. Working From Home

I recently received a request from Lisa who has recently moved far from home and feels the pressure of finances (because her husband’s earnings have decreased) to think of creative ways to work from her home.  She emailed me and asked me how I faced this particular challenge in my own life, which I have, and what I would suggest.  May I share with you three different thoughts about what I believe and know works in well almost each and every case.

1) Decide to Be a Saver.  A phrase that we’ve used in our home (which I realize is a ideal situation) is “my husband earns the money and I try to save it.”  What that means is that with as much dedication as he works outside the home, I work inside the home to make every single dollar he earns stretch as far as possible, I try to be frugal.  I try to be conservative.  I may repaint, I may mend; and, in general, I attempt to be satisfied with my current situation.

2) Be Creative at Saving. After several attempts to leave the home to earn money and feeling frustrated, I realized that maybe this really wasn’t the best answer for me.  I decided I would not leave the home to work, if at all possible, which has really never happened to me with all the ups and downs of our financial situations over the years.  Once I determined to stay home, ways were opened for me to be creative, to increase my skills, to cook on less money, to cut hair so I didn’t have to go to the barber, and to mend so I didn’t have to replace clothing as often.  It meant for greater happiness than I think I could have ever found outside the home.  In other words, I learned it to make it fun to live “thin”.

3)  Make Money In The Margins.  I did what I could do to “make money in the margins” (which phrase I read in a book recently).  Sometimes I tole painted for money, sometimes I taught piano lessons, sometimes I sewed for a woman, and sometimes I typed, but my goal was to always be home.  That is why and how I learned to publish a web page, write a book, and share ideas on home organization.

I attempted to try new and difficult things just to keep my edge and have been blessed in many ways.  From my perspective, having my children all grown and gone now, that season was so very short and it only came once.  How very glad I am that I chose to stay home, chose to save as much of my husband’s earnings as possible, chose to increase my homemaking skills, chose to “work in the margins” making money here in there, and making do else wise.

I wish everyone of you good luck.  It is not easy to have less than you would like financially, but it is so very important to be home for them as long as they are home.  It is worth every older couch you own, every dress you will wear past its prime, and every simple homemade meal you prepare!

Find more helpful ideas in my House of Order Handbook.