The ups and downs financially of working at home

Working at home is like any other business. You are going to have days and even months when things go great and you make plenty of money and you are going to have times that you make very little.
It is important to be prepared for either event.
The good months are wonderful but that lean months can be a bear! Be prepared by setting a budget for yourself and sticking to it. When you have a great month put some away so you can get through the bad months. It can be very tempting when you get a good check to assume that you are off and rolling and every month from here on out will be terrific so let's go on a shopping spree!
Keep in mind though that during the next month you might get sick and not be able to work for a week, or you could also find that people just aren't buying as much the next month. There are tons of things that can and do happen.
During the lean months it is also important that you know how to live within a budget and frugally. This does not mean that you have to eat only soup broth and crackers and sit in the dark.
There are lots of ways to live frugally. For myself, I only buy things if they are on sale. I very rarely pay full price for anything. I know that the price of hamburger drops to .99 cents a pound in the evenings at my local grocery store and I go and stock up. I search for the sales all year and post them on the message board at www.katieshugs.com. When a great deal pops up I am ready and I buy birthday and Christmas gifts this way. I cook very frugally. If I make steak one night, I will take the leftovers and make vegetable beef soup the next night. This way I get two meals for the price of one.
If I need to make a big purchase I shop around for the best price. When I find the store with the best price I will also look around for free shipping codes or dollars off coupon codes. These can also be found on the message board.
The key is to take your time with everything. Don't be in such a rush or wait until the last minute so that you have to accept the first price you find on anything.
This might all sound a little strange but believe me, the money you save all adds up and you should view it as income you are earning as well. If you can buy $300 worth of stuff in one month that you needed or will need and you only had to pay $50, well then, that is an extra $250 you kept in your pocket that month and it counts!
Don't forget to get your freebies too. If you can get 1/3 of the stuff you buy for free, then why not? There are tons of freebies to be found that will save you lots of money. Last month I got a shaker that will make a good gift, a complete set of 12 pre-inked holiday stamps, a vapor plug, a bottle of lotion, a bottle of dishwashing liquid, a game for my daughters v-smile, a complete wooden game setup and a zippo lighter! The only thing I paid postage on was the v-smile game!
You can work from home and make money in many different ways. Don't cut yourself short by overspending.

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