Foremost among these to me is what you can do with the extra hour or two that you're not commuting. I have been inordinately lucky in the past in terms of commute, rarely racking up more than half an hour in each direction, but most would lose a full two hours per day. Now, I have that extra hour or two for me, or for Parkbench, as required.
As I can place my feet on the floor and be dressed, caffeinated and at work in fifteen minutes, I try to use that extra time (rather than sleep). As I say, many of these gift hours go straight back into work.
This summer, I'm taking advantage of my extra hour to cook nice meals for myself, himself and friends. Staying in, the new going out tra la... you get the idea. Freelancers eat lunch alone bar meetings and the odd lunch date (no, we can't go across town for your lunch hour, that's two hours to us!), and it's great to be able to work at home and plonk these leftovers on a plate for your lunch al desko.
Maybe stick one of these in the oven for a friend for dinner... When's the last time a nine-to-fiver had time to bake something when they got home? Or run to the fishmonger at lunch?
How about some of these for dessert, no?
It may seem like silliness, but when funds are low, going out on the town is a bad idea. It's hard to go from working at home to socialising at home; it feels like you're still at work. Taking your lunch break to make your place the place to be is worth it. Alternate the twelve-hour days with the eight-hour ones that include nice meals with people you like, and you'll be out on the town again in no time.
