As a freelancer, you are running your own business. As such, you may often have to find ways to save money. While you can deduct many of your freelancing expenses at tax time, this is usually not very helpful when the expenses arise and you don’t have the money to cover them. There are many ways, however, that you can save money on expenses without cutting corners. Make sure that you always shop for the best prices on everything that you need for your home office. This includes everything from large items like furniture to small items like paper clips.
Shop the back to school sales. Keep in mind that most school supplies are also office supplies. This means that when the back to school sales come around, it is also a good time to stock up on your supplies for freelancing. This includes such things as paper, pens, paper clips, and anything else that may also double as a school supply. Just make sure that you get to the sales fairly early, as the stores empty out of the school supplies within a very short time.
Buy in bulk. For the things that you cannot build up on during back to school season, you will often find that buying in bulk will save you money. Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and even Costco offer good prices when you buy large quantities of items. This usually includes things such as printer cartridges, and even printer paper.
Shop online from home. This is a good way to save both money and time. If you keep your eyes open, you may even be able to score free shipping on many of your orders. Use this in conjunction with buying in bulk and it can really save you a bundle of money. This can save you in fuel costs, as well as lost productivity while you are out shopping.
If your freelancing business is still in the early stages, you may want to consider making your business cards on your own home computer. This way, you can just run off a sheet at a time instead of having to buy a full box of 500 to 1000 business cards that you may never get a chance to use before they are outdated. However, if your business has taken off and you will be giving out a lot of business cards, you may be better off buying in bulk.
These are just a few of the ways that freelancers can save money on their business. There may still be other ways to save money, but they will be more personal to you. In the end, however, do not forget to write off whatever expenses you may have at the end of the year for taxes. This is one money-saver that people often forget about, especially when they start to think about their freelancing as more of a hobby than a business.