Whoever said that freelance or work-from-home employees need not to invest on home office furniture should think again. If you are an employee working from home, you may want to invest on quality office furniture because it will make you more productive and efficient. The common misconception about creating a small home office is that it is expensive and time-consuming. Yes, building a home office can be expensive – if you are building a complex and large home office. The good about home offices is that you can do it on a cheaper price since you are in control of the items and equipment you will put on it. Simply put, it is up to you whether you want to have an expensive or a simpler office space.
Since you are just starting your career as a freelancer, then you may want to choose having a simpler home office, and upgrade once you have established your career. If you want to have a functional but inexpensive home office, you may find the tips below helpful.
1. Be resourceful – You don’t always need to buy new things if you are building a home office. Sometimes, all you have to do is to re-use other items as office items. Look around your home; do you see seemingly regular items that you rarely use? If so, think outside of the box, and think of ways on how you can use them in your would-be home office. The desk that is collecting dust in your basement can serve as a printer table in your office. The vase and lamp shade you rarely use in your room can serve as your office furniture decorations.
2. Go cheap by going to garage sales – You don’t need the most expensive and sophisticated office equipment and furniture pieces. If you are not very picky, you may opt to visit garage sales and find items that you could use in your office. There are many garage sales in Sydney so finding one is no chore. Some of the items you could buy in a garage sale may include office desk, filing cabinet, chairs, and various office supplies. The best thing about shopping for office supplies and equipment at garage sales is that you are saving a lot of money from it.
3. Consider thrift shops – If there’s a charity shop in your area, you may visit that shop and look for items tht you could possibly use in your would-be home office. Some of the more popular charity shops in Australia include St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store (Vinnies), the Salvation Army (Salvos), the Red Cross, MS Australia, and the Brotherhood of St. Laurence. There are many items sold in these thrift stores so finding various pieces for your office is highly possible.
4. Look for used home office furniture online – There are several websites that cater to people who are looking for cheap yet quality items. In Australia, there are many sellers of second-hand items who place ads on various websites like eBay, OZtion, Trading Post, Gumtree, Grays Online, Craig’s List, Second-hand Posh, and Ade Books. You may visit these websites and look for items that you could possibly use in your home office. However, be wary of the sellers you will be dealing. Make sure that the items being sold are still in good condition otherwise you will be wasting your money on nothing.
You don’t necessarily need an expensive and posh home office if you are just starting. As long as you have a good functional and comfortable home office, you are off to a good start. Once you have established your career as a work-at-home employee or freelancer, then you may want to invest on more sophisticated items in your office.