My task each week on SOAPnet's Bank of Mom and Dad is to provide young women with solid advice that will improve their messy financial lives. In return I've received quite the education on some of the reasons we, as a society and particularly women, overspend and compile debt.

I'm no stranger to the 1099 and Schedule C.

Since 2004 I've been a here-and-there freelance writer, in addition to working full-time as a salaried employee -- first for NY1 News, then most recently for TheStreet.com. I know it's important to keep organized, to hold onto invoices and business receipts and to tuck away a considerable chunk of my freelance dough to avoid surprises come tax season.

But two months ago I got the pink slip and immediately joined a quarter of the workforce in the "freelance economy." I am now a full-time, self-employed worker and am discovering there is so much more to know when it comes to my taxes.

Here's a sampling:

No more discounted dental or a 401k match. No more access to an office vending machine selling Coke for 50 cents. And bye-bye color copier.

Those were the days working full-time at Thestreet.com. Since getting laid off in March it's been hard to say goodbye to those lovey-dovey corporate perks.

But don't feel sorry for me. As a new member of the freelance economy I am actually working more now and even (don't hate me for saying this) turning down some projects.

I've gone from unemployed to self-employed. I'm happy. And I'm not alone.

Sarah A. Needleman's great piece in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) today about "Negotiating The Freelance Economy" captures the big picture. She describes the fast rise in freelance opportunities in the recession, since it's cheaper to employ part-time or contract workers without health and retirement benefits.

I graduated from Penn State with a finance degree in 2002, just eight months after Sept. 11.

Jobs on Wall Street and in the financial industry were scarce...less so than now, but I remember it was no fun time to enter the workforce. So, fearing rejection I did what many of my scaredy-pants classmates chose to do: duck inside grad school and wait it out.

Now as college students finish up their degrees this month, it's like deja vu times ten. The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently mentions how companies plan to hire 22% fewer new college grads this year, citing The National Association of Colleges and Employers.