When hubby and I got married, although we were both working full time jobs, we agreed that if we had any kids, we would not send them to daycare. Not that there is anything wrong with daycare, we just didn't trust people around our baby. Two years later, Z.E.N. was born.  Luckily for me, the company I worked at had a remote work option.  I worked from home 3 times a week and worked in the office two days a week.  It was a great arrangement. Fast forward to eight years later and I am still working from home full time. Have you ever thought of working from home? Working from home has its own difficulties, but in my opinion, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Here are some of the advantages of working from home that I wanted to share with you.

Saving Money on Commuting

One of the first advantages of working from home that you will notice is just how much money you can save on the simplest of things, such as transportation. When I worked outside the home full time, I used to commute into New York City every day. I would take a bus into NYC and when I arrived in NYC I would also have to take the subway. My commuting costs were sky high. Now they’re zero. Depending on where you live, you might not even need to have a car altogether. This means saving upwards of three hundred to four hundred dollars every month, in addition to insurance, parking, and gas expenses. Even just not taking the bus or subway can be enough to save you as much as fifty to one hundred dollars every month. You will immediately notice these savings add up, in addition to what income you will generate by working at home.

Less Likely to Become Sick

Another advantage that comes from working at home is the fact that you do not need to worry so much about foreign germs and harmful parasitic bodies. When you take public transit to work, you are always opening yourself up to sickness and contagious conditions. Just the other day a report was released by some scientists who did an experiment and swabbed down the NYC subway system.  They found traces of all sorts of disease including the bubonic plague and staph. Yikes! Who wants to be exposed to tat every day?  Plus, if you do became sick, you may end up losing even more time away from work by taking your sick days. However, when you work from home, you won’t need to travel as much, which can significantly reduce your chances of getting sick, especially during flu season.

Much More Flexible Schedule

When you work at home, you are your own boss, to some degree. You will be able to have a much more flexible working schedule, provided that the same amount of work still gets done when it needs to be. Working at home means that you can still have time for yourself to do some things that you otherwise couldn’t do like driving your kids to and from school. It can be much easier to schedule appointments as well, and you will find the flexibility will allow you to focus on your work in a much more productive way.

Much Less Stress

When many people talk about their jobs, stressful is one of the most common words used to describe them. My days used to start off with stress.  I had to wake up before dawn, catch a bus at 6:30 am to make it into work by 8:30 am. Because I was relying on public transportation, I was always worrying if I would make it in to work on time. I now find that working at home is much easier on my nerves.

Spend More Time with Your Loved Ones

Perhaps the largest and most important advantage of working from home is that it allows me to spend much more time with my loved ones. When I worked full time, there were days where I barely had time to interact with Z.E.N.  I left the house before he was awake, and sometimes I had to work late so he would already be asleep by the time I got back home. I hated those days. Now that I am a work at home mom, I love it that I get to spend more time with my family.

So there you have it. Working at home can be ideal. It can ensure that you keep your career where you want it, while still having time to devote to your family.

For more great information on blogging, business and working at home, I'm sharing a few ideas from my favorite bloggers:

• Setting Blogging Goals and Accomplishing Them by Ellen Blogs
• 3 Secrets for Working at Home with Twins by Mom on the Side
• How to Succeed as a Pro Blogger by Biannaul Blogathon Bash
• 5 Unbelievably Easy Secrets to Achieving Work-Life Balance as a WAHM by Pretty Opinionated
• 12 Must-Have Tools For Successful Blogging by Sunshine and Sippy Cups
• Passion Planner Review by The Guavalicious Life

Do you work from home too?  What are some other advantages of working from home that you can share with me?