I am always amazed at how perspective changes for people the moment they wrap their arms around their offspring for the first time.  In that single moment, every carefully laid financial plan can fly out the window and people who were previously very logical about money begin to question the wisdom of their carefully laid plans.  In that one instant, money loses importance in the face of this precious new person come to life.

It is at moments like these when parents begin to question the possibility of working from home so they can better balance their family needs with their financial ones.  And when those questions begin to arise, the one that is always at the top of the list is, "Can I afford to work from home?"

This question is especially daunting when the salary you make at your day job is substantial.  Looking at that number and trying to compare it to the number you think you could potentially make from working at home is frightening.  But, it doesn't have to be.  I recently had a friend who was facing this same decision.  She was working a profitable full time job, but was feeling the need to make a family friendly change.  So, she sat down and wrote out a list of expenses she could save by working from home.  She included things like daycare costs, dry cleaning, auto maintenance, and the price of prepared foods, or dining out versus meals made from scratch.  As she was doing this exercise, she was surprised to discover that if her income dropped a little, she would actually save a lot on federal income taxes.  At the end of her exercise, she was astounded at the amount of money her job was costing her.  But the good thing was, the amount of money she needed to earn after reducing those expenses was very reachable from the setting of a Home Based Business.  In fact, she figured that she would actually be able to increase her current take home pay after working at home for a few months.  This discovery gave her the courage to try something new.  And now, she is very content because she is able to balance her financial needs with her family obligations.

Working from home really is a great opportunity.  One of the great things about it is that the amount you have to make in order to sustain yourself is much less than if you are working in the traditional setting.  So, if you are contemplating taking the leap into a Home Based Business, then take the time to make a list of all the ways your job costs you money and see if you can eliminate some of those costs and reduce other costs.  You might just find yourself surprised at the actual amount you need to net in order to make ends meet.