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The first thing you need to understand if you’re thinking about becoming a freelance writer or any type of gig worker or you’ve just begun the adventure is that you’re starting at $0. No one has guaranteed you any money. This is very different if you’ve been a W-2 employee you’re entire life. When you get hired for a traditional job, you are guaranteed either X amount a year or X amount an hour plus overtime and possibly holiday pay. When you’re working for yourself, you are not guaranteed any overtime, holiday or vacation pay. The rates that the platform pays or the rates that you set are the rates.
How You Budget When You’re Working a Traditional Job
Budgeting with a traditional job involves getting paid X and paying X number of bills with that money. You have a rough estimate of how much money you’re going to make.
So, let’s say that you make $20 an hour and work 40 hours a week. That’s $800 a week or $1,600 every two weeks minus taxes, which makes it closer to $616 per week or $1,200 every two weeks. From that $1,200, you have to pay your gas, electric, CC payments and purchase whatever essentials and food that you need. Plus, you have to buy gas for your car and take care of any car maintenance. You know that if you spend more than $1,200, you’ll overdraft your account, so you probably stop paying bills and buying essentials before then and wait for your next check because you are fairly certain that you’ll get a next check.
Budgeting as a Freelance Writer or GIG Worker
Budgeting as a freelance writer or a gig worker involves knowing exactly how much money you spend each month, and I mean down to $10 either way. So, let’s take a look at the bills and items that you’ll need to track.
Basic Bills
These are bills that don’t typically change unless you physically move into a new house or apartment. These are also typically static. Most people tend to pay the same amount for electric in the summer and winter. Same for gas. However, it’s important to understand how those fluctuate when you switch from A/C to Heat. For me, my gas bill gets higher and the electric gets lower in the winter, but it tends to be an even swap, unless they decide to be greedy little shits, like this year and last year.
- Rent or a Mortgage
- Electric
- Natural Gas
- Home Insurance
- Medical Insurance
- Car Payment
- Car Insurance
- Internet
- Cell Phone
- Water and Sewer
- Prescription Medications
Bills Needed for Survival and/or Comfort
These bills are secondary to your basic bills. You’ll primarily pay these in order to make your life more comfortable and/or to continue living.
- Grocery – Food you purchased at an actual store or gas station or drug store that isn’t pre-made, aside from the deli and/or hot food bars.
- Essentials – Toilet paper, kleenex, paper towels, trash bags, plasticware, dishsoap, handsoap, shampoo, conditioner, sanitary products, first aid products, all-purpose cleaners, toiler cleaner, aluminum foil, plastic baggies... yada yada – you get the idea.
- OTC Medications – Acid reflux, pain medications, allergy meds, etc
- Laundry – If you have to go to a laundromat to do laundry.
Bills You Have to Pay or Someone Will Try to Steal Your Shit
- Federal Taxes – You won’t have this your first year. However, if you earn enough, you need to set back your estimated taxes and pay them every 3 months (Quarterly)
- State Taxes – You can also pay these quarterly
- Personal Loans – Any personal loans you may have taken out for X, Y or Z, but they’re not credit cards. You’d do well to pay these off BEFORE you do GIG work.
- Credit Cards – Any credit card payments you have. You’d do well to pay these off BEFORE you do GIG work.
Bills You Really Don’t Need, but Probably Have Right Now
- Memberships – Get rid of these. Minus your gym membership. If you don’t earn enough money gig working, you’ll need the showers at the gym.
- Subscriptions – Get rid of these. You don’t have the money. You just don’t know it yet.
- TV Channels – Only watch Free TV. Stop paying for premium channels. You don’t have the money.
- Gaming Expenses – If you pay money to play games, stop doing it.
- Lottery or Gambling – The odds are always stacked in the house’s favor. Stop doing this. You’re not going to get rich, but you will go broke if you do this and work gig jobs.
- Random Crap – You’ll have to determine what this is in your life, but everyone buys random crap that they really don’t need.
Add Up All Your Expenses
Next, add up all your expenses in every category and multiply it by 1.10. Then, multiply it by 12 and divide it by 52. This is how much money you need to earn each week, assuming nothing changes.
Expenses per Month
- Rent or a Mortgage - $1,500
- Electric - $200
- Natural Gas - $150
- Car Payment - $600
- Home Insurance - $100
- Medical Insurance - $350
- Car Insurance - $150
- Internet - $100
- Grocery - $600
- Essentials - $400
- OTC Medications - $15
- Laundry - $75
- Cell Phone - $100
- Water and Sewer - $150
- Prescription Medications - $200
- Personal Loans - $200
- Credit Cards - $300
- Memberships - $100
- Subscriptions - $100
- TV Channels - $50
- Gaming Expenses - $75
- Lottery or Gambling - $75
- Random Crap - $75
TOTAL Monthly Expenses - $5,665
$5,665 *1.1 = $6,231
$6231 * 12 = $74,778
$74,778/ 52 = $1,438 per week
I’m going to be very honest. Earning $1,438 per WEEK as a gig worker is a tall order, especially if all you’re doing is freelance writing. That’s closer to what you can expect per MONTH! A good month might be $2,500. This is why I recommend writing down all of your expenses and taking a hard look at them, especially if it’s just you. If you are the only earner, you need to really pare it down because this is how much money you need to EARN every week.
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This month has been a ride—and not a good one. While the calendar says it’s only the 5th, for me, March started back on February 22. That’s when I finished up all my work for the month and was ready to slam through the audio for Little Bitey 21. I was on a roll—three chapters in—and then, boom. I realized a payment I was counting on didn’t go through.
This wasn’t a bill I forgot to pay. It was income I was owed—and I needed it for rent. By February 23, I was glued to freelancing job boards, hitting refresh like a madwoman. But the work was light. February is always slow for freelance jobs, especially in the final week. That’s where this story starts and why Little Bitey 21’s audio is running late.
If You’re Not Diversified, It’s Time to Change That
This post is part rant, part reality check. If you're a freelancer, author, or indie creator, diversification isn't optional anymore—it's survival.
I write books. I freelance. I crochet and make jewelry. Because here’s the hard truth: the authoring industry is fragile, and freelancing isn’t the cash cow the gurus make it out to be. Only the top 1% of the top 1% are making six figures writing or freelancing. You and I? We’re not in that tier. And that’s okay—if you’re diversified.
Diversifying income streams means doing more than one thing, consistently. Deliver for a gig app. Take a part-time retail job. Sell handmade crafts. Offer digital downloads. Work your day job. Do it all, and then do more if you can.
The Freelance Economy Isn’t What It Used to Be
The freelance writing market in 2025 is tough. Freelance jobs are inconsistent, and even regular clients are paying late. February was brutal—short month, low volume, and delayed payments. Two clients who normally pay like clockwork were late. That’s almost unheard of in my decade-long freelancing career.
The result? Rent due on the 5th instead of the 8th, with almost no notice. Illegal? Probably. But here we are. I had the money owed to me—triple the rent amount—but none of it hit my account in time. That’s the kind of squeeze that can break a household.
The Rental Market Is Predatory—Yes, Even in Trailer Parks
Let me paint you a picture. My mobile home park was sold on December 28. No one told us until early January. On February 28, I was handed a 27-page lease—dated that very day—but retroactively starting January 1. Yep, I was supposedly bound to a lease I’d never seen, for property I didn’t even know had changed hands.
People trying to pay January rent early in December? Screwed. Their payments weren’t honored, and they were told they owed again. I dodged it by sheer luck, but the chaos has continued ever since.
The housing market is a mess, and corporate investors are eating up affordable housing—trailer parks included. That means unstable rental terms, surprise lease agreements, and zero communication.
Get Diversified or Get Left Behind
I’ll say it again: Get diversified. I make jewelry. I crochet. I write articles. I narrate my own audiobooks. I’m still not diversified enough.
This past week, I walked to a few retail stores just to ask if they were hiring. They’re not. The market is tight. And if you’re only working one job right now, it might be time to consider a second—or third. Don’t rely on a single client, gig platform, or creative outlet.
Even people with multiple income streams are feeling the pinch. That’s not fear-mongering. That’s what happens in a faltering economy where freelancers and creatives get paid last—if at all.
Ideas for Diversifying Income in 2025
Here are a few realistic ways to diversify your income as a creative or freelancer:
- Offer services on Fiverr or Upwork: Think editing, voiceovers, resume help, or niche consulting.
- Sell digital products: Create and sell printables, eBooks, or templates on Etsy or Gumroad.
- Start a Substack or Patreon: If you write regularly, build a subscriber base and offer bonus content.
- Join delivery or gig apps: Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart, Rover—something flexible and immediate.
- Teach or tutor online: Use platforms like Preply or Outschool.
- Flip or resell goods: Source from thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace and resell on eBay or Mercari.
- Create handmade goods: Jewelry, art, crafts, bath products—whatever your skillset is, there’s a market for it.
Final Thoughts: This Is Why Little Bitey 21 Audio Is Late
It’s not laziness. It’s not poor planning. It’s life in a shaky economy where independent creators and freelancers carry all the risk. When clients delay payments, rent gets missed. When rental companies backdate leases, tenants suffer. And when people say, “just work harder,” they’re missing the point.
I don’t have a rich spouse funding this dream. I’m doing it myself—and so are you. So stay creative, stay scrappy, and stay diversified.
Your survival—and your art—may depend on it.
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If you've recently transitioned to freelancing or self-employment, understanding your tax obligations is crucial. Unlike traditional employees, freelancers must manage their tax payments, including making quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS.
Understanding Employment Classifications
W-2 Employees:
In traditional employment, your employer withholds taxes from your paycheck, covering federal and state income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare. They also contribute to payroll taxes on your behalf. At year-end, you receive a W-2 form summarizing your earnings and tax withholdings.
Read more: What Are Quarterly Estimated Taxes and Why Do They Matter for Freelancers?
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What's Your New Novel Worth?
Have you ever stopped to think about how much your book is worth? When you contemplate that question, you probably think about all the services you purchased before and after publication, including book editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design and layout services. While these are all good numbers to know, and they do factor into the cost of your book, don’t forget about yourself. Even if you did all of those things yourself and had no out-of-pocket expenses, your book still has a price on it. Let’s take an in-depth look.
1. Writing the Book
The first thing you need to think about is the value of your time. What’s your time worth? What are you giving up to write your book? Was it a weekend getaway? Did you put more stress on your partner because you couldn’t help out with cooking or cleaning? Did you turn down family get-togethers to finish your book? All of these things have a cost. Of course, rather than give each of the events you missed a price, it’s easier to give yourself an hourly wage.
Let’s say you worked 20 hours a week for 16 weeks on your book and you decided that your personal hourly rate was $20. In this scenario, you spent 320 hours on your book. At $20, your total cost for writing the book is $6,400.