Time and money saving tips for work at home parents

There are many struggles associated with being a work at home parent- everything from keeping children entertained while you work, to getting housework done and in some cases living on a reduced income. Below are some tips for saving money when you work from home. Some of these tips will also save you time.

Save on computer paper
If you do a lot of printing, here’s a good one for you. Being a writer, I edit constantly. I will work on a piece, then when it’s time for lunch, or if I have an appointment I need to go to, I will print out what I am working on. Then, I can edit while I’m eating or sitting around waiting to be called in to my appointment. I also edit several times before submitting a piece. As you can imagine, I use tons of computer paper. Now, I use old paper for these purposes. No one sees these but me. There are always notes from school that don’t have to be returned. I use the backs of those. I am a Brownie Girl Scout Coordinator for my school district and Assistant Junior Girl Scout leader. We get tons of paperwork every year. Each year, we get more as information has changed. When something is no longer needed, I take any staples out and keep it to print on. This not only saves money, I am following part of the Girl Scout Law- to use resources wisely. I put these extra papers in a large yellow envelope that I placed by my office chair. I need only to reach down, grab a few sheets and put them in the printer as needed. My children also use this paper to draw on and to use as scratch pads for homework.

Save on office supplies
Staples, an office supply store, will reimburse you $3.00 for each empty HP, Dell, or Lexmark ink cartridge that you return to their store. You can use them toward any purchase using up to three at a time- that’s $9.00 saved. I happened to be saving mine for the past year. I had read about a non-profit that you could donate them to. The problem was, I couldn’t remember who I was saving them for! Between my writing and Brownie newsletters, I used a lot of ink this past year. I also own a custom letter writing business. I use a lot of ink and special paper for that, also. I put a bag with my ink cartridges in my car, and whenever I am in the vicinity of a Staples store I stop in and grab something I need. With Christmas coming, I needed some paper for teacher appreciation letters. I found some really cute paper for $5.99. With the two cartridges I turned in, I only had to pay tax on the item. To sweeten the deal, I have a rewards card from Staples, which offers free delivery on phone and online orders, as well as cash back after you have spent a certain amount of money. To sweeten the deal even more, because the paper was for business I could use my mileage as a tax write off. Check around for deals like these in your area.

Save on gas and time
Combine trips to the store, school, post office, and the doctor’s office.
With the price of gas these days, you really need to think before starting that car up.

Try to plan everything so you do them together.

Use the Barter system
If you need something done, and you don’t have the money or know-how to do it, why not barter with someone? The gage on my car kept going up to hot, as if the car were overheating- although it wasn’t. We happen to have a friend who specializes in Neons. He had expressed interest in getting a Letter from Santa for his five children. I was going to offer him the five letters for free if he would fix my car for free (minus parts). Unfortunately for him, the car seems to have fixed itself. The light no longer comes on. You may be able to barter with a teen to watch your children once a week in exchange for something they need. Perhaps a Girl Scout would baby-sit to work toward her Caring For Children badge. There are all kinds of things you can barter for; getting your lawn mowed, meals cooked, dog walked and house cleaning to name a few.

These are just a few tips to help you save some of your hard earned money as well as time, something there never seems to be enough of. By using a little ingenuity and planning ahead , there are many ways you can be successful as a work at home parent.

Visit: www.cscustomizedletters.com or www.writersretreat.homestead.com