7 Ways to Save on Office Supplies Without Seeming "Cheap"

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Finding ways to save on office supplies is a must for many small businesses. Large businesses also benefit; by cutting down on office expenses, bigger budgets are possible for larger marketing campaigns to generate increase sales.

If you think that everyday office expenses such as paper, envelopes, and printer ink don't constitute enough of an expense to be of concern, think again.

Remember the wise words of one of early America's most successful entrepreneurs, Benjamin Franklin: "Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship."

Franklin knew what he was talking about. In 1723, at the age of 17-years old, Franklin arrived in Philadelphia nearly penniless. He went on to become a successful businessman wearing not one, but several hats; scientist, inventor, journalist, author, printer, and public servant.

He was also a generous philanthropist, made possible by frugal living and wise business expenditure decisions.

How to Save, Save, Save on Office Supplies

Regardless if you work out of the home, have a small office in the business district with only a handful of employees, or are head of a large corporation, there are ways to cut corners on office expenses. The larger and busier the office, the more money saved!

Below is a list of 7 easy ways to cut corners without seeming "cheap:"

1. Recycle: Don't waste money on small pads of paper for notes and memos. Take used printer paper that has only been printed on one side, and cut into fourths using a paper cutter. Separate into piles of 30 to 40 sheets each; staple one corner to make individual note-taking pads.

   • Keep small containers on your desk for reuse of elastics and paperclips that make their way to your desk.
   • Don't throw away the return envelopes from various junk mail offers; use them for non-client purposes! Place a label over the address or window; cross out bar codes with a marker.
   • When it comes to printer cartridges, buying name brand reconditioned cartridges instead of new ones can save a surprising amount of money over a period of time.

2. Be Prudent when Purchasing Business Cards: use the services of an online business card vendor such as Professor Print. They provide all the necessary tools and graphics required to create your own color card design and layout. Reducing business card costs by as much as 50%.

   • If you don't mind having their logo on the backs of cards, Vista Print offers free business cards in batches of 250. All you do is pay processing and shipping. Or, pay $5.99 for business cards without the Vista logo, and choose from over 1,000 premium business card layouts.
3. Conserve Printer Ink or Toner: stretch the longevity of ink or toner cartridges by reducing print quality to “draft” or “low quality” when printing copies for editing purposes, or other times when top quality print is not essential. You'd be surprised how much longer cartridges will last!
4. Purchase only Energy Star Office Equipment: to cut electricity bills and help conserve energy, purchase equipment that has earned the Energy Star rating. Qualified equipment such as computers and laptops, power adaptors, monitors, fax machines, printers, scanners, copiers, multifunction devices, and water coolers enter a low-power “sleep” mode when not in use. Such equipment uses about 80% less electricity than standard equipment.
5. Shop Online: save time and money shopping online using such resources as Quill for the best prices. Everything from paper and pens to computers and desks can be found at more competitive prices than those at office supply stores.

6. Buy in Bulk: buying such things as paper, pens, staples, file folders, correction tape, ink cartridges, and numerous other office supplies cost less when purchased in bulk.

   • Plan ahead; keep a list of needed office supplies, and place orders once or twice monthly to save on shipping and handling fees.
   • Order using online or catalog resources that offer free shipping and handling on orders that meet a minimum order requirement.

7. Buy Used Office Supplies: especially when it comes to purchasing office furniture, it only makes sense to purchase used office supplies such as desks, chairs, and filing cabinets whenever possible. Available through auctions, classifieds, surplus stores, or an office supply sale by a company remodeling, up scaling, or going out of business.

   Not only can hundreds, even thousands, of dollars be saved, but higher quality furniture is more affordable.

Other Money Saving Tips

Attractive yet inexpensive rectangular pine tables are a good, low-cost alternative to higher priced wood office desks. Take advantage of sales at lower-end furniture stores.

Create your own forms, or obtain them using online resources that offer free downloads, instead of buying readymade forms at an office supply. This can save hundreds of dollars each year.

Software can cost businesses thousands of dollars each year. Obtaining software products with a freeware license from online resources can help you save on expensive and less expensive software such as virus protection. Also, many software companies offer free trial versions that allow you to "test drive" their expensive software before making a purchase, helping to insure that product is your best option.

Summary

Businesses prudent enough to save on office supplies and cut corners without affecting quality of service to clients increase their budget efficiency, and their chances of business success.

Money saved can be used for marketing purposes, or to purchase additional equipment. It can also be used to dole out as employee bonus rewards – an effective incentive that keeps work productivity high – further benefiting the business!