Whether you’re making the leap to working from home or you’ve been doing so for a while, a good home office is of paramount importance. If you build a great office environment for yourself, you can eliminate distractions, increase productivity, and boost your mental health into the bargain. However, it can sometimes feel like a home office costs a lot of money to build. There’s so much equipment to consider that you might not think you have the budget to cover the costs. This isn’t true, however; it’s entirely possible to build a home office on a budget. Here’s how you can do that!
Consider a loan
If money is tight – but not too tight to think about covering repayments – then you might want to consider taking out a loan. You’ll find many companies that offer a range of short term loans to suit you, and many of them could give you just the right amount of cash to build your office. Obviously, you should only consider this option if you’re in a good position to make repayments, but if you need a cash injection, a loan can be a fantastic way to start. Just make sure you create a concrete plan for how you’re going to spend the money first!
Repurpose existing furniture
Before you start purchasing new furniture for your home office, consider whether there is any existing furniture in your home that could be repurposed. Do you have an old desk lying around you could use? Could you transform an old dresser into a desk with just a few modifications and a little DIY work? There’s almost always a way to take furniture that isn’t currently being used and put it in your home office, so be creative and don’t be afraid to ask for help from your friends and family. They might have a unique perspective on the situation.
Create your own decorations
If you’re a creative soul, then you should think about making your own decorations for your home office. The benefits of displaying art, photography, and other adornments around your office environment are well-documented. With that in mind, why not paint your own art, take your own photographs, or even create your own adornments? You can do this using inexpensive materials like wire, wood, and metal, so if you can source your own materials, you’d be amazed at what you can create with just a little ingenuity and hard work.
Make any space your office
If you’re on an ultra-tight budget, then you might not even need to make a home office environment for yourself at all. Anywhere that has a flat surface and a relatively low amount of distraction can serve as an office space for you. Why not take your work into your living room, your kitchen, or your bedroom? Of course, you’ll still need to make sure that you’re portioning your time appropriately so that you don’t overwork yourself or suffer from burnout. However, if your family is happy for you to work in any space around the house, you may not need a unique office environment at all.
Hunt for bargains
Outlets that sell home office equipment and furniture are almost always hosting sales or offering bargains. If you know where to look, you should be able to pick up pretty much all of your office furniture and equipment – including your laptop or computer – at a massively discounted price. You can use deal checking websites to achieve this, or bookmark sites that regularly host deals so that you can keep checking back for the stock you want. If you’re savvy, you should be able to find bargains for anything from desks to chairs and tech as well.
Use natural light
It might be tempting to install dimmer switches or custom lighting for your home office, but depending on your hours, this likely isn’t necessary. If you keep regular working hours, then you should be thinking about emphasising the natural light that’s available to you instead. Make sure your office environment is adequately lit by windows and you’ll have all the light you need. This has the added benefit of helping you to know when it’s time to stop; when it starts to get dark in the winter, that’s a surefire cue that it’s time to walk away from work and take a break.
Add some plants
Plants are cheap, and they’re easy to take care of as well. Not only that, but plants have been proven to have myriad health benefits; they reduce the chances you’ll get ill, purify the air around you, and help you to stay focused and on-task as well. There aren’t really any drawbacks to installing plants around your home office environment, but if you do find yourself struggling to take care of them, consider low-effort plants like cacti. They don’t take a lot of watering, but they still offer a lot of the same benefits as other plants, so it’s a win-win situation.
Don’t buy too much
It might sound obvious, but one of the ways you can save money when you’re building your home office is to only buy strictly what you need and nothing further. You can do this by only purchasing things when you realise you need them; this way, you’ll ensure that you don’t overspend. Another benefit this has is to ensure that your office environment is free of clutter, which has been proven to improve mental health and help keep you focused when you’re at work. Show some restraint when you’re shopping for office supplies and you’ll thank yourself later down the line.