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There is a huge difference between life with a regular income – a salary or even just a regular paycheck – and the life of a freelance writer who has no regular income but must be working constantly to keep money coming in. And that difference is often what keeps people hanging on to their day job.
A little over a year ago, I was working a day job and desperately wishing that I could just work at my online ventures. I just wanted to write and build web sites and go on Twitter and Facebook. I was doing that anyway. So, I wanted to find a way to just do that and not have to go to the day job at all anymore.
If you’re like I was and want to move into a full time career of working online there are several things you can do to make it possible. Over the next couple weeks I’m going to talk about some of the steps you can take to move towards a full time work at home freelance career. Living without a salary is entirely possible – you just need to prepare yourself for it.
So, my tip today is to minimize your expenses.
Expenses tend to build up over time because there are always things that we need and want. And sometimes we get a little bit carried away and they go on our credit cards or store credit. Then we have a bill to pay. And when it is on credit, that bill can follow us around for a long time!
So, your first step is to find out:
- Exactly how many expense do you have?
- How many bills do you have?
- Which ones are permanent (mortgage, utilities)?
- Which ones can you get rid of (credit cards, loans, car payment)?
- Which ones can you get rid of in the next year?
If you have bills that are not permanent but can’t be cleared off in the next year, try to consolidate them into one bill payment with a lower interest rate.
The lower your expenses are the easier it will be to move into living life without a salary.
Article by Danielle
I'm a social media junkie and professional freelance writer living in small town Manitoba, Canada. I drink a lot of coffee and love my computer (named Garcia after Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds - the ultimate girl geek!), my kids, my husband, and my cats. In 10 years I hope to be that crazy lady travelling across Canada and the States with her three cats and her loving hubby. :) If you're interested in my professional services please visit my professional writer's site to find out more about my services or check out some testimonials from some of my clients.
has written 254 awesome articles for us at The Social Freelance Writer
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: MarianneWorley
April 12, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Being a freelancer can be tough–thanks for the good advice. Sometimes it’s the simple things we don’t think about that make the difference. I cut almost $200 in monthly expenses just by changing my habits. I can’t wait to read your upcoming posts!
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Thanks Marianne. I think that most people can cut back on their expenses if they are determined to!
Great article, thanks so much!
tannis ross recently published this rocking post..Sharing for a blog challenge
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:09 pm
glad you liked it Tannis!
Your post reminded me off when I left the corporate world 10 years ago to work for myself. It was a big leap after 14 years of having a salary. I think the point you make here is spot on. Managing our expenses is key to taking pressure off income generation in those early days.
Good luck with your being self employed journey. It has it’s ups and downs but is so worth it for teh benefits it brings
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Thanks Ali. I learn something new everyday on my journey and so far I am really glad I made the jump!
Twitter: melaniekissell
April 13, 2011 at 3:49 am
Great piece, Danielle!
I stopped using credit cards over five years ago. My philosophy is if you don’t have the money to buy something outright, simply don’t buy it. And you’d be surprised what you can live without. Changing your spending habits is critical if you want to be a successful entrepreneur.
I know it may seem a bit extreme to other people, but I cut and color my own hair, do my own nails, shop at thrift stores or consignment shops, and I maintain a zero-dollar budget for entertainment. I never eat meals out or go to the movies or concerts, etc. Sometimes you have to make pretty big sacrifices for survival but it’s worth it.
Looking forward to reading the “steps” you’ll be sharing with us to move toward a full time work-at-home career. Maybe you’ll have a few more suggestions for me for how I can further cut my expenses.
Thanks!
Melanie Kissell recently published this rocking post..The Agony and Victory of Taglines
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:11 pm
wow – you really have managed to cut back on your expenses Melanie. How do you manage all that with kids? You have teenagers, don’t you?
Thank you for touching this topic because there’s so many of us who want to get an online career but fear that it may not work, budget-wise. Looking forward to your next posts!
Karoline recently published this rocking post..En anden måde at finde en billig 4-stjernet ferie på
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Karoline, working online full time can work for anyone. It just takes a bit of thought and of course hard work. And sometimes it is just changing the way we think.
Twitter: alain_miles
April 13, 2011 at 6:40 am
I’ve been running my own show for years, and your post today is spot on, Danielle: when the next pay-check isn’t necessarily going to come at the end of the month, the first thing you need to do is minimize expenses – and those credit cards need to be the first thing to go.
A month ago, I decided to burn all my bridges and commit full-time to what I’d always loved – writing. It’s not going to be easy, learning to live on air for a while. I look forward to hearing how you’re making it work.
Alain Miles recently published this rocking post..How To Hypnotize Readers
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:13 pm
I’ve got some ideas for this new series Alain – new one up today actually. But I’m glad people are finding it useful. I don’t know why I didn’t think to blog about this earlier!
Twitter: CoachNotesBlog
April 13, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Hi Danielle,
You hit the nail on the head with a big BANG! Funny thing about minimizing your expenses: something is sure to test just how serious you are about sticking to the notion.
Minimizing might be synonymous with a little extra work. Just recently, I needed a new wireless router (shifting spaces put me out of reach of the other one). Long story short, acquiring one meant extra, extra shopping around and not getting the latest, greatest, best-est. As my reward, I ended up with an older model — but it was new — and it saved me around $60 bucks.
Aren’t you glad minimizing doesn’t necessarily mean suffering?
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Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
April 13, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Great minds think alike Vernessa! Read the post after this one and you’ll see what I mean!
Twitter: glynisj
April 13, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Anymore, most households need this advice because of the job market. It is good advice, Danielle. However, don’t be surprised if not many can follow through.
Great piece of advise. These simple tips should many people like me to minimize expenses.
Cheolsu recently published this rocking post..Facebook ASCII
Thanks for sharing this great tips Danielle. It’s good to lessen your expenses however it would be best to have a stable income from working online before quitting your day job
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