other sides. Not surprisingly, the less healthy choices tend to be eaten first.
Seeing this has changed the way I pack my children’s lunches. Like most parents, my goal is to send my children to lunch with a healthy meal that is also easy on the family budget. Here are a few of my best tips: [ continue reading… ]
In this economic climate, everyone is trying to stretch a dollar as far as it will go. But what if you don’t have to spend anything at all to get the things you’d buy anyway? The following is a list of websites and services that can connect you to free items: [ continue reading… ]
Capsule wardrobes have become yet another icon of simplicity in an overly-consumeristic culture. High-profile executives even like the concept because it frees their “creative energy” for more important decisions than what to wear every day. Downsizing your closet might sound appealing if you:
Hate deciding what to wear every day
Dislike having to shop every season
Wish you had less clothing to maintain
Want to spend less on clothing
Building a capsule wardrobe saves both time and money in the long run, but it does require an initial investment. For instance, one of the first steps ‘capsule experts’ suggest is eliminating anything in your closet that doesn’t fit, flatter, or you simply don’t love.
What does that leave?
If you do it right, not much! Unlike high-profile executives, not many of us can afford to go out and replace our entire wardrobe in one shot, regardless of how much it will save long-term. Is it possible to build an amazing capsule wardrobe on a budget? If you consider the following tips, I think so. [ continue reading… ]
Free signup to get a free ebook on How to Save Money on Everything! Constantly expanding, it will be the biggest money saving ebook available, and it's FREE! →
(I hate spam and promise that your information will never be shared.)
