I know it’s not the best picture, but it’s one of the few I have from my trips last year that actually includes me.
My last official day at my day job was October 11, 2013. Since that date falls on a Saturday this year, I’m posting my first annual self-employment update a bit early.
To recap, I left my day job last year to focus full-time on my online business. I can’t believe it’s already been a year! My old job wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. I dreaded Sundays because it meant facing a stressful week ahead.
Now, life is fantastic. I love everything about being self-employed, and this past year has been one of the best of my life. Here’s my update after one full year of self-employment:
I still love what I do. Some people warned me that I’d grow to hate freelancing if it became my main source of income, but that hasn’t happened. I still enjoy freelancing and being self-employed. Our lives have improved so much since we quit our jobs. Sure, there have been busy times, dealing with health insurance is a pain, and I have to pay self-employment taxes, but overall, it’s been wonderful. I have no regrets and thoroughly enjoy self-employment. I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s definitely for me.
Waking up and working from home is great. One of the best things about working from home is not having a commute. I can just wake up and start working without spending an hour getting ready and driving to the office. Since I love what I do, waking up in the morning is no longer a chore. I actually look forward to it!
Having constant access to my fridge hasn’t been a problem. I was worried I’d overeat working from home, but it hasn’t been too bad. We cook healthy meals, though I do need to work out more. I’ve stopped buying too many unhealthy snacks, and if I do, I get them in small quantities.
I love having a flexible schedule. One of the biggest perks of being self-employed is having a flexible schedule. I can run errands or have lunch with a friend during the day. I can work at night, in the morning, on weekends—whenever it suits me.
Location independence is amazing. Since becoming fully self-employed, I’ve traveled quite a bit. We didn’t travel from January to early May 2014 because we were planning our wedding, but the rest of the year was full of trips. With my business, all I need is an internet connection and my laptop, so working while traveling is easy. The downside is that it’s hard to stop working while on vacation.
In the past seven months, we’ve traveled to:
– Gulf Shores, Alabama: We vacationed here right after quitting our jobs. We spent a week in a rented beach house and had a blast.
– St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: We visited St. Thomas three times in a year (once after I became fully self-employed). I was hooked!
– Las Vegas: I went to Vegas for my bachelorette party, and it was a ton of fun.
– Colorado/Utah road trip: We went on a two-week road trip in June 2014, right after our wedding. The photo above is from that trip.
– Caribbean cruise: We took an eight-day cruise to the Caribbean in July 2014.
– Colorado: Wes went with a friend in August 2014 to hike part of the Colorado Trail.
– Colorado: We went on a seven-day road trip to Colorado again in September 2014.
– New Orleans: We spent about four days in New Orleans in September 2014.
– Memphis: We visited Wes’s family before and after New Orleans for a total of two days.
Pajamas are still my best friend. I’m still guilty of wearing yoga clothes all day unless I have to go out. It’s super comfy, though Wes finds it hilarious. At least I’m saving money on clothes by being self-employed!
Got any questions for me? Are you thinking about working for yourself one day?