Office Furniture: How to Buy On a
Tight Budget.
by
Mary West
Office
furniture will usually form a significant part of your
overall budget for setting up an office. It makes
sense to try to minimize what you spend in this area
while getting the functionality you need.
The
first thing you must do is to determine needs
precisely. What items of furniture cant be avoided?
What is nice to have but not essential? Plan to cut
out the latter if youre on a tight budget.
Here
are ideas for saving on each of several types of
office furniture.
*
Storage Having some form of organized storage is
usually essential. However, it can be quite expensive.
Brand new filing cabinets can cost you several hundred
dollars apiece. Buy used filing cabinets from surplus
stores, auctions and so on.
Alternatively, try using those storage boxes meant for
keeping hanging files in. You can get them from office
supply for as little as ten or fifteen dollars. There
are also stackable storage drawers made of steel and
fiberboard. They are quite inexpensive when compared
to traditional filing cabinets.
* Desks
You can get office desks in a very wide price range.
If you want to save money, emphasize functionality
over style. Avoid buying those computer desks. They
are often fragile and way too small if you want to do
any sort of paperwork.
Heres
an idea -- why not use a kitchen table as a desk? You
can get a rectangular kitchen table at a far lower
price than traditional office desks. You get a large
desktop area that partly compensates for lack of
storage space. Plus, you can add a filing cabinet or
other storage under it.
*
Chairs This is one piece of office furniture worth
spending money on. Buy an ergonomically designed chair
that offers good back support. That way, you can work
for long periods of time without fatigue.
You can
often find used office chairs in good condition. Be
sure to check for wear and tear or damage that might
affect the comfort and support you get.
* Desk
storage There are good shelving units available at
office supply stores. Plus of course, you can get used
ones to save money.
Another
way to save money on desk storage is to use storage
cubes. You can usually find them in the kitchen
sections of department stores. They are very cheap and
give you the storage space you need.
*
Computers and software When buying a computer, buy one
with the configuration you need rather than go for the
highest-end configuration available. You are looking
for the functionality you need at the lowest possible
price. Keep an eye open for sales. Once you know what
you want, try to buy at a sale.
Look
for deals where essential software like the operating
system and office software suite are bundled along
with the hardware. It usually pays to shop around when
buying computers.
* Stand
for printers and other equipment Using a separate
stand for your printer and other equipment can free up
space on your desk. While you can get a good printer
stand fairly cheaply, you can also be creative and
think of other options. For instance, use a drawer or
an end table as a printer stand.
Use the
simple ideas above and you will save money while
having the office furniture you really need.
Mary
West writes on workspace design. Her articles on
office furniture at
http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/ and
http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/furniture-buying-tips.html
include ideas on how to buy on a budget and other
money saving tips.
Office Furniture: Save Money When
Setting Up Your Office.
by
Mary West
Getting
the right office furniture is part and parcel of
setting up a business operation. That applies to
simple home offices as well as large multi-city
enterprises and everything in between.
Here
are several things you can do to ensure that you buy
office furniture as economically as possible.
* The
first step is to plan your office. Write down your
exact needs. Figure out what furniture you will need
at the minimum. These are things which if absent will
impair your ability to run the business.
Heres
the most important rule for buying office furniture
economically -- everything other than the essentials
you identified above is an optional extra. You may
decide to buy it or not depending on your budget. Buy
only what you truly need.
* Draw
out a sketch of the office and where each piece of
furniture will go. This is a vital step in cutting
down waste as well as in planning your office
properly. You may discover that the big, attractive
desk you saw at the discount store will actually take
up space thats needed for something else.
This
step will help your fine-time your real needs further.
It will help you focus on the must-have furniture as
opposed to the nice-to-have stuff.
* Now
that you know how much you will need to spend on
furniture, make a decision regarding whether youll buy
it outright or rent / lease it. If you are under a
severe budget constraint, leasing may be an option to
look at.
*
Functionality rules over appearances. Sure, its great
if you can afford office furniture that looks
terrific. But in general, it is better to plan your
office space keeping functionality in mind rather than
looks. You will likely save a lot of money that way.
* Think
about what you already have. This applies more to a
home office than to other types of offices. If you
have a well-designed chair with good back support, for
instance, you may be able to eliminate that item from
your purchase list.
* Get
creative with your needs, particularly for home
offices. Do you really need to buy a large desk? How
about placing a board across two filing cabinets?
Thats one way you can instantly create a desk with
storage space!
How
about swapping furniture with a friend? If you have
childrens furniture you no longer need, maybe someone
you know will be willing to swap them for storage
units.
*
Consider buying use furniture. Where can you get them?
Lots of places -- auctions, businesses closing shop,
estate sales, government sales, classified ads, garage
sales, used furniture shops and more. Good hotels redo
their guest rooms every few years and may sell
furniture at low prices.
One
issue with buying used furniture from many of the
sources mentioned above is that you may have to
arrange transportation on your own. That can be a
problem sometimes.
Nevertheless, buying used furniture is one of the best
ways of saving money on office furniture. Dont
overlook it.
* If
you do need to buy new furniture, avoid buying at full
retail wherever possible. Large stores often have
special deals available from time to time. For
instance, floor display models that have minor
scratches may go for steep discounts.
With a
bit of planning, it is possible to dramatically reduce
your expenses on office furniture. Use some of the
above ideas and get the functionality you need even if
you have a limited budget!
Mary
West writes on workspace design. Her articles on
office furniture at
http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/ and
http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/office-furniture-ideas.html
include tips on how to buy on a budget and other ideas
for saving money on furniture purchases.
Top 3 Tips For Buying Office
Furniture.
by
Roger Wembley
The
topic of office furniture is about as exciting as
watching the grass grow to some people. Generally,
these people see buying office furniture as a
necessary evil which requires them to search through
the numerous offering of different manufacturers to
finally find that perfect piece that theyve been
looking for. While the topic of office chairs and
other office furniture items might seem a little dull
to the new shopper, there are plenty of ways to make
it exciting. Yes. Exciting!
1) Lets
start with Ebay. Guess what? Ebay is one of the
largest (if not the largest) shopping experiences in
the world right now (and probably into the near
future). Ebay has grown massively during the last and
it currently the largest used car dealer on the
planet. How does this relate to office furniture?
Simple. Office furniture can be bought on Ebay. And
cheaply. I regularly buy items for 50% off on Ebay.
Maybe someone had a business that didnt work out so
well and now all their equipment is for sale on Ebay.
Their loss is your gain. Why pay $800 for a new chair
when you can buy one slightly used for $250? No
brainer. Ebay is the way to go.
2) Dont
buy more than you actually need. Office furniture is
quite versatile. Buying a slightly larger desk can
take the place of two smaller ones if you know how to
arrange it properly. In fact, buying one large used
piece of office furniture might cost only ¼ as much as
2 small new pieces. The key is to buy the best bang
for the buck.
3) Look
into leasing or renting office furniture. Now this is
one good tip- Im sorry to say I cant take credit for
it myself. This is a fantastic way to keep your cash
flow in your pocket while enjoying the benefits of a
brand new office. New chairs, new desks, new
everything: all for a very low up front price. The big
thing to look out for here is to make sure that you
are truly getting a good deal. To say there are
conartists out there is a huge understatement. Read
the fine print carefully and make sure that what you
are paying is less than buying it outright. However,
with a little bit of homework, it really isnt that
hard to get a good deal by renting or leasing. Check
it out.
Roger Wembley writes for
http://www.officefurniturers.com.
Officefurniturers.com features information and
resources for people interested in office furniture.
Visit Officefurniturers.com today.
Making Smart Home Office Furniture
Choices.
by
John Schwartz
Choosing the right computer desk for use in your home
office is a more important decision than a lot of
folks who work from home realize. This is especially
true for those of us who run online businesses from
home. Why? Because we tend to spend more hours at our
desks than those who are self-employed in offline
ventures. Any business person who relies heavily on
computers should pick a desk (and desk chair)
carefully.
You
might be asking, 'what's the big fuss? It's just a
desk.' The fuss is your bottom line! Several studies
in recent years have proven conclusively that the
furniture we use in office settings (desks, chairs,
etc.) has a direct impact on work productivity. And
that has a huge effect on your earnings!
Ergonomics is one part of the equation. What is
ergonomics? The American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language defines it as: "the applied
science of equipment design, as for the workplace,
intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator
fatigue and discomfort." The idea is to choose
office furniture that allows your body to be in the
proper positions as you perform your duties. This
reduces negative physical effects, such as sitting
without the proper back and leg support, typing in an
awkward position because your desk is not at the
correct distance or height, and other considerations.
Beyond
merely being annoying, an uncomfortable desk and desk
chair combination might just be causing you to get
less work done. After all, who wants to work in such
an environment? Even when you know the work needs
doing, most people find convenient excuses to do other
things when their bodies are being stressed by poorly
designed furniture. The end result of all of this is,
of course, low productivity.
The
other major factor involving your choice of a computer
desk and your work productivity is organization. Now,
I'm not exactly the world's most organized person in
my home office, but one thing I've learned is that a
bad desk choice makes it a lot harder to stay
organized.
There's
more to this decision than you might think. Probably
the biggest consideration is surface area. Smaller
desktops are usually a 'no-no,' because they either
tempt you to pile up important papers in an
unorganized fashion, or to put them somewhere out of
the way (and thus, easily forgotten). Unless you are
severely limited in terms of office space, investing
in a desk with a large desktop will pay for itself
many times over in the ensuing years.
There's
another good reason to go with a larger desk: your
computer. Small office desks just don't give ample
room for the monitor, keyboard, mousepad, etc. Add a
printer, a fax machine, and a phone, and you'll find
that there isn't room for anything else. That just
isn't practical. Skip the small desks that look nice
and match your other furniture. Go with a larger one,
even if it isn't as visually appealing. Your home
office, while it is in your home and you want it to
look nice, is ultimately about you making money.
If you
look hard enough, you can find a computer desk that
fits both criteria: ergonomically designed and large
enough to help you organize the important stuff. At
the end of the day, you want your furniture to be an
ally in your home office, not the enemy. Pick pieces
that help you work more comfortably. That will put
more money in your bank account.
John
Schwartz is a home business consultant, specializing
in helping self-employed folks who work from home set
up comfortable, organized workspaces. Get tips on
choosing
computer desks and other
home office furniture at his site:
http://www.home-office-furniture-1.com/
Article
Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Schwartz
Your Business; Your Business
Furniture.
by
Rhys Jackson
The
design, layout, style and content of any office are
all vital factors to take into account when buying
office furniture. Each aspect helps to set the tone
for the entire mood and ambience of a whole
organisation, both for staff and visitors alike. These
areas are also important for anyone setting up a home
office, as a home office should fit in with the look
and style of the rest of the house’s space as much as
possible. Achieving a pleasant working environment
will lay a solid foundation on which to build all
other areas of your business.
For
many years, purchasing desks, chairs and screens was a
necessary part of starting a new office or upgrading
an existing one. However, in response to the changing
attitudes of consumers who are no longer prepared to
pay over the odds for their office furniture and
supplies, the online furniture industry has begun to
take shape and can now offer really competitive prices
for those who wish to get the best value for money.
It is
clear that spending half an hour surfing through
various web pages and assessing various competitive
offers is much better use of company time then
spending a day out trekking between showrooms all
around your local area. As well as this, very few
products can boast such an incredible array of starter
offers, special deals and money-off packages as the
world of office furniture can.
Changing lifestyles and work patterns over the last
twenty years or so have impacted greatly upon the
office furniture market. As more and more people
decide to work from home, or take the step of starting
up their own businesses, the need to source office
furniture increases. Consumers know that, as well as
being functional and good value, it also needs to fit
in well with people’s living rooms, kitchens or for
those lucky enough to have one, a home office. This
has led to the development of a much more
design-orientated market with quirky styles, exciting
new material and funky colours available to suit all
possible tastes.
Guide4Home - Remodeling, Home Finance, Interior
Decorating and much more
Ergonomic Office Furniture and
Chairs
Article
Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rhys_Jackson
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