Many adults across the UK now possess jobs that involve remote work. The sudden change in the work dynamic has increased during the pandemic, requiring more people to set up their offices at home. With more of us now either working fully remote or Flexi working, it’s important to have the appropriate equipment and space to complete our work from the comfort of our home. Affordable office furniture can easily be bought online from websites like Ikea and brought straight to your door, also limiting social contact and keeping everyone safe.
Here are a few suggestions to upgrade your home office space whilst keeping to a budget:
Plan Before Buying
It’s very easy to start buying furniture without any plan of where certain items will go in your home or if anything will fit. You might also realise that there’s certain items you won’t need, saving you more money for your budget. Be sure to have a rough plan of how you want your office space to look and ensure you take measurements of the space where you plan to place your furniture – determining what you can buy and looking for cheaper alternatives.
Save on an Expensive Desk Chair
There’s no need to buy an expensive desk chair in order to get the best back support for yourself. Simply purchasing a pillow or cushion for the lower part of any standard desk chair will immediately optimise comfort and support for your lower back – an area that can start to ache over long periods of time sitting down sedentary. This will save you a substantial amount of money for your workspace.
Multifunction Furniture
When you’re on a budget, buying furniture that serves multiple purposes can save you in the long term. For example, Amazon sells a desk lamp that comes equipped with USB charging ports for your electronic devices, meaning you don’t have to buy both features as separate products. Another example would be an office desk with built-in drawers or a resting stand for your computer or laptop. This will save you buying several items of furniture which can quickly start to add up in price.
Buy Second Hand
An obvious but important method of creating a high-quality home office on a lower budget. You can find some hidden gems at local charity shops and vintage markets – even some eye-catching trinkets or furnishings that can add a personal touch to your workspace. British Heart Foundation offers plenty of furniture options for remote working and can even deliver bigger items to your door. There’s also plenty of online marketplaces such as Shpock and Facebook that show local used items for sale. Buying used office furniture and accessories also has a great environmental impact, reducing your carbon footprint.
Wait for the Discounts
If you see a piece of office equipment that you have your eye on, if you can, wait until it goes into the sale or has a special discount code. Many companies post exclusive discount codes and offers to their Social Media pages and some brands have their own app where they notify you with app-only discount codes and flash sales. You might also find that in the time that you’ve been waiting for a product to go into the sale, you now no longer require the item, saving you money to spend towards something more important for your workspace.
Special Supplier Offers
Some brands offer great discounts for business office supplies. If you’re a remote business that requires buying in bulk, it’s important to take advantage of companies like Costco who supply large quantities of various office equipment and accessories for a discounted rate. If you’re on the lookout for cheap printer ink, HP offers a subscription service that will save you a significant amount long term. Deals particularly occur during August and September is a great month to find clearance items for a cheap rate.
Save on Lighting
Try and place your office space near an area of your home that’s well lit – whether that’s near a large window/multiple windows or a room with a lighter colour scheme. By doing this, you will save yourself money by reducing the amount of lighting you’ll need to work efficiently at your desk.
Choose Energy-Efficient Products
Shop with energy efficiency in mind. Products that run on less energy are likely to last longer and cost much less. For example, purchasing a small laptop will run on less power and cost significantly less that a full-spec gaming PC that will require a significant amount of power to work efficiently. You can purchase cheap, energy-saving light bulbs for desk lamps as well as power-saving monitors for PC setups – these will save you a large amount of money and will also help the environment.
Employee Benefits
If your job has changed to remote work, ask your employer what the company can contribute in terms of office supplies/furniture. You might find that you have access to certain equipment like company laptops or phones that allow you to work more efficiently from home. It’s important to have this discussion with the company as this can save a significant impact on your home office budget.
Repurpose Old Furniture
Upcycling is a great way to save money towards your remote working space. Old furniture and accessories that would be thrown to waste, could serve a second purpose in life, keeping you in your budget. For example, you might have an old kitchen table in your attic or garage that can be repurposed into a home office desk with a clean and a fresh lick of paint. By doing this, you’re saving money for your budget as well as preventing more landfill waste.
Ensure that you focus on the things you need for your home office and things that can help you perform your job to the best of your ability rather than what will look the most aesthetically pleasing for guests that visit your home.
Are you a remote worker local to Manchester? Then don’t hesitate to contact Manchester PC for any IT or tech support enquiries.
