How to Set Up a Home Office on a Budget

Are you thinking of starting a home-based business, telecommuting or working as a freelance professional? While setting up your home office can be a fun and exciting experience, it can also be very frustrating. Buying the furniture, equipment and supplies needed to make your office an efficient and comfortable workspace can be very expensive. However, by using the Internet, you can not only stay within your budget, but also save time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• Internet Connection
• Credit or Debit Card

1. Shop for a used desk, chair, bookcase and other office furniture online. Instead of driving all over town going to garage sales or thrift stores, check online community classifieds at Craigslist for ads in your city. Many Craigslist ads have photos of the items for sale, enabling you to see the items before leaving home.
2. Shop for a used computer for your home office on Craigslist or through online auctions. If you don’t feel comfortable buying used electronics, you can get a new E-Machine (made by Gateway) at a very reasonable price.
3. Buy an all-in-0ne printer for your home office. HP makes inexpensive models such as the Deskjet F4180, which prints, copies and scans. Considering that it comes with free ink cartridges, it’s a very inexpensive piece of equipment.
4. Use an Internet fax service such as MyFax (see Resources below), instead of buying a fax machine. Internet Fax services allow you to send and receive faxes from your email. MyFax is very inexpensive, with plans including a 100 sent and 200 received faxes for a low monthly fee. In addition, the first month is free, leaving you with no out of pocket set-up costs.
5. Use an Internet postage service such as Endicia (see Resources below). You won't have to make trips to the post office or rent or buy a postage meter. With Endicia you can use your printer to print postage directly onto envelopes or labels. No need to worry about breaking the budget with the first 30 days free, and pricing plans to fit any budget.
6. Add an additional phone to your existing cell phone service. Many phone service providers offer a plan that allows you to add an additional shared minutes cell phone and number for a low monthly fee.
7. Use a file sharing website such as Central Desktop, Zoho or Keep and Share to store and share documents with your clients and associates.

Tips & Warnings

• Craigslist is a good place to shop for bargin items because it allows sellers to place ads for free, which helps to keep the prices low.

Who Can Help:

• Earn an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from the University of Phoenix
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