1stwebdesigner

Money Saving Tips for Web Designers and Developers

Posted: 30 Jul 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Freelancing has its perks, especially when we talk of freedom and flexibility. With all the liberty you have, you can do more projects and allot more rests. You also have the prerogative to work anywhere you want. Freelancing is a great career to step into but it has its drawbacks.

You work alone most of the time.
You deal directly with clients.
You need to have a rich artistic bank.
You are more prone to procrastination.
Your budget is should always be planned.

Of all these drawbacks, it's the last one that hurts freelancers the most. There are lots of articles on money saving tips. But which focuses entirely for web designers and developers?

When you freelance, you take matters into your own hands: getting clients, working on deals, doing the project, and everything you could ever think of.

But what really becomes the problem is budget.

Yes, we earn a lot of cash in this field, especially if you are already a seasoned designer and really taking a huge number of projects. Sometimes you go spend a lot simply because you earn a lot too. You unconsciously increase your standard of living.

And one day, you'll realize, that in hard times, you're flat-as-a-tire broke.

What the hell happened? Yesterday, you were earning big bucks. And suddenly projects run dry, and your creativity goes on a drought. You look at your pocket and find only a couple of dollars.

Well, maybe the answer to the 'what-the-hell-happened' question is: YOU DID NOT SAVE.

Financial saving is important because it makes you ready for the unforeseeable future. Who knows what might happen tomorrow, right? So as early as now, you have to make sure that you have enough when that tomorrow comes. Make sure that you are ready when it hits you.

Here are a few tips:

The Archer Mentality

"A great archer (marksman) saves his arrows for bears and not for rabbits"

I have this way of thinking called the Archer Mentality. Archer Mentality's main philosophy is rooted on saving for the things that matter. As a freelance web designer, consider these:

Which of the expenses will you really need?
Is this premium plugin worth it?
Is this software really precious as it sounds to be?

Remember, you have to identify which of your needs is necessary for your work (or for your daily living for that matter). If it's unessential, scrape it off! That's the minimalist way of thinking, right?

Start looking for more free tools. Yes, free software and UI kits may not be as good as premium ones but you can always be innovative and resourceful. There are ways to cut the costs.

Shoot your arrows for bears. If it's not a bear, then, it's not worth an arrow.

Here are a few other related articles:

Doubt Everything

Doubt may be a bad habit for success stories, but it sure is necessary. All successful men have gone through doubting themselves. This can also be applicable in saving money. Try the following doubt-methods:

When you feel like spending, compare the product you want to buy with the total number of hours you will be working for it. Say, you want to buy a pair of $300 shoes and you are earning $20 an hour. Will you be willing to spend 15 hours on that shoe?
Put reminders on your wallets and card holsters. Reminders like "You are saving for a car" that you can see just as you would get cash or draw your card. It would really help you re-think whether or not you will spend your cash.

Here are a few other articles that might help you:

Be a Freebie Finder

Freebies are the greatest thing about the Internet, aside from cats, perhaps. Freebies help freelancers a lot. Because of freebies, you don't have to worry about thinking of a design and not being able to execute it. The tools you need are free! Elements like pictures, UI kits, templates and fonts can be found all over the web and you can choose from them.

Sometimes, it's not the price of the element that matters but it's how you creatively use them.

Here is a list of some of the 1WD Freebies:

Plan Your Education

As a freelancer and worker of the Web, you have to update your knowledge. Doing so will increase your potential to be hired because your clients know that you have the idea about the latest trends and techniques in your field.

Courses can be very costly at times, and sometimes, there are courses that really don't make any sense in your field. That is why you have to plan your education. You have to schedule your updates to both save money and time. You just can't go on deciding that you want to take this $1000 course on something.

Here are a few tips:

Create a list of things you really need to learn.
Know which of these items are discounted. If you think the discounted prices are reasonable, then, take them.
Don't go course-hopping. Choose what you really need.
Remember to read reviews. Make sure the course you'll take are worth the bucks you spend.
Be mindful of scammers. Take courses from trusted online resources.
If there are free courses, take them.

More to learn here:

Conclusion

Saving money is not always easy. It's darn hell painful. That is why you need a lot of discipline on this. But always remember that the sweetest fruits of success come from the bitterest of roots. Don't just be a happy-go-spend person, save for the rainy days. Good luck.

Do you have any money-saving methods to suggest? Let us know.