34 Reasons Why Working from Home Makes Good Sense
By Rebecca Matter

I love working from home.

So this weekend I sat down – just for fun – and decided to make a list of all the reasons why I love working from home … and why it just makes such good sense if you can do it.

I came up with 34 … and then divided them into five categories: Save Money; Time Gained; Freedom and Flexibility; Things You'll No Longer Have to Worry About; & Health, Well-Being and Peace of Mind.

Give it a read and then let me know if you’d add any others by posting a comment below!

Save Money

• Save gasoline – Unfortunately gas is only going to get more expensive. Working from home reduces the number of times you fill up your tank from three or four times a month to maybe once every couple of months (depending upon your driving habits). If it costs you say, $70 to fill up your tank, at three fill ups per month that's a saving of $350 every two months or $2,100 a year.
• Save on other transportation expenses – If you use your car less, you'll use less oil, you won't have to buy new tires as often and your car won't need as much maintenance and repairs. Plus working from home could potential reduce your monthly auto insurance rate. And depending upon how you get to work, you'll no longer have to buy subway tokens or pay for parking.
• Save money on dry cleaning – Because you won't have to "dress for success," your clothes won't require dry cleaning as much. If you used to take in two clothing items a week for dry cleaning, at $3 an item that's a savings of $312 over 52 weeks.
• Save money at the drive-through coffee window – You'll be on the road less, so you'll be less likely to cruise through the drive-through window of your favorite coffee destination. At one coffee a day, at a $1.50 per coffee, that's a savings of $390 per year.
• Save money on your taxes – There are numerous tax advantages you will derive from working from home. You can deduct part of the operating and depreciation expenses of our home. You can also deduct a percent of your rent or mortgage payment and expenses for house maintenance and repair and improvements. For a full list, check with your tax advisor or accountant.
• Lower childcare expenses – If you have children or a baby in the house, because you'll be there to watch them, you can potentially eliminate all your childcare costs.
• No need to buy "power work clothes" – You can still buy nice business-oriented clothes, of course, but you won't have to invest in as many outfits. Plus you'll have less wear and tear on your "nice clothes," so they'll last longer.

• Lower food costs – You'll spend less time and money at restaurants. If you previously spent $7 to $10 a day on lunch that's a saving of between $1,820 and $2,600 a year. (I’m embarrassed to admit that I used to spend $15 a day eating out with my work friends. But boy as that $75 a week savings added up!)

Time Gained

• No commute – Commutes into work vary, of course, but a recent survey found that average commute of a U.S. worker is 51 minutes (there and back). This translates into 221 hours a year or 9.2 days! That's time you can devote to making money and getting better at what you do. Plus you'll have more time available to spend time with your family.
• You'll be more productive – On top of the time gained from having a 20 second commute versus a 51 minute one, you'll also have fewer distractions at home. You won't have co-workers interrupting you or talking gossip with you around the water cooler.

Freedom and Flexibility

• You'll be able to spend more time with your family – You'll be home more often and have greater control over your time, so you'll be able to spend more time with the people you love.
• Live where you want – You won't have to live within driving distance of where you work. Which means you can live wherever you desire. Maybe a secluded house in the mountains or a cottage with a water front access? Whatever your dream living environment is you can make a plan now to turn it into a reality.
• You can dress how you please – Maybe you're comfortable working in sweatpants and a t-shirt or perhaps you're more comfortable spending time bare-foot in your pyjamas. No more "dressing to impress." You can work in the attire, you find most comfortable. (I often work in my gym clothes so that I’m ready to workout when my schedule allows.)
• You can take power naps any time you please – Have you ever been stuck at a job and been so tired you could barely keep your head up? I know I have. Of course, you can't take a quick nap at work or they'd immediately take out your human resources file and write up a report about each nap. When you work for yourself, you can take a nap whenever you please. It's a win-win because when you're well-rested you tend to produce better work.
• You don't have to get up early if you don't' want to – For most jobs the starting time is 9 am. But for some jobs you have to be in much early – especially if you work shift work – which means for a 7 am start time, depending upon your commute, you have to get up at 5 am or 5:30 am. When you work for yourself, you can start whatever time works for you.
• You can choose to work when you're at your best – Maybe that's first thing in the morning or maybe you're more of night owl and enjoy working into the wee hours of the morning. It's also always nice to be able to put in some time on the weekends should you choose to get a early jump on your upcoming week's work
• Always be there for important events in your life – If one of your kids or grandkids has a soccer game you'd like to attend, you can. You have complete control over your schedule.

Things You'll No Longer Have to Worry About

• You won't have a prying boss looking over your shoulder and breathing down your neck – Have you ever worked for a micro-manager? A boss who follows everything you do with great detail? It's not a lot of fun. Working for yourself, means you won't have to put up with any of that nonsense.
• You don't have to ask anyone for permission – If you need to attend a family function or go to a medical appointment during the day, you don't have to ask anyone for permission. You can just go! Never again will you dread a response like, "I don't know, this will be the second time this month you've taken off early."
• No more office politics – No more compromising your values and acting like someone you're not, just to make your boss like you. No more office gossip about who did what, when, and with whom.
• No corporate culture to mould yourself into – With most companies you're expected to walk, talk and act a certain way. I'm not particularly saying that's a bad thing, but it's nice to set your own standard to run your business by.
• No more dealing with Human Resources managers – You'll never again have to apply for a job. Which means you won't have to keep your resume up to date and interview with a Human Resources manager whose main goal is to find a reason to eliminate you from consideration for the job you're applying for.
• No more negative influences – In a workplace of any considerable size, you're bound to run into people who have a negative take on everything from work to life in general. If you don't watch it, they could start to chip away at your attitude and state of mind. When you work at home by yourself the only person you have to be concerned about having a positive attitude is yourself.

Health, Well Being and Peace of Mind

• You'll be healthier – You won't be prone to bugs and viruses that are brought into the office by others. So you'll find you'll lose less time to sick days.
• You'll eat more creatively – Because you're at home you can be more creative when it comes to what you have for lunch.
• You'll be more enthusiastic and work harder – Because the work you are doing directly benefits you, you'll be more enthusiastic about your work – which means you'll work harder.
• You'll have a quiet work environment – Places of business tend to be quite noisy at times. Working at home affords you a work environment that you have complete control over noise-wise.
• You'll have a larger and nicer workspace – While it might not always be the case, generally if you work from home, you'll enjoy a larger, more comfortable workspace.
• You'll be at a lower risk of getting into a car accident – Because you'll be driving less, odds are, you'll be involved in few traffic accidents.
• You'll be less likely to burn out – Competition … gossip … backstabbing … office politics … your every move under a microscope … all these things can stress you out and eventually lead you to burning out. You won't have to deal with those things as a work at home entrepreneur.
• You'll be able to exercise more – How much you exercise is up to you, of course, but working from home gives you more opportunity and flexibility when it comes to fitting exercise into your daily routine.
• You'll have someone to mind your house while you're at work – That "someone" is you, of course. You'll be there to ensure your home is taken care of during the day and you’ll never have to miss a delivery every again!
• You'll be contributing to a more environmentally-friendly society – In a small way, but at least it's something. Because you work from home, you'll play your part in reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.
• You can't be fired or laid off – You have control of your financial destiny and future well-being. No one can rip it a way from you at a moment's notice.

For me working from home was one of the biggest benefits living the writer’s life had to offer. And as you can see, there are plenty of reasons to starting your own business from the comfort of home one of your goals in life.

What do you think?

Did I miss any benefits to working at home? If so, please add them to the comments below!