One other option for voice recognition software is to use your phone or table. There are free and cheap apps that do a great job (I've had better luck with Nuance's Android app than their full Dragon, Naturally Speaking software). What's great is that they're portable so you can "write" from anywhere and copy the transcription to your computer later.

Great idea, KeriLynn! One man's trash, as they say.

Try the business cards. I paid a designer $30 for my own design (ask for vector art), and I uploaded it to VistaPrint. In total, I had maybe $60 into it, but I can use the design over and over.

Here's another tip: Every so often my friends & I get together and have a giveaway party: We round up all our stuff we don't want anymore (clothes, books, even small furniture) and bring it to the party. Everyone takes what they want, and we donate whatever's left over. It's a great way to get free stuff that's new to you 🙂

The only thing on this list I don't do is get cheap business cards. I'm kind of a business card snob! I love designing interesting new cards, and I always go to Moo.com. (No affiliation, I just love them!) Great selection & customer service, and the brand just has such personality. It's a little pricier, but worth it to me 🙂

My sister and I love flea markets and garage sales. One Saturday we hit a small flea market and a huge neighborhood wide garage sale event at the same time. I was already thinking of turning a spare bedroom into my office – I'd outgrown the 7×7 original butler's pantry next to it. The desk I had then was one of those cheap laminated chipboard ones you assemble at home. It was both flimsy and ugly…and only had one drawer.

My sister and I always start out by asking what the other is looking for. I usually find more things for her than she finds for herself. When I said I was looking for a great solid old desk, for under $100 she laughed. One of the garage sales had a bunch of those metal teachers desks, which are kind of neat, but they were all over $100. If that were my style, I might have considered one, but I left without a desk. On a whim, my sister decided to stop at a new resale shop on the edge of town. We walked in and right in front of me sat a beautiful, large, old dark oak office desk. The kind you see in 1940s detective movies. I would have been drawn to it even if I hadn't been looking for a desk.

While my sister shopped, I inspected the desk, expecting it to be wobbly or missing a drawer or hardware. The price tag said $50 so surely there had to be a flaw. The only flaw I spotted was a small bubble in the finish on the desktop – easily hidden by a paperweight. Assuming it was a typo and should say $150, I asked an employee if the tag was right. She came over, looked at the tag, looked at the desk and said, "Let's make it $45, since that one drawer handle doesn't match." (I later realized the style is the same, but the brass pull on the center drawer was shinier because it had been used more than the three handles on the false drawers hiding typewriter cupboard.)

SOLD.

Well, first I had to figure out a way to get it home, since I didn't know anyone locally with a truck. (Yep. The sheer size of this puppy is probably why the price was so low.)

Coincidentally, my brother had told me he'd be in town that Monday with a big new SUV. As usual, he was happy to help out. We measured the desk and his SUV and there was barely enough clearance for our knuckles, but it would fit. I bought it. While we were loading it up, he noticed the name "Jeanne" was written on the pencil holder in the center drawer and said that was the name of his new girlfriend. (They're married now!)

When we got the desk home, I called a friend to come help us move it into the house. Luckily the front door is wide. But we had to remove the office door and some of the door trim to inch the desk in! Quite an ordeal.

And my office chair? A similar period wheeled office chair (maple) that leans back and swivels. I see similar chairs at flea markets for well over $100 all the time. Mine was free. I just carried it up the basement stairs and wiped off a little dust!

There are several good resources for the business side of freelancing. One of my favorites is SCORE at score.org. You can find mentors, business tools, templates for business forms, local workshops and webinars.