Comments on: The Hidden Costs Of Freelancing

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:47:07 +0000

@ Harris: No sure how you can "guess" as freelancers cost by reading this since I never even mentioned any rates. To "know" rather than guess, feel free to visit any freelancers sites (many do list their rates you know).

@ Dark Knight Action Figures: Hi Dennis, yes, you are correct. The lifestyle can be romanticized for sure. I think once we know what goes on behind the scenes we can deal with the reality a lot better.

It's like with every business. There are hidden costs we need to factor in and keeping a realistic view will help to make this manageable. Thank you for the comment. It's good to see what you guys think about this and by getting all that feedback I learned that there is indeed a huge gray zone.

By: Dark Knight Action F

Dark Knight Action F — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:10:13 +0000

Thanks very much for the read Monika. So many that romanticize the lifestyle of being a freelance writer forget how much extra work (besides writing) goes into making freelance writing a viable career. All these hidden costs can really drop the dollar per hour rate one is actually making. Unfortunately, in the online world at least, the trend these days tends to be quantity over quality, and writers trying to break in are faced with competition from people who are willing to write for almost nothing.

By: Harris

Harris — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:43:08 +0000

Thanks for providing useful information on freelancing. Now I can guess the actual cost of freelancer.

By: Drumsreview

Drumsreview — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:43:48 +0000

Excellent information here

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:48:04 +0000

@ Amy: You are welcome Amy, I made the same mistake too when I was just starting out and learned over time that I was selling myself short because I never factored in the hidden costs. Never mind, we all learn from mistakes, don't we?

By: Amy Derby

Amy Derby — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:14:56 +0000

Excellent information here, Monika. The extra costs do add up. Although many things — fees etc — get written off under my business expenses, they do come out of my pocket to begin with, and it is easy to forget about such expenses as paypal fees and the like.

By: 2greedy

2greedy — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:23:12 +0000

Thanks for all this financial info on freelancing.

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:06:22 +0000

@ Lissie: Check your income statement from PayPal. On the very right hand side column you'll see the fee they take out for every payment you have received. That is what I meant. I see where you are coming from though with your transfer to your account.

I'm in Australia and the same applies to me when I transfer the money. But you still get charged by PayPal to use their account. Hope this explains the situation.

By: lissie

lissie — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:58:58 +0000

I am confused about this thing with paypal taking a % of funds paid to me – I have never seen this – I get a free transfer to my local (New Zealand) account if the amount is over NZ$150, pay $1 if less than that – is it different for Americans?

By: Hidden Costs of Freelancing Revealed and Discussed

Hidden Costs of Freelancing Revealed and Discussed — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:40:46 +0000

[...] Now here’s something you should make reading time for, since it directly affects how lucrative your time is. Monika details The Hidden Costs of Freelancing, listing and discussing each and every one of them in detail. [...]

By: I E

I E — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:47:50 +0000

Thanks for all this financial info on freelancing.

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:36:02 +0000

@ Peter: My bad, that was actually all my fault and I apologize for offending you. It's all sorted now thanks to you.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:32:42 +0000

Noticed a spelling error like: "All this extra time does ad up and when it comes down to it." It should have been "add up". Full stop was missing at the end of the article. I think the editor of the blog should keep an extra careful eye to these things to reach top world standards.

Otherwise it was nice to read the article.

By: Monika Mundell

Monika Mundell — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:45:15 +0000

@ Yuwanda: Thank you, glad you enjoyed the post. I realize that this is a bit of an undiscovered topic, since most freelancers ignore the facts or simply don't think about the hidden costs.

By: The Freelance Writer

The Freelance Writer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:32:03 +0000

Well said Monika, especially this part, "For some reason unknown to me, freelancers also have this “thing” with other people’s rates. If theirs are higher they automatically get judged as the better professional. Remember, this has nothing to do with quality but with our worth, lifestyle, cost of living and needs."

I second that wholeheartedly!

Yuwanda