Most women think working from home is the epitomy of the holy grail! It is an excellent solution for many women today but it is not a quick or easy solution to bringing in a second income for a family. It takes research, planning, organization and a LOT of hard work to make it work long term. Many women and even men now look at this with stars in their eyes and do not stop to think about the sacrifices they are going to have to make in order to make this work for their family.

I do not say this to make you turn away from working at home as an option. Rather, I say this to make you really take this seriously and think things through before you leave your brick and mortar job to make your career at home in your pajamas. There are several factors to consider before deciding whether a work at home position will work for you.

First you need to look at your experience and qualifications. This is key to either making or breaking a successful work at home experience. There are wonderful work at home careers that can make anyone really happy and give their family a viable choice when considering working at home.  A career in creative writing is one that is easily attainable in the work at home market if a person has the skills and experience to do this.

There are many customer service positions that are available for work at home moms as well. Many require that you use a telephone in order to work for the company and that you have a landline phone to do so. Most of these positions require that you do some sort of selling as well. This can be as simple as doing an upsell which is trying to get the customer to take a product that is related to the product they called in to purchase. Other companies require that you offer the customer clubs or warranties on the products they purchase. If you are not keen on sales, then you need to really rethink customer service and sales for these companies. There are very few positions that allow you to do true customer service and no sales.

Get a piece of paper and write down your past experiences. Write down your strengths and your weaknesses. If you have problems with this, and it is a common problem when it comes to assessing our own value ask your spouse or your best friend to help you do this. You will be surprised to find out what others see in you. Use these abilities to see if you have what it takes to enter the work at home field.

Look for part three of work at home tips next week!

In today’s economy, I am sure everyone is looking for nutritious meals that do not cost a fortune! I know that lately it has become very hard to not break the bank when I go to the grocery store when trying to feed my family. I am including another frugal recipe here for a one pot meal! It is very easy to make and my family really loves it.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 8 ounce Canister of Stuffing Mix

1 Can Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup boiling water

1 Tbsp Butter or margarine

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp sage

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water to boiling and add margarine, add stuffing and mix well. Place chicken breasts in a large broiling pan that has been prepared with Pam and aluminum foil first. The chicken breasts should be placed on the sides of the pan and the stuffing in the middle.  Sprinkle the stuffing with the poultry seasoning and sage. Then spoon the creme of chicken soup over the stuffing and a small amount over the chicken breasts. Cook for 30-40 minutes until chicken is done.

Serve with french bread and some raw veggies, green beans or a salad and you have a quick, easy meal!

Enjoy this frugal recipe!

Many people actually lust for a work at home job without even thinking about all the work and preparation it takes to make a career at this successful. I see women daily on a very popular message board jumping into work at home jobs without stopping to think 2 seconds to see if that job would possibly work out for them. Then you see them come back to the forum a few days later saying they have left the job due to it not working out.

This does not leave a good impression on potential employers or even other coworkers. First the work at home position that was taken could have been given to someone who would have actually enjoyed it and stayed there. Second the employer will get very disgusted with hiring people who flake on them and get a bad impression of work at home contractors period if this goes on and on.

So rule number one of working at home is take the time to make sure the opportunity will work out for you! Not every work at home position will work for everyone. Women with small children may not be suited to take phone work or may need late night hours when their children are in bed. They may need more flexible hours to work when their children are napping. If you are in this type of situation, please do not jump into a rigid scheduled job before you really think it through!

Second, get a decent set up for your work at home. Have a designated area or room for your work where you can have quiet or peace to do your work. Talk to your family about this and even put a sign on the door to remind children that Mom is at work! One of the hardest things a work at home mom faces is her children realizing that Mom has put on her work hat and is not Mom first for those moments!

Third, do a lot of mental preparation and scheduling ahead of time! Make meals and snacks that will tide your children over if working through meals or snack time. Get a dry erase board and put instructions for the kids on the board as to what they are supposed to do while you are working if they are old enough to read and follow them. This helps them to keep organized while you are working.

Crafts, books and games are great attention getters for kids when its a rainy day or you are trying to work. I have sat my children at my feet and let them work on a craft while I am writing or have them in another room working on crafts while I am finishing articles. This has saved me many times! I look for discounted crafts and other kits that have gone on clearance. I pick them up and put them away until we need them! Then I always have something new to get their attention if they get bored!

That is enough for today. I will continue this series as I feel there is a lot to say there that women are not looking at! Working at home can work but it takes a lot of time and hard work to manage. It can be harder than working away from home at times!