by: Nell Taliercio
If you are an aspiring work from home mom, you may have already heard these common objections from your husband (and perhaps that nagging mother in law):
- We shouldn’t have to pay for an extra phone line.
- We can’t afford to upgrade the computer.
- The company should pay for the transcription equipment.
- You will be wasting your time and not making a “real” income.
- Why can’t you keep your “real job” / get a “real job”?
So how can you overcome these objections? It’s simple.
The secret is in numbers. Men understand figures and costs. If you are presently working outside of the home, what kind of expenses do you have?
You may have car insurance on a second car you wouldn’t need. Add in the cost of routine maintenance, gas, repairs, eating out at lunch time, that coffee you grab on the way to work, professional clothing, dry cleaning, a second cell phone, and if you have children, DAYCARE! Note that these expenses are ongoing.
Now compare that to getting started with a telecommuting company as an independent contractor.
Once you have your home office set up, your only monthly expenses will be the added telephone line (if required), high speed internet (most people like to have that anyway), and the electricity you are using (which is a very minimal amount).
Not everyone has these figures readily available, so I thought I would ask my good friend to share her monthly expenses from when she worked outside of the home as compared to what her current expenses are.
Working Outside of the Home
- Gas – $78 (drives an average of 30 miles a day, or 650 miles a month)
- Insurance on second vehicle – $107
- Car payment on second vehicle – $289
- Maintenance allowance $7.00 (towards the cost of routine oil changes)
- Daycare (1 kid) – $540
- Clothing – $60 (towards a yearly budget)
- Cell Phone – $80
- Lunches – $130 (She ate out roughly three times a week)
- Coffee – $76 (She stopped every day at Starbucks for a __mocha)
- High-speed internet – $39
- Second phone line – $25
- Coffee from home – $20
- Lunches at home – $60
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES – $1367
INCOME – $2080 at 40 hours per week and $12/hour
PROFIT – only $713 for an entire month!
Working from Home
The car was sold, so she eliminated the costs of gas, insurance, repairs, and the hefty car payments. Her son no longer went to daycare. She could go to work in her sweats, eliminating the need for work wear. She discontinued her cell phone service as soon as the contract was up and she eats lunch at home and makes her own coffee. She is saving a bunch of money!
However, there are a few expenses she now has to include:
Now we will calculate her income at a slightly lower hourly rate, as telecommute jobs typically pay around $9/hour. To be realistic, we will also reduce the working hours to 30, as that is more typical of working from home.
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES – $144
INCOME – $1170 at 30 hours per week
PROFIT – $1026 for an entire month!
What? More profit? Working less hours? What does that ultimately equate to?
A happier mom, which means a happier house because anyone who can work less and keep more of their paycheck will want to jump for joy!
About The Author
Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of www.telecommutingmoms.com – which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today.