pregnant balance

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.

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None of us like to think about our own or our loved ones’ mortality, but ignoring that eventuality will not make a stressful situation any easier. When a family member dies, it’s important for you to know what responsibilities you might be facing.

Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect if a family member dies and leaves debts behind:

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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:
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get free stuff

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:
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capsule wardrobe
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.
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thrifty couple

My wife and I figured it was a great time to try something we’d always wanted to do since starting my blog—live with very little money for a set period of time and see what I learn.

I think we did well, because we ended up using only $34.01 in a whole week. It was an interesting and eye-opening experience, but more importantly, I learned some invaluable personal finance lessons.

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