How To Give Yourself a Sweet Benefits Package

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you’re all indulging in bbqs and taking final trips down the shore and generally NOT WORKING. Because you deserve this holiday! Me? In addition to my at-home work, I travel into NY three days a week for five-hour shifts proofing at a newspaper, and today is no different. When my boss offered to give me today off, I told him I would be fine with coming in. Why?

  1. I’m an idiot.
  2. When you’re a freelancer, there’s no such thing as a paid vacation day.

Many of us leave our full-time jobs and become our own bosses in order to give ourselves the flexibility to sleep in, take more time off, and not work overtime. Yet when we go into business for ourselves, we often end up working longer hours than ever before, because there’s no one around to tell us: “Go home!” After the jump, the 5 benefits you shouldn’t forget to provide for yourself:

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Marrying for the Money

wedding rings.

Both Jezebel and the Freelancers Union recently linked to this New York Times article on people marrying (or divorcing) in order to get health insurance.

As one who is perpetually thankful for her hubby’s fabulous health insurance (it’s simple existence allowed me to follow my freelance dreams), I find this article especially relevant, for me and for all freelancers.

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