Thoughts on Working from Home

I work from home and most days I love it. Then there are the days that I spend staring alternately out the window and at my computer screen wishing that I was out in the "real world" where I'd have more contact with people. Then there are days like today that I'm reminded why I do what I do. We had an appointment at the doctor's office to go over my youngest daughter's progress and have labs drawn.

The wait was a bit long but since we were squeezed in and spent about an hour talking to them to make sure everything was fine I can live with that. They also made sure that I understood what we did, are doing and are going to do and why. The biggest challenge right now is increasing the rate at which she makes progress to ensure that she's reaching her full potential.

The problem? There are years of therapy, IEP meetings and difficult choices. My youngest is on the Autistic spectrum. In the time since we received her diagnosis my income has gone down while my expenses have increased. The more therapy I put her into the more time I spend away from home. This means time away from my computer and an inability to work without it.

I'm thinking of buying a new battery for my computer but I don't have a clue which one to purchase. I want the new battery for my laptop because I can take it and a small portable storage device and work on articles when I am waiting in the therapist office.

There are over $200 worth of supplements that have to fit into my budget now. I replaced replaced five and got a new one for a total of $107. There is one more that has to be mail order and three left after that. My only comfort is that they do not always run out at the same time. The months alternate. There is one at $36 and another at $63 that is replaced on a monthly basis.

The good news at this point is that so far I have earned enough to pay the second phone bill. I'm ready to go back to paying the bills every three months for those, I just have to figure out how many minutes I actually use a month. My phone bill is higher per minute than the one I am about to pay but my minutes roll over each month. That is one bill I can easily reduce but if I'm not carefully I'll end up spending more money on the phones than I am now. I have google voice but I can't manage to get a local phone number to give out so I can answer calls on my computer while I work.

I love what I do for a living; I'm not complaining. Well, maybe I am a little bit but I want to go back to earning enough to take care of everything without having to worry about what I'm going to be neglecting to get it done. At the moment my schedule is up in the air so there is no way of knowing if my income goals will be met at any specific point and time.

I'll be re-evaluating everything and plan to create a series of articles on the process of financial goals, meeting them and the effects of the sacrifices to do so.