Is working from home right for you?

When I first hear about working from home. I thought WOW! That is perfect for me! Having worked at home for over a year now, I feel confident to share some information with those of you who might be interested. A typical day when you work from home starts out great! I roll out of bed about 20 minutes before I have to start work. I grab a Monster or coffee depending on my mood and I head to my home office. I start up my work computer, log into my email and may day is off and running. I work for a company called Alpine Access @ Sykes and I provide customer support to major companies. I am only on one contract at a time and for most intents and purposes I work for that company. The support is great and we get breaks and lunches just like any other job. Having OCD, working from home is perfect for me. I am able to get into my routine and I don't have anyone behind me or moving things on my desk. I know sounds silly right? But in most of my previous jobs I worked in a shared office space. So this is a great option for me. I save a good bit of money on items like a work wardrobe, gas, lunches out...etc. However, having said that I do have expenses that I would not have if I didn't work from home. Some of the contracts with my employer provide a computer, but others do not. So I am required to have a computer that meets the minimum standard, a hardwired internet connection and a traditional land line. I do save money as I live in a rural area, so my expenses are actually cut compared to what I was paying in gas, lunch, clothes and other items I purchased when working in a traditional brick and mortar office. I save time. Working in the nearest large city I have a 20-30 minute drive one way. This does add up! The time I save gives me time to tackle things like laundry, dinner, cleaning the house etc. Now having addressed those items let's talk about a couple of things that I wish someone had talked with me about before I started working from home.... Do you need a home office? In my opinion, absolutely. I love working from home, but in my last apartment I worked out of the bedroom and it was a nightmare. I never really felt like I was off work, even when I was reading or sleeping. It was the last thing I saw at night and the first thing I saw in the morning. Will I still need a baby sitter, YES! Please take it from me, if you have young children that you would not leave at home alone while you go to work, you need to have child care. Many work at home companies require that you have a noise free environment and have a very low tolerance for interruptions to your day. Will I have time to start dinner, do the laundry,... etc while working? Yes and No. One of my favorite parts about working from home is I take my shower on my lunch break. A simple thing I know but it allows me to sleep a little longer in the morning. I can't prepare anything that takes a huge amount of prep time for dinner while I am working. But I can throw something in the crock pot or change over a load of laundry on my breaks and lunches. It really takes a lot of dedication and will to work from home. There are always distractions. TV, things to be done, the family enjoying time off while you are working and thinking, I could be out there having fun. So keep this in mind. Living in Alabama snow here is not at all common. We might on occasion get a few flurries once or twice a year. This year in the last 2 weeks we have had 3 snows. The last Wednesday and an accumulation of about 9". Simply insane.While everyone else in my family was off due to the roads being closed I was in my office typing away and answering calls. Overall do I prefer working from home over working in a traditional brick and mortar office? Absolutely. Do you work from home? What are your tips tricks and best advice?