How to budget for a dream home office?
Whether trying to make the best use of your spare bedroom or you’ve just persuaded your boss to let you work from home, an office is easy to set up and enjoyable at the same time. Regardless of who you’re working for or what you’re doing, you will most likely need a well-equipped and comfortable space to get that work done.
A home office does not require a fortune, nor do you necessarily need a separate space in your house to avoid some of the unanticipated challenges of working from home.
With that in mind, it makes sense to outfit your new office environment on a budget, especially when we face a global pandemic where no one is sure what our financial future holds.
Workspace Phone and Internet
This is a vital aspect for anyone who works online or telecommutes. Also, if you work for an enterprise, check whether the organization will cover all or at least a part of your monthly internet bill. If you’re a freelancer or work for yourself, you can rely on your home internet service, but you may need a different line for your business call.
To save more in the long run, check the AT&T+ Internet special offers and see whether you can upgrade your internet speed and quality at a lower price.
Computer
As you know it already, the perfect home office resumes to the right computer. Although they come with reduced mobility features, the classic desktop computers offer plenty of storage, a larger display, and better price per performance than a laptop.
Add in the ability to upgrade parts, and you have a lot of reasons why someone would choose a desktop computer over a laptop. There is a reason why avid and competitive gamers generally choose a desktop computer.
Where to start? Firstly, you’ll need to identify your needs: As a graphic designer, you would need a more powerful computer with high-end GPU, but if you’re a coder, you can sort it out with a cheap graphic card, but you’ll probably need more memory. In case you’re traveling for business, a bare-bones desktop, in addition to a laptop with a large screen, will allow you to work on the road.
Office Supplies
Today you may not need the whole package of office supplies that were once. But depending on the nature of your business, you might need items like legal pads, pens, staples, pencils, a three-hole punch, stamps, sticky notes, and binders.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to wander around the market pushing in your cart all the “office stuff” you see. Make a list of activities you plan to do within the week. If you are a visual person that enjoys doing a lot of scheduling, a day planner or a desk calendar might be helpful.
Coffee Maker
There is one thing that should not be missed from a productive office space, depending on your taste. If you’re already on the way to designing your dream office and add the finishing touch, don’t forget the coffee maker. A single-cup brewing system might fit just right as it will not eat up half of the room’s space, making the preparation and cleaning up a breeze.
A well-designed home office makes a difference when it comes to your overall productivity. While you probably save up a lot to create your dream office, you probably do not have to go into debt to do it properly. That is why making a budget and eventually sticking to it can help you keep your spending in check as you built your home-office.
Lighting
Proper lighting creates excellent working conditions in a function and atmospheric way at the same time. Both efficiency and satisfaction will improve if you make sure you get enough daylight intake and a fine-lit office environment.
Not only that, but your productivity will be positively affected by a well-illuminated space. Many would stick with the idea that artificial lightning does not just positively allow us to see, but it also meets our biological lighting needs.
Lighting your home office can be akin to address for an environment with changeable weather: It’s all about layering. When you plan the range of activities that go on in your home office – filing, reading, working at a computer, holding meetings, talking on the phones you immediately realize that most focus-intensive tasks require a more potent source of light. Instead, you can start by illuminating your home office with a comforting, warm light.
It’s best to set your ambient lights on a dimmer switch, so you can easily adjust light level depending on the type of task you’re doing and the time of day. It’s also suggested that investing in LED light bulbs can help you save about $1,000 over a 10-year period, which is approximately $8.33 per month.
Cabinets and storage
Your home office would not be complete without storage and cabinets. You’ll have to store and display your most important files, books, and notebooks, albums and supplies.
No matter what you’re going to use your home office for, you’ll need a dedicated space to store all the materials and equipment you will use.
File cabinets can be found just about anywhere you can find office supplies, so finding a small two-drawers cabinet won’t be a hassle. You can find file cabinets in a wide variety and styles, so your taste won’t be such a big impediment, after all. You can choose a wooden or metal one and even some made of canvas and fiberboard. The best thing about it is that you can let your imagination run free.
Another idea is shelving, such as built-in wall shelving and the classic bookshelves. These can be useful for displaying and storing heavier supplies and items such as art pieces or books.
Once you’ve decided how much space you have available for shelving and storage, you’ll have a better idea of how many cabinets and how much material you will need to purchase.
Improving your home office may not be the easiest thing to deal with, but if you’re amongst the millions who work remotely or run a small business from home, you may need to start saving for a more efficient office environment.
