6 Home Office Ideas On a Budget
It can be difficult to bring together the perfect home office. The right equipment is necessary if your business is going to be successful. If you’re on a budget, how can you design the best possible home office?
#1) Purchase Yourself A Computer
A home office’s most expensive piece of equipment is a computer. Before you make a purchase, be sure you know what you’ll be doing on that computer. If you’re a writer, you need a computer to type on. If you need to communicate with clients, you’ll want one that allows you to instant message or video chat with clients.
If your job is in graphic design, you want a computer that offers a lot of space in case you need to keep files for a later date.
The best thing you can do is to read reviews about the computers you’re looking at. What have people said about previous models? Does the company stand by the product they have made? It’s possible to get a used computer but do your research. A new model can be just as inexpensive as a used one. If you buy used, make sure to find out if the person offers a guarantee.
Look out for sales. Sales usually happen around the start of school, Black Friday, Christmas and other holiday times. Most printers and laptops are on sale around these times.
#2) Purchase Office Equipment and Furniture
Rather than visiting a high-end furniture store, check out the thrift stores, flea markets or garage sales for desks and bookshelves. It’s not uncommon to find good deals (even things for free) on Craigslist. If a business is closing its doors, it may have equipment you need for sale at a decent price.
Turn to Pinterest to turn old things into something useful. You can always take a plain board and make it into a desk by placing it on two filing cabinets.
With college kids graduating, many will sell their bookshelves and desks, so be sure to watch for classified ads via Craigslist, Facebook, garage sales, classified ads, etc.
#3) Get Connected
In most cases, you’re going to need the Internet to get your business going. Look at the different Internet service providers to see what introductory rates they have to offer. When the introductory price is over, you could always switch to another provider (given there is one in your area) or threaten to switch so the provider will reduce the rates.
#4) Get A Credit Card
If you have good credit, consider getting a credit card to purchase your office equipment. You want a card that has great rates. However, if you go this route, you only want to buy what you can afford to quickly pay back to decrease the chance of tacked on interest charges. This will boost your cash flow since you won’t be spending the money upfront. Make sure to wisely use the card, as you could get in over your head if you’re not careful.
#5) Earn Some Extra Cash
Consider running specials to boost your cash flow. Sell things you don’t need via Craigslist, Facebook yard sale groups or wherever. This will help to do two things – get rid of the things you don’t need and raise the necessary cash you do need.
#6) Do It Yourself Projects
Sometimes, a coat of paint is all a room needs to look fresh and new. Save yourself money by doing it yourself (if you can). If you can install shelves, go ahead and do it yourself. With a little foresight and creativity, you can design an office space that works for you to boost your profits.
