Work at home moms - Start your business with found money

by: Debbie Reyes

Think you can't afford to start your own Home Business? Think again! I have been able to budget the start up expenses of my own Home Business. I have to admit in the beginning I thought I would not be able to afford starting my own Home Business knowing it would take a small investment to get it moving.

So what I did was kept track of all my spending habit for a couple of weeks. Was I surprised as too how much money I spent foolishly. Money I swore I didn't have because I could never afford anything. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen you would be in shock if you realized just how much money we spend on entertainment alone. That is where my biggest expenses were at. So I decided that I would rather put that money (the money I didn't even know I had) to better use and start my own business.

I would like to share just a few of these short cuts that I have taken to help budget my business.

First of all I realized I was spending way too much money on eating out. Every morning taking my son to school we made a stop at the local donut shop. I mean really, who can start a day without a donut? Well at the donut shop I usually spent around $4.00, cause you know we needed orange juice also. Then for lunch I was so busy running around doing errands that I would usually get me a meal deal at a local fast food restaurant which averaged out about $5.00. Now just that alone is already $9.00 for just one day. Well, 9 times the 5 days of the week is $45.00 for the week. Even scarier is that was $180.00 to $225.00 a month depending on if it was a four or five week month. My first initial thought was, NO WAY, I don't have that kind of money. But apparently I did. So now, what I have done is I buy the dozen donuts from the grocery store and that is what we have in the morning. The box cost about $3.00 and last the whole week. I no longer stop at the fast food places, I make it a point to eat lunch at home. So I cut that expensive tremendously. I now spend $12 to $15 a month. Much better!

Next, is movies. Who doesn't love to go see a movie on the big screen. I know I do. Well, we would go to the movies every Sunday night. Just for us to get into the movies was $26.00 for a family of four. Once we got in there it was straight to the snack bar. We had to have popcorn ($3.50) and a large soda ($3.50) and of course we all shared cause it was so expensive. So our Sunday trip to the movies was running about $33.00 a week. A month that was about $132.00 to $165.00. Wow, for someone who couldn't afford much I sure was spending alot. So now we rent a video ($3.50) and buy some microwave popcorn ($2.00). We now spend $5.50 a week.

Do you see where I'm going with this, I was spending well over $300.00 (that I never knew I had) a month, on things that were really not necessary. So not only have I drastically cut my expenses, but have also found other ways to make extra cash as well.

You know those aluminum cans that we throw out after we finish our soda's? Well I don't throw those out anymore. I began to save them just to see if I could really make any money on recycling them and to my surprise I get about $25 a month just from that. Also, I have put my sewing machine to work for me and have made some extra money just by hemming up pants for friends and neighbors.

So you see, if you think you can't afford to start your own business, then you should really evaluate your spending habit like I did and you will be amazed at how much money you have that you thought you didn't have. Next time you are at the movies or stopping at a fast food restaurant ask yourself, if any of that will help you become financially independent. Wouldn't you rather invest in "Your" future, instead of someone else's? But yet each and every time we stop at those places that is what we are doing, investing in their success. We are the one's making them successful, so why not turn it around and invest in yourself.

Don't get me wrong an occasional movie or burger is fine, just as long as you are investing into your future as well.

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