This is a contributed post.
Many people decide to take the plunge to work for themselves because it gives them the chance to work from home. The advantages of the work-from-home lifestyle are well-known: greater flexibility, spending more time with your children, and no boss breathing down your neck are some of the most popular draws.
But did you know that working from home can also be much cheaper than working in an office?
First of all, it cuts out your daily commute, which can help you save on public transport or car costs. Also, many people find their productivity increases when they have more flexibility, meaning you can take on more projects and increase your income. Not to mention the savings on business suits and dry cleaning when you can work from home in your pyjamas!
But even though a home office set up may seem cheap on the surface, there are actually some ways that it could be causing you some unnecessary expense. Do you want to make sure that your home-based business is as cheap to run as possible? Here are some costs that you should be able to bring down or cut out completely.
Utilities
One of the main expenses that come with running a home-based office is all of the utility bills that you will need to pay.
When you work for a company, you will be out for most of the day at the company’s office, so won’t be using quite as much energy and electricity in your own home. However, once you start working from home, the use of these utilities will increase by a significant amount and so too will your bills.
So, you might want to shop around to find some new utility providers in case you can get cheaper electricity and energy anywhere else. But it’s also a good idea to try and limit your use of these whenever possible. For instance, only have the heating on in the morning and evening when the temperatures are at their coolest. Just put an extra sweater on through the day!
Printing Costs
Something else that can quickly add up and become very expensive is printing. Not only is buying a printer in the first place going to be quite expensive, but you also have the ongoing costs of ink and paper.
Of course, there are many places, such as 123inkjets, where you will be able to buy many discounted products, so it’s a good idea to shop for all your printing essentials at these kinds of online stores.
Another idea is to try and reduce your need for printing altogether. Now that there are plenty of options for storing important documents and contracts in digital formats and online, a lot of freelancers and entrepreneurs are choosing to use these methods rather than storing hard copies. Not only is cloud storage it a much cheaper option, but it will also help you cut down on all the paperwork that you need to store at home!
Billing Costs
If you are late to pay a bill, the supplier might add on late-payment interest. This will be added onto the amount that you owe, and the interest could be increased the later you are at paying the bill. Obviously, this is an unnecessary extra cost that you don’t need – so, just make sure that you always pay all your invoices and bills on time!
It’s also a good idea to find out if you can go paperless with your bills. Some big companies actually offer their customers discounts for doing so as it helps them cut down on their own printing costs.
Join Professional Organizations
There are certain business and professional organizations that you should join as you will receive various discounts and deals on various things necessary to the running of your business. For instance, members of the Chamber of Commerce may receive discounts when using services offered by fellow members. It’s also a good idea to join a union if possible, as these will also help you find ways to cut down the costs of running your home-based businesses.
Second-Hand Furniture And Equipment
Whenever you need to purchase any new furniture or office equipment for your home-based business, why not try and buy second-hand. This will be a lot cheaper than buying new pieces, believe me! You don’t have to worry about the quality of second-hand items these days, there are a lot of sellers out there who are selling items that are as good as new. You won’t even be able to tell that they are second-hand!
There are quite a few ways to bring down the costs of your home office, but the ones above should get you off to a very good start!
