by Suzanne S. in Oklahoma

These days it takes two incomes in most households to make ends meet. That is the situation I was up against about 5 years ago. I did have a job outside of the home, but it was very stressful. My hours were long and I often had to go out of town. Factor in that my husband is a truck driver, working out of town the majority of the month. The result was that we felt other people were raising our 3 children.

During the summer months we were spending more than $800 a month on daycare. That was a big chunk of the money we had to live on. I was missing out on activities my kids were involved in. I was exhausted, irritable, and felt that there was just too much to get done at once. I have always enjoyed writing, and had heard about methods of making money online doing freelance work.

My curiosity led to me spending time searching around online to find out more about it. I came across many sites that wanted me to signup for their membership before I could gain more information. I did pay for a few of them, and was greatly disappointed with what I found. They were the only ones making money with what they offered.

I wasn’t ready to give up though, so I continued my search. One day I cam across Rentacoder, who now has the name of VWorker. This was a site that changed my life for the better. The first thing I was impressed with is that they don’t charge you a membership fee. They keep 15% of what you earn but there is nothing to pay them up front.

I also found they had a solid reputation with other people. While I still had some doubts, I decided to explore it. The process involved bidding on work to do. Buyers could select from the bidders to hire someone to do their work. The funds would be placed into escrow. Once the work was done those funds would be released by the buyer.

I also liked that there was a safety net in place. If the work wasn’t approved and conflicts arose, there were arbitrators at the site to help resolve the issues. I took a few days off work to extend my weekend into 4 days. I wanted to focus on this potential work to see what I could do with it.

There were some initial frustrations though. I didn’t know how much to bid. I was also getting passed over with my bids. However, I stuck with it and worked to build up a great reputation. I created a sample file so I could show potential buyers what I had to offer. I bid on lots of work too and soon a few things were trickling in.

I got nervous as the pay date drew near though. I didn’t want to do very much work and then not get paid for it. However, the funds went right from the site to my PayPal account. No hidden agenda on their end – I was so excited! I felt like I had finally found a great way to make money at home.

My husband and I talked about it at length, and decided to take a leap of faith. I would put in my 2 week notice at work. I had some paid vacation time that I would get with my last paycheck from them so I would have additional income for a while. I was dedicated to making working at home successful for me. I wanted to be able to spend more time with my children.

My friends and co-workers weren’t very supportive of the change I was undertaking though. They thought I was just under stress from work and feeling guilty as a parent. Twice my boss called me into his office to offer me his thoughts and to ask me to stay. I was determined to try it out though.

I figured if freelance writing at home didn’t pan out, I would just look for a new job. I had nothing to lose by trying it. About 6 months into it though I got a call from a couple of ladies I had previously worked with. They wanted to talk to me about the freelance work so we met for lunch.

They were in the same boat as me – torn between a career and kids – but needing the income to cover the cost of living. They were very confident in the success I had and willing to do the same thing. I offered to have them come over one evening to show them the site.

I also was able to give them valuable tips to make the process easier. They were able to learn from my mistakes such as bidding too little for work, not looking at the reviews of buyers, and other details that I had to struggle through initially.

Periodically, I will get calls out of the blue too. For example from the mother of a guy my husband works with. She was looking for a means of supplementing her income. He told her what I do and gave her my number. I love sharing with other people the great opportunities that are there through freelance writing.

There were some bumps along the way but I have to tell you that I absolutely love what I do! I have been able to make more money than I did at my old job, and I work less hours. I also don’t have that huge overhead for childcare so the amount of money my household gets to benefit from has grown.

I don’t have to spend money on career oriented clothing for work. In fact, I go all day working without any shoes on! I also save money on commuting which is great. Getting organized is a very important part of freelance writing at home. I found my family and friends had the impression that if I was home, I was available for anything they needed.

I have carved out a schedule for my work time each week. You have to be disciplined to stick with that. I work in the morning, take a break for lunch, and work in the afternoon. If my kids are out of school for holidays I tend to work less so I can spend time with them. I also work less hours in the summer so we can hang out at the pool and enjoy other activities.

Should my kids become ill at school I can go get them. I can also eat lunch with them, go to sports events, and much more. I feel very involved in their life and what they are involved with. That is important to us. I can even start to cook meals during the day for that evening when we have activities to attend. Now I feel that my kids are eating healthier.

I am always able to have enough work coming my direction to keep up with my income needs. There are many times when I turn work away as I simply can’t fit it into the schedule by the deadline the buyer is offering. That is important too as you don’t want to over extend yourself. You don’t want to get burned out with what you are doing with the freelance writing.

I love writing about many different things. I have learned a great deal about history, animals, operating an online business, and more. The topics change all the time which is exciting. I also get to learn about current events through my freelance writing. I never feel like I am behind on what is going on with the environment or politics.

I have found taking time for me is also important. Freelance writing allows me to be able to do that as well. Once a week I go to lunch with friends to enjoy their company. I also make plans to get a manicure on a regular basis. Those are wonderful ways for me to get out of the house and to pamper myself.

I can also go do grocery shopping, take the dog to the vet, or get anyone in the household to appointments. My schedule is a busy one but now I feel that I have control over it. I have that balance of a career and children. I also love I can do work from any location. Should I want to go out of town, I can take the laptop and still meet my deadlines.

This type of work though isn’t right for everyone. You need to have a passion for writing. If it is all about the money, you are going to hate it. If you aren’t organized and driven then you will miss deadlines. If you aren’t self motivated and up to challenges then it can be difficult. You won’t know if it is right for you though unless you give it a try.

At this point in time, my monthly income that I take home is between $3,500 and $5,000. It all depends on the volume of work I want to commit to. A portion of that money goes for bills and into savings. Other money is used to enjoy family activities, to plan a vacation, and to buy items my family would enjoy having.

As a freelancer, no taxes are taken out of your pay. To help offset the burden of a huge tax bill, I set aside money for it. I place 15% of each pay period into a separate savings account for tax purposes. I always end up with more money in that account than I need. Once the taxes are paid though we can use that extra for fun, for a big ticket item we need at the house, or roll it over into our regular savings account.

With the economic crunch out there, I know many people could benefit from some extra income. Freelance writing at home is a great way to get that income coming in. For those that are out of work right now, the prospects locally may be grim. When you do freelance writing though you can work with people from all over the world. It is fun, it is exciting, and it is a great way to feel secure financially.