But what do those numbers mean for you?

Great question! Here are some of the ways remote work might give you more money in your pockets…

Commuting Costs

Say goodbye to them. They don’t exist anymore! According to CNN depending on where you live, that could mean saving anywhere from $2,600-to-$4,500 every year! Remote work also eliminates any travel time you waste — you actually have more time [to work] and more money.

Don’t take public transportation? That’s fine! According to Strongtowns, you’ll save $725/mile per year if you account for wages lost per mile. Since you’ll be driving your car less, you’ll also maintenance costs — a perk of less wear-and-tear. Flexjob’s shared that remote workers often receive car insurance discounts. By becoming ‘low-mileage drivers’ more discounts become available to you.

Food & Drink Costs

This will vary person-to-person, but let’s consider the average co-located worker.

3x meals out a week at $15 per meal

5x coffees every week at $4 per cup

On the whole, that would mean $65 a week or $3,380 per year. If you’re someone who is already buying food or coffee for home, that’s $3,380 in your pocket.

Clothing (Really!)

Depending on the culture of your co-located job, you could be wearing a suit and tie every day! The BLS states that as of 2017 the average consumer spends $1,833 on clothing. Flexjob’s operated on the assumption that 1/2 of this money would go to work-related clothing. This means that the average working professional might spend $917 per year.

Flexibility Has a Cost Benefit

While flexibility is a huge advantage to remote work on its own, it also serves as a way to gain cost benefit. While this might seem a bit off the beaten path, being able to craft your own hours/days can be beneficial in many ways:

You can walk your pets, and forego the cost of having to pay someone to do it for you

Watch after your children during or after school, and cut out the need for a babysitter (in some cases)

Get a cheaper flight, or travel time, without the fear of missing “a days work” (you build your own schedule!)

Go to your favorite store when they have a sale, don’t miss it

These are only a few examples of the flexibility in remote work offers. There are countless scenarios, many of which I can’t account even guess, that would see you benefit.