My youngest son recently started 7^th grade. It’s a time for most kids where they start to feel unsure of themselves. They are really making the transition from child to teen and they have a whole bunch of hormones that are kicking in to make things even more different.

At the end of the first day, my son came out to the van and related something to me that really validated my choice to work for myself. Part of my son’s classroom introductions in one class had to include what they liked about their parents. He told me that what he liked about his parents is that they both work at home so they could spend more time him.

The fact that he has picked up on that without us telling him that really made my day!

I realized just after he was born that he would never be that young again. If I wanted him to have memories of me being in his life, I was going to have to make him a priority.

I was like a lot of people, too scared to really strike out on my own. Then one day, I was pushed. In twenty minutes, I went from being a manager to carrying a box of my personal belongings out the door as part of a corporate cost cutting measure.

It was now or never at that point to get my home based business going strong enough to make a living. It hasn’t always been easy. But that one statement meant that it’s been worth it.

Technorati Tags: corporate cost cutting, home based business, son, work for myself

Last week was a big reminder of the advantages of lifestyle freedom. I had several errands to run, among them was to vote. I have found that between 10:30 and 11:15 in the morning are the best times to do a lot of things because everyone else is at their job. Being my own boss, I decide when to do it.

When I went to vote, there was one other voter there. I was in and out in under 10 minutes. During lunch and after work, there was a mob of voters. I’m sure the vote time was at least 45 minutes.

I get my hair cut during these times, no waiting. At other times, there are at least one if not two people ahead of you. The stylists always ask if I am taking the day off because not only am I there at that time but I’m dressed extremely casually.

We had an issue with our cable TV signal. I was able to schedule the technician’s visit when it was convenient to me. Working from home meant that I didn’t have to take off to meet him. I didn’t have to disrupt my work longer than it took to tell him where the box was.

The carpet commute eliminates traffic frustrations as well as wear and tear on the car. The 13 gallon gas tank lasts about 3 to 4 weeks so the high gas prices were not a big deal.

If you want to enjoy a flexible schedule, boost your family budget and avoid things such as layoffs, I would invite you to start your own home based business. The residual income that you create will let you ‘retire’ whenever you want.

Technorati Tags: budget, carpet commute, family budget, flexible schedule, gas prices, home based business, job, layoffs, lifestyle freedom, residual income, retire, work for myself, working from home

Staycation is a new word that has entered our vocabulary. It’s where you can’t afford to go anywhere for vacation. I’m sorry, but I believe I deserve better.

The word became a staple in this new era of gas prices around $4 per gallon. These prices are really cutting into people’s budget. It’s the first time I have ever seen gas prices dramatically affect how people drive.

When you work for someone else, you get a double whammy with this situation. First, you have a ceiling on what you receive. In my 20 years of working for someone else, I did not have a real say in the raises I got. They were either budgeted at the beginning of the fiscal year or they were on a schedule.

The rising cost of commuting plus all the price increases of all the food and other goods that are affected by fuel prices can put a real squeeze on a family budget.

The frightening vision I receive from this scenario is someone who is trapped in a room with rising water.

My answer to this is to work for myself in my home based business. The lifestyle freedom that this has enabled me allows me to minimize the problems with rising prices. To get more income, I just work a little more. The concept of staycation doesn’t even occur to me.

Technorati Tags: family budget, gas prices, home based business, lifestyle freedom, staycation, vacation, work for myself