Jean Marie Bauhaus

I’ve been a work-at-home freelancer for the last three years, and in that time I’ve developed a pretty bad habit: most days I rarely bother to get dressed unless I plan on leaving the house. This habit is common among most stay/work-at-home types I know, so much so that it makes me think that people who actually get dressed just to hang around the house all day only actually exist on TV. After all, getting to work in your PJs is part of the whole appeal of working at home, right?

But yesterday, as I was packing a fresh change of clothes for my survival kit, it occurred to me: if we had to get out of Dodge fast, that “spare” set of clothes would actually be my only set of clothes, because chances are I’d be bugging out in my PJs–or at best, in my workout sweats. Either way, I’m not too keen on schlepping the 45 miles to my mom’s house in the country while wearing flimsy PJs or short yoga pants, especially if something happens that requires us to do so on foot. ESPECIALLY during the winter.

So starting today I’m trying to turn over a new leaf by making myself take the extra five minutes to change into sturdier clothing, even if it’s just jeans and a tee-shirt, and also — warning: girl talk ahead — putting on a bra. When I think of how self-conscious I am under normal circumstances when I get caught by unexpected visitors in my braless state, I can only imagine how much that feeling would be amplified in a disaster situation. I figure I’ll need all the confidence I can get, and having the girls properly corralled is an instant confidence-booster. /girltalk and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If I keep this up, then if I ever end up with just the clothes on my back, at least they’ll be actual clothes.

What about you, dear reader? Are you a freelancer, telecommuter or SAHM who runs the risk of getting caught literally sans pants in a disaster? If so, take this simple survival step with me, and let us hear about it in the comments.