5 Ways I Plan To Work From Home And Save Money

Over the past several years I have primarily worked from home. Two years ago I accepted an office position and since then, have worked in an office five days a week.

One of the biggest differences I noticed was how much my expenses changed when I was required to work in an office setting versus having a home office.

As I start to transition from full time employee to freelancer, I am excited that I will save money working from home.

Commuting

Commuting has been one of my biggest expenses over the past two years. Originally I rode the bus to save money and spend around $100 a month on a bus pass.

A few months ago I made the costly decision to start driving to work, which sets me back around $300 a month. While the parking is expensive, I also use about 3/4 of a tank of gas each month.

Once I start working from home, this will be a substantial savings.

I will save approximately $300 a month on my commute plus $50 in gas.

Lunch and Coffee

While I rarely eat out for lunch, the pressure to eat out is always surrounding me. When I see a coworker grabbing lunch and bringing it back to the office, it can be tempting for me to grab something.

Coffee, on the other hand, is the devil an expense that I really struggle with each month. I’ve previously written about how much my daily coffee habit is costing me. Some weeks I do great and spend nothing on coffee; some weeks I grab a coffee every day.

Because I will be working from home, I anticipate I will save anywhere from $25-$50 a month on coffee purchases. I’ll also be making more coffee at home vs. going out

Drinks After Work

Although a small expense, I have enjoyed drinks after work with coworkers in the past. Whether it’s celebrating a work achievement or a coworker’s birthday, it’s easy to spend $20 on drinks.

While I have eliminated this expense from my budget over the last couple months due to side hustling, it’s one area of my budget I will definitely be saving in over the long term.

Tax Write-Offs

Once I start working from home, I will be able to take deductions as a small business owner. Having a dedicated office space will allow me to have tax deductions on a percentage of my rent and utilities, as well as office supplies, my cell phone and more.

While this is hard to measure physically, the amount of time I will save commuting will save me money in the long run. In fact, it will help me make money.

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Time

By gaining back sixty minutes of commuting time a day, this is an extra hour of productivity I can achieve working. This adds up to five hours a week, or an extra 20 hours a month.

I am unsure of how much money I will be saving, but I expect the savings to be several hundred dollars a year.

These are five different ways I plan to save money working from home. Altogether, I anticipate saving a minimum of $400 a month instantly by not commuting or buying coffee. This is a substantial saving that will be effective immediately once I work from home and I’m excited to start saving money each month!

Do you work from home?