Over the past few months, people have asked me, “…knowing what you now know, would you go freelance today if you had a full time job?” My answer is always “Yes.” But the reason might surprise you.
It’s not because I like working while watching TV in my underwear. In fact, that hasn’t happened yet. It’s because I feel more secure creating my own work than I would at a job.
The model that my dad worked under — stay with the company for 35 years, get the gold watch and then retire — is dead. The Internet is rapidly replacing the middleman. In fact, economist Alan Blinder estimates that 28 million service jobs could succumb to offshoring*. The company I left in 2008 shut its doors after 50 years (I had been there for 15) with 4 months notice. When that happened, I learned that relying on a single source of income won’t fly in 2009.
Now, I’m learning the difference between “having a job” and “creating work.” When I had a job, I sat behind my desk and performed the tasks that would generate a paycheck. No more and no less. It was a drain on me (boredom) and my employer (no innovation from me). Neither of us grew or changed.
The benefit of creating work is twofold. First, I’m never bored. I get to move from one interesting project to another, each with its own challenges and rewards. Additionally, my employers benefit because, if I’m going to survive, I must continually think of new things to offer. As Michael Scott would say, “It’s a win/win/win situation.”
Working as a blogger, I’m very lucky in that I have no overhead, employees, inventory or office space. All I need to do my job is an internet-enabled computer, some software and whatever brain cells my children haven’t destroyed. Still, there are plenty of opportunities to save money. Here are a few of my favorites.
Find free Wi-Fi
Ideally, I’d work from home every day. The Wi-Fi is already paid for, as is the heat, electricity and food. However, I must occasionally put pants on** and go outside. Be it for a meeting or a need for adult interaction, sometimes I’m tempted to go to Starbucks, the Chocolate Sparrow, etc. When that happens, I end up at the library.
I’ve written about this before, but I love working at the library. The Wi-Fi is free, there are plenty of wall sockets to plug into, it’s quiet, the tables are huge and all the reference material you’d ever want is within arm’s reach. When I’m at a coffee shop, my thoughts are competing with the din of music and nearby conversations, while my wallet begs for a drink, a muffin, and so on. Now, if you really dislike the library idea …
Find cooperative office space
These are starting to pop up all over the country. For a very small fee, you can get access to a desk, internet, printer and often more at a cooperative office. Plus, you’ll have a chance to do some networking and meet like-minded people, all without the full cost of renting an office the traditional way.
Free or less-expensive software alternatives
This one is quite straight forward. There’s a free or low-cost alternative to nearly every piece of software you can think of. For example, I haven’t used Microsoft Office in many years. Instead, I use ThinkFree Office. It’s absoutely free and exports/imports Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents beautifully. Google Docs is another popular choice.
Photoshop.com offers free image editing that’s more comprehensive than you might think, and a free PBWiki account will help you keep everything organized.
The Latte Factor
In his book The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach talks about “The Latte Factor.” Basically, he encourages people to consider what they spend on little things. Sure, four bucks for a latte is nothing. But drink one each weekday, that’s $80/mo. or $960/year.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you can’t enjoy a coffee now and then. But there are more economical ways to enjoy it. My vice is tea. At the coffee shop, it’s a couple of bucks for a cup. Brewing it at home, I pay $0.62 per cup.
So there are a few of my favorites. I hope you found this useful.
———-
*Mannes, George (2009, February). Be prepared for the long haul. Money, 87-89.
**OK, I lied.
I KNEW you were lying about pants! Great entry with some fabulous tips! Thank you!