Reduce Home Based Business Expenses

Home based business can be very lucrative for individuals that are looking to work from home. Single parents, work at home parents, students, and more are always looking for different home income opportunities. There are numerous business ventures that you could possibly get into, but all of them will have certain expenses attached to them. Some home business expenses may include; accounting, business materials, office supplies, shipping, product deliveries, and business taxes. These expenses will differ between the different home business types, but they all can be reduced in one form or another. Look for areas in your business that will allow you to cut back expenses, every penny does add up when you are trying to be successful.

Start by learning to do your own accounting in your home business. There are a few different accounting software available for individuals that operate small businesses, and they have almost everything that is needed to do your own personal accounting. If you are unsure about these products you should do a little research prior to making the purchase. It may seem like a large purchase at first, but it will be cheaper than paying an accountant to help with your finances year round. If you are not able to learn to use the software, please consult a professional.

Open a business account at a bank that offers free checking to help reduce your home based business expenses. Use this account exclusively for your home business, and have all of your finances run through this account. You should also pay your bills online as to avoid paying for envelopes, stamps, and checks.

Order your supplies such as; letterheads, business cards, flyers, signs, or other printed materials that you may need from one place. I recommend sites such as Vistaprint or find a local printer that will work out good deals for you. You can get all of these home business materials printed in bulk, and pay less than you would at most office supply stores.

If you have to purchase a printer, copy machine, fax, or scanner, purchase an all in one machine. I recently purchased one for $60, and it has been a great investment. These machines save money, space, and time for someone running a home business. I would also recommend that you do not invest in a second home phone line unless it is extremely necessary.

One of the newest features on some printers is to print from anywhere. My printer has its own email address. All that I have to do is send whatever I would like printed to this email and when I arrive at home, it is printed and ready for me.

Purchase all of your office supplies in bulk, or when they are on sale so that you can greatly reduce your home based business expenses. The most used items for me would be; printing paper, ink, paper clips, pens, highlighters, staples, and a few other small items. I look for these items in local sales papers, or search office supply stores online to find them for a better price. Since I do this sporadically I can purchase them prior to me needing them, and save a lot of money. Office supplies seem to me one of my larger expenses, so I try to reduce the cost as much as possible.

Do you ship a lot in your home based business? If so I recommend that you sign up for a shipping program through USPS or another business that offers one. These programs provide a scale for you to weight each of your items out and only pay for the amount you truly need. This reduces your home based business expenses by reducing the drives to the post office and helping you avoid over paying for estimating the weight wrong on packages. You can usually have the provider pick up the packages from your home, which will help you reduce expenses as well.

If you deliver products to customers you should schedule these deliveries in an efficient way so that you can reduce your gas expense. Take the time to learn your delivery areas, and schedule deliveries in a route that will reduce the miles you drive each week. Track your miles and find ways to save money on gas. Read my other hubpage article Beat Rising Gas Prices by Saving Money

Take advantage of all of the home based business tax deductions that are available to you. Most people learn that tax deductions in a home based business can make a huge difference in the amount of taxes that they owe. In some cases the deductions can eliminate the taxes owed. Take the time to discover the deductions that will work for you. Consult a tax professional if you have any questions about deductions in your home based business.

Direct Sales Tax Deductions

I have worked from home for a number of years, and in doing so I have learned quite a bit. As of December of 2014 I will also have a degree in business management. These hubs are a combination of things that I have learned through the years of working from home and the things I have learned through my work towards my business degree. I hope you can find them helpful.

Direct Sales Tax Deductions

Freelance Writing Tax Deductions

Direct Sales Business and Advice

Promoting AVON

I will be working on more business hubs to help others that are wanting to work from home and make a real income doing so.