Discounts on Printer Ink Cartridges, Window Blinds and even Office Furniture Allowed this Stay-At-Home Mom to Achieve Her Dreams!
When Patty was working to set up her new home office, she knew she had to stay on a tight budget, for transitioning from her long-term career as a small magazine editor to her stay-at-home business as a freelance writer, would no doubt mean smaller paychecks, but the tradeoff was worth it. After all, she was going to stay home with her daughter and enjoy being part of the infant’s life.
As a resourceful journalist, she had found some great online resources that she could turn to for inexpensive window blinds. In fact, in keeping with her tight finances, she had even been able to buy some great used office furniture on eBay and lucked into a great sell on a full-color printer.
Likewise, her worries about the high prices of printer ink cartridges faded when she took the advice of a friend who ran a large downtown business and ordered refurbished printer ink cartridges that performed at least as well as the expensive ones she used at the magazine’s corporate offices, if not better. They were guaranteed to perform like the original brands and was saving at least 50% on every order! Given the amount of printing she would be doing, this was a nice, unexpected find.
Once she got her used desk and chair in what was previously used as a spare bedroom, she realized that while she had little space, it was going to be the perfect home office – cozy, yet bright with a beautiful three-panel window on one side and a large window on the other.
She quickly set up her trusty computer and was just about ready to start her first freelance job when she was taken back by the glare. She had not thought about what all the great light, perhaps the room’s very best feature, would do to her computer screen.
If she didn’t get the right window treatments, she would be doomed, or forced to sport sunglasses while she typed.
She really wanted to add the best plantation shutters she could afford to the large window and once she did this, she thought she would like to save money and add budget wood blinds to the three-panel window, allowing her to adjust the amount of light she let in throughout the day.
She had her husband help her measure and she quickly placed her order online. Like the refurbished printer cartridges, this online purchase saved her more money than she expected, allowing her some cash left over for new paint.
She settled on a soft buttery yellow color and had her sister and best friend over to help her paint her new home office. Next door to her young daughter’s nursery, she was going to be able to work from home and be with her child as she grew-up. It was a dream come true for Patty.
The paychecks would not be the same, but she could keep herself on a tight budget and make this all work out.
Once the paint was added to the walls, her sister brought over a lovely antique desk lamp and Kilim rug, that had magnificent shades of red, yellow and chocolate brown and her best friend from down the street christened the new home office with a beautiful towering indoor plant that really made the office come alive.
The three women toasted the room and Patty’s new stay-at-home career with a glass of wine and made plans to help her sister set up her own home office the next weekend, where she could get back into her interior design work.
And, as they shared other money-saving tips and techniques with each other, Patty’s husband joined them with some information he had printed off for his wife while at work.
He showed her information on a few websites that he knew would help her budget her money and maximize her at-home success, such as http://www.mymoney.gov/smbus.shtml, which provided business plan information, checklists for start-ups, help on budgeting and taxes and more.
He also told Patty about the U.S. Small Business Association, which provided programs and services Patty (and her sister) could use to start, grow and succeed – all from home.
