Okay, I have to come clean.  I’m partial to the laptop. 

Two years ago, we purchased the laptop for my husband to use while he’s mobile.  That never really happened, so we’ve had two home computers, the desktop and the laptop.  I’ve remained fairly partial to my trusty desktop until it’s recent virus. 

I’ve used the laptop for a few weeks now.  Saturday, my two-year-old decided to see what would happen when his fruit drink was poured into the expensive “toy”.  The hard drive is fried.  So, until we locate the system setup disc, we’re back to the desktop.  And I am realizing how much I took advantage of the convenience of my laptop friend!  Here I sit, facing the wall, working…while my husband is watching television, and talking on the phone.  I feel like I’m in time out!  At one point during our solitary laptop use, I was working in the passenger seat of the car while my husband was driving! 

So, while my desktop remains my friend (my only one right now), I do see myself converting sometime in the near future.  It’s all about the convenience.  And I miss it!

Photo by Arbron via Flickr Creative Commons.

Perhaps the reason I still have my very UNcomplicated cheapo flip phone!!!

Many people who make money from home are looking toward 2010 and working out how they feel about their prospects. This makes for an interesting look forward. The COUNTRY Financial Security Index measures how people feel about the economy and tracks trends about financial security. It’s pretty evenly split in terms of what people feel about financial prospects for 2010, reports COUNTRY:

As 2009 draws to a close, Americans are almost evenly divided on their future financial predictions for 2010, according to a survey conducted in connection with this month’s COUNTRY Financial Security Index^®. Twenty-nine percent say things will be better, 28 percent say things will be worse and 32 percent think the status quo will prevail.

It’s an interesting look at the general attitudes in the country. I, personally, think that mine will stay pretty close to the same. The recession didn’t have much of an effect on my freelance home business, and I doubt things will change much for me.

Where do you fit in? Are you hopeful for a better year in your personal economy?

I read about an interesting study today on LimeLife. Apparently, female breadwinners feel guilt about being away from home:

The interviews showed that most successful working women, with men at home taking care of the family, enjoyed the sense of independence and control they have over their own lives, but they often found themselves up against cultural expectations that they should be at home with the kids.

This is different from many work at home moms, I would think. After all, it is possible to earn money from home, while still fulfilling the expectations of child-rearing. I’m not sure how many work from home moms are the primary breadwinners, however. I am, and sometimes I feel a little guilty because I know that my husband feels bad that I am the primary caregiver for our son and earn the money while he finishes graduate school. (He helps out around the house a lot.) My feelings of guilt come from his feelings of guilt.

It’s an interesting interplay, since we are doing what works for us. But sometimes we get caught up in traditional expectations of how things should be, rather than just being grateful that we are in a position to take care of our family in a way that works for us.

This is a great time of year, with a chance to reflect on what you are grateful for. I hope you are having a good holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many small businesses and home business ventures are looking for ways to cut costs. And that is understandable. We are in a recession. Happily, there are a few things that you can do to save money for your home business. You may even be able to save enough that you won’t have to fire anyone. Here are 4 things, from TheStreet.com, that you can do in your home business to cut costs:

1. Reduce your meetings. Whether it is meeting a potential client in the coffee shop or traveling to a conference, you can reduce your meetings. Technology has provided a number of tools, from video conferencing from your computer to arranging cheap phone calls using Skype.

2. Renegotiate. You can renegotiate your contracts with suppliers and service providers. Look at the last time you negotiated your deals, and see if you can do better.

3. Give up some luxuries. Even the home business has some perks. I used to buy lunch a couple times a week, just to “get out” of the home office. Now, I brown bag it and take my lunch to a local park and just sit and eat. For larger businesses, there are bound to be other luxuries that you can give up.

4. Go paperless. You can reduce your costs by going paperless. While a paperless home office isn’t for everyone, you might be surprised at what happens when you start emailing or faxing invoices, rather than printing them out and mailing. (Saves on postage as well.)

Many home business owners are being affected by the economy right now. However, even though leaders keep trying to talk about “economic green shoots”, it is far from certain that they will remain in place. Indeed, some of the optimism about the economy seems to be waning. Today, two important indicators put a damper on the economic party:

1. U.S. GDP has contracted.

2. Unemployment claims jump.

The U.S. has seen continued contraction in GDP, and unemployment claims, after slowing a bit, are now jumping again to higher levels. The GDP news has a silver lining, though; it contracted by less than expected. The jobless claims continue to be a problem. As long as unemployment continues to rise, it will be difficult to make inroads in other aspects of the economy.

One of the interesting points I ran across recently was from The Telecommuter Manifesto. A post on the productivity paradox (the more productive you are, the more work you get, meaning you work harder, but for the same amount of money) really got me thinking about an aspect of working from home that we sometimes overlook: Are you working at a task-based job, or a time-based job?

Task-based work from home

If you are doing a task-based job, you are paid by the tasks you complete. As a freelance writer, I am very familiar with this type of compensation. I am paid per word, per post or per project. If someone asked me my hourly rate, I would have to estimate by how long it takes me to complete the task I am given. The upside to this mode of pay is that I end up with a high hourly rate — and more free time — if I can complete a project quickly. The downside is that if a project takes longer than I thought, it can be a very inefficient use of my time, reducing my overall hourly rate.

Time-based work from home

As you might guess, time-based work is paid hourly. You get the same rate, for however many hours you work. For telecommuters working for someone else, this means that you are expected to be “logged in” and at your workstation between specific hours. For those with a home business (especially freelancing or consulting), it means you charge an hourly rate, and you get paid for how long your services are used. The upside is that you always get paid your rate. The downside is that if you take too long, you run the risk of having your charges disputed. For telecommuters, there is a good chance that you end up a victim of the productivity paradox.

The Telecommuter Manifesto explains the difference in productivity paradox between task-based and time-based telecommuting:

Telecommuters whose jobs are task-based, rather than time-based, are most able to avoid the productivity paradox.  For them, the added productivity of telecommuting will allow tasks to be completed more efficiently and quickly, freeing up even more time for persuits that directly correlate their efforts with their earnings.  Time-based telecommuters are even harder hit by the productivity paradox than office workers.  Without proper monitoring of how productivity gains are exploited, such workers may quickly burn out or take actions that jeopordize the continued management support necessary to remain a telecommuter.

I think I like being task-based. It seems to give me a little more freedom overall. What about you? Do you charge by project, or by the hour? Has it affected your productivity?

Today is the observation of Memorial Day. It is a time for remembering, and a time for gratitude. I will be taking this time to visit graves of family members and talking to my son about sacrifice and the respect we should have for those who give themselves to help protect us.

What are you doing for Memorial Day?

One of the big bits of financial news today is the fact that the Senate has approved new credit card rules designed to protect consumers. However, even though consumer protection will likely increase (the House is expected to approve the bill with very little effort), there will be some consequences for those with a home business.

For the most part, requiring increased consumer protection means that the credit card companies will make less money. They will likely try to shift their focus to higher-end clients as a result. And, of course, the credit card industry is likely to want to exact revenge. This means that some home business owners may find it more difficult to get a credit card.

Credit card companies have already been restricting credit and reducing rewards. While the reforms may protect consumers a bit better, it will also likely have the consequence of making credit harder to get in general.

How do you think the new credit card reforms will impact your home business?