What's So Great About Working From Home?

In 1999 while I was pregnant with my first son I asked my husband if he thought we could make it on just his salary. At first he was reluctant--unsure, but he eventually agreed. Two weeks later I was a free woman.

I had all the time in the world to decorate my son's nursery, rearrange his baby clothes, wash and re wash the stuffed animals. But as the time passed waiting for baby to be born , I grew bored. I had never had so much free time in my life. The Internet was still fairly new so I spent a lot of time on the pregnancy boards, but other than that I need something to do.

That's when I found eBay. I began selling clothes online, checks were coming in the mail daily and the best part-- I had NO BOSS! I decided when I wanted to work, when I wanted to shop for new inventory, take pictures, answer emails. If I couldn't sleep at night, I worked. When I couldn't get up in the morning, that was fine too, because I didn't have to.

10 years later, eBay has changed a great deal and I still sell there from time to time, but its no longer my main source of income. Now I am a freelance writer, webmaster, affiliate marketer, home school instructor... whatever I want to be.

There are some disadvantages to working at home. For example, my children still haven't figured out what a closed door means. They never hesitate to walk in on my while I'm writing, or on the phone. That drives me nuts. Theres nothing worse than completely losing your train of thought while working on an article whose deadline is close of business today . Then theres the constant bickering, baby crying, and other domestic distractions. Finally some WAHMs complain of loneliness. I admit, I've had that same problem. I missed getting dressed in nice work apparel ( not sweats ) and driving across town to my job where everyone addressed me as Mrs. Brown (not mommy). I missed lunch on the mall with my co workers and running to the bank after work on Fridays to cash my check.

Of course the advantages outweigh the disadvantages 10:1. Most work at home jobs allow you to create your own schedule. You'll save tremendously on gas and dry cleaning, not to mention the tax benefits. More importantly, you'll be there when your children get home from school. You don't have to put them in after-school care or worse have latchkey kids coming home to an empty house every day.

Or alternatively, you can even choose to home school which we've been doing since 2005. There are so many wonderful reasons to work from home. The list just goes on and on but for me ,its all about independence. I've never liked being told what to do and the idea of having my salary capped at some arbitrary number really irked me. Now I have the freedom to work when I choose, to vacation when I want , to directly impact what I earn. A traditional 9-5 doesn't even come close.