Survey after survey shows that the number one reason people make the switch to working from home is to create more work/life balance in their lives. By having a more flexible schedule and eliminating the time getting ready for and traveling to and from work allows you more time for yourself, your family, your friends and the other priorities in your life.

Plus, by eliminating the costs of working in an office (gas, tolls, office attire, etc.), you’ll have more money to spend with your family and friends or on your favorite hobbies.

One of the biggest hidden costs of working in an office is the commute to and from each day.

• If you drive 15 miles to and from work, that’s a total of 30 miles a day. Using the federal government’s estimate of 58 cents per mile to account for the cost of gas, insurance and wear and tear on your car (tires/breaks/engine/etc.), that means your spending $17.40 per day going back and forth to work.
• And $17.40 per day doesn’t even include the cost of tolls and parking
• So that means if you work an 8-hour day, it’s costing you $2.18 per hour that you worked

This is one of the hidden costs of working in an office, and YES, I was also shocked to find out how much it was costing me to drive to and from the office.

• If you take the bus, train or uber to work, you can just as easily calculate the cost per hour and per day for yourself.
• Just add up your total costs for the day and divide it by the number of hours you work per day

Commuting time is another one of those hidden costs of working in an office. It includes more than just the time you’re in your car, or on the bus. It also includes the time it takes to get ready for work.

Add traffic jams and inclement weather and it not only adds to your commuting time but also increases the level of stress associated with commuting.

Let’s assume you have a 15 mile commute that takes 25 minutes (one way) and that doesn’t count any traffic jams, weather delays, etc.

• That’s 50 minutes (just under an hour) each day for commuting to and from the office. Now let’s add the time for getting ready to go to the office.
• The average person takes 30 minutes to get ready for work. That includes getting dressed, putting on your make up, doing your hair, etc. (You’re ‘get ready’ time might be more or less than that)

So let’s add that up. 30 minutes to get ready and 50 minutes of total commute time.

• That’s 1 hour and 20 minutes per day
• That’s 6 hours and 40 minutes every week (assuming you work 5 days a week)
• Per year, that’s 346 hours and 40 minutes (or about 9 work weeks (at 40 hours per week) of time you’re not being paid for)

Just a few years ago, working from home was a relatively rare phenomenon. The move to work from home has now become a global trend with over 8 million people now working from home in this country alone.

More and more companies are embracing the work-from-home environment as a business plan just as more and more individuals find that this better fits their busy and complex lives.

In addition to the benefits the work-from-home environment offers to the worker, it’s also important to stay ahead of the trends to ensure that your career choice remains relevant in the marketplace for years to come.

By eliminating the distractions of an office environment and the politics and drama that goes along with it, many find that their performance at work has improved and that their work time is more productive.

Additionally, by eliminating the time for getting ready for work and the time commuting to and from work allows them more time for family, household chores, hobbies and everything else that goes along with daily living.

Take a look at your own commute time and ‘getting ready for time’. What does that add up to each week? What else could you do with those hours if they were now available to you?

Let’s face it, life is a lot more complex today than ever before. Whether it’s raising the kids on your own, caring for an elderly parent, honoring commitments and obligations, or even being available for a fun event, more and more people are opting for a flexible schedule.

By taking advantage of the flexibility a work-from-home opportunity offers… You get to schedule your work hours to accommodate your life, rather than scheduling your life to accommodate your work!

That’s why people of all ages, from millennials to baby boomers are transitioning to the flexibility of a work-from-home environment.

Yes, you can even work in your pajamas!! Working from home lets you create the a work space that provides you the most comfort and enjoyment while you work.

No worrying about the rules around what you can and can’t have at your work station, what the dress code is and how everyone else in the office is dressing. You can create your own oasis in which to work from.

And, while everyone else is doing their hair, putting on their make-up and trying to remember when they wore that pant suit last, you’re enjoying your second cup of coffee and about to start work in whatever clothes make you feel the most comfortable. Yes… even if that’s your pajamas!

By eliminating your commuting time, this automatically gives you more hours per week to spend with your family and friends. The flexibility in your schedule also allows you to never have to miss another family event again. You can be there for your son or daughter’s recital or attend that event out of town.

Also, by reducing the level of stress associated with working in an office and the commute back and forth, you be more relaxed and happier leading to healthier and higher quality interactions with your family and friends.

It’s inevitable, that if you work in an office, there is going to be drama. People become competitive, which sometimes leads them to become combative. It gets even worse when office politics starts to rear its ugly head.

These conditions lead to creating a toxic environment in which to work.

When that happens, stress levels rise, and if you inadvertently find yourself on the wrong side of the drama, your job could even be in jeopardy.

This one surprised us as being one of the reasons for moving to a work-from-home environment. Those that did, found that they were more relaxed, were better able to focus with less distractions, and that their overall performance improved as well.

It’s obvious to most, that working from home would be less expensive than working in an office, but it surprised us at how much you would save by working from home.

The list is endless, but below are some of the cost savings most experience.

• Commuting Costs – Whether its ‘gas, tolls and parking’ (not even including wear and tear on the car), or bus and train fees, your commuting costs go away immediately. Depending on how and how far you travel, this can range from several dollars to $30 or more per day
• Work Attire – The average person that works in an office spends between $140 and $300 per month on office attire. That includes blouses, pants suits, heels, pantyhose, dry cleaning, etc., and also includes the cost of make-up, hair products and more.
• Lunch – Even those that bring their lunch from home usually eat lunch out or at the cafeteria 2 to 3 times a week. That starts to add up when you’re spending upwards of $10 to $12 on average for lunch out.
• Fees for picking the kids up late – We’ve all been there… stuck in traffic or having to work a little later and not getting to the school on time. Those fees are not cheap, and they add up quick.
• Coffee – Who hasn’t picked up a cup of coffee on the way to work or ordered a latte on their break. With the average latte ranging around $5, that’s $25 dollars a week.

You might be asking the question ‘Why would working from home be healthier than working in an office?’ Here are the top reasons that studies on this subject have shown.

• Reduced Stress – Stress is one of leading causes of reduced health. 82% of those that work from home report being less stressed than when they worked in an office. Not surprising when you can eliminate the stresses associated with; getting ready on time, the commute, traffic, inclement weather, dealing with office drama, the boss looking over your shoulder, no phone call yelling, bullying, or in-fighting between workers. You can probably add another dozen stressful items from your own life.
• Better Sleep – Studies show that reduced stress leads to better and healthier sleep patterns.
• Diet & Nutrition – Based on surveys conducted, those that work in an office eat dinner out 2 to 3 times on average due to time constraints. Home cooked meals are healthier and more nutritious, not to mention cheaper than eating out.
• More Exercise – Studies also show that those that work from home visit the gym more often or have a home exercise regimen that they adhere to due to the additional time that working from home gives them.
• Sick Less Often – No different than kids at school, working in an office exposes you to germs from co-workers. If you’re co-workers have a cold or flu, it’s likely you’ll end up coming down with it yourself.

Another benefit of working from home is that you’re helping to reduce the carbon footprint left by commuting. A study done several years ago found that the increase in those working from home helped reduce fuel consumption by 680 million gallons, about 0.5% of the nation’s gas consumption.

With the significant increase in the number of people working from home over the last several years, those results have probably almost doubled since that study was conducted.

We recommend checking with a tax expert in your state to ensure you’re complying with all local and federal regulations, but you should be eligible for a number of tax breaks by working from home.

Some of these include the equipment you use including your computer, headset, and sometimes even the cost of the internet service you’re using. You may even be able to deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage.

The other tax benefit is that you’ll be able to deduct your expenses first, and then paying taxes only on your next income instead of the total.

Again, we strongly advice checking with a tax expert before taking any of these deductions.