Now that 2013 is here, you may have finally decided to apply for 1 or 2 work at home job ads. If so, congratulations!

But I would understand if you still have frets on whether to go full-time or just be a part-timer.

The number one reason why most regular employees still have doubts about the work at home industry is the fact that the amount of income is not consistent.

But aside from getting employed for long-term by a good client, there are other means to ensuring you have a good amount of cash flow each month.

So I shared some ways on how to increase your freelance income in my recent guest post over at Stef’s blog – The Freelance Pinoy. You might want to check that out

In addition to those suggestions, having enough money on hand as a work at home professional, I believe, is a matter of having the right attitude towards money.

So let me share with you how you can face the drawbacks of fluctuating salary amounts common to a work at home professional’s life. These 7 habits are commonly indispensable for mothers too who generally take care of the family’s budget.

1. Stick to your needs.

List down all your expenses – utility bills, food and groceries, rent, insurance payments, phone bills – and don’t go overboard on your usages.

For example, if you have a post paid mobile phone plan for $10 per month then keep track of your calls and text messages so you stay within the plan amount. This is practicality in every sense.

For other necessities like water and electricity, get the cooperation of your whole family especially the children so you don’t use it excessively.

2. Ditch the credit card as much as possible.

Credit cards are handy for emergency fund shortages but if you use it for every kind of purchase, you’re just creating a big hole in your pocket in the coming days.

Personally, I prefer to use a credit card if the purchase can be divided into monthly installments at 0% interest rate. Some freelancers are really careful with their credit card usages and only use it for verifying their Paypal accounts.

3. Savings should be first priority ALL THE TIME.

This I learned from my husband. In order to have money in your savings account then you should first put money in it before spending anything else, he said.
This does not necessarily mean that if you want to save $250 then you should deposit that amount immediately to your bank account! You can divide it for a period of 3 or 4 months or more, if you like. The idea to keep in mind is to set aside your savings first before paying or buying anything listed in your budget.

I have found it effective to have a different account for savings and another account where I receive my payroll as well.

Opening a time deposit account is the best option for this. A time deposit account, depending on the bank, will have a holding period of 1 to 3 months or longer. This means you can’t withdraw that money anytime you want. You are given an option to withdraw it earlier than expiration date of the holding period, should you really need it but it comes with a corresponding fee. Having a time deposit account will allow you to really set aside some of your money for savings and some for your expenses.

4. Look into some low-risk investment options.

When you are able to save some money already you may want to look into conservative types of investments. I’ll be honest with you that I’m not that well-versed with this since I’ll just be starting out…next week to be exact.

This site though gives in-depth details about possible investment options you can try out depending on your risk personality. But investments are another way to get additional income. And you can either save the money gained from it or use it for your budgeted expenses…should all go well.

5.  Find free Ebooks.

In working at home, it is inevitable that we learn additional skills on our own. Ebooks are the primary sources of these. To get free downloads, you will need to invest some time in searching for the one which fits what you’re looking for but it sure is better than buying one.

Also, reading (fiction and non-fiction) is the most common past time of work at home professionals, especially mothers. So finding free downloadable books to read is a great way to feed this need. One site I like is Project Gutenberg. The ebooks are free and there’s literally a vast range of topics covered.

6. If needed, enroll in online courses with monthly payment plans.

Again, at one time in your freelance career, you might really need to learn another skill which you can only gain from online courses.

Like with ebooks, find courses which allow payments at installment rates especially when you don’t want to instantly spend a big amount of money for learning online.

Some of the courses I listed in my previous post: 25 Resources For Learning Work At Home Skills come at monthly installment rates.

7. Don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket.

Having a good paying and long-term client is what every work at home professional is looking for. It’s great when you have one but still try to accept small projects from time-to-time. This way you build on your skills, get experience in doing other types of projects and build your portfolio as well, making it easier to land other clients should you experience the dry season.

There you have it. These are among my money saving habits I’ve developed since becoming a wahm and I hope you find it wise to acquire as well.

Do you have other habits to save up on money? Share it with us in the comments. These may be applicable for work at home professionals as well.