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Featured Budgeting Articles

Exterior Decorating on a Budget
Exterior Decorating on a BudgetBy Kathleen WilsonMany times we are so busy decorating the interior of our home , we forget about the view most people see first.the outside! Perhaps we all believe improvements to the exterior of the home must be expensive. ...

Modular Home Plans Offer Dream House on a Budget
Modular Homes are not those old trailers you see in mobile home parks or low income housing shelters. Gone are the early days of temporary looking structures, modular housing construction has undergone a designing renaissance over the last decade. ...

The Secret to Keeping your Budget on Track
"Don't find fault; find a remedy." -- Henry Ford B-u-d-g-e-t. The very word can cause us to tremble in our new boots! But a hard-working soul need not fear -- there's a simple way to win the battle of the budget. It's great fun, and what better time ...




Office Furniture: How to Buy On a Tight Budget
 
Office furniture will usually form a significant part of your overall budget for setting up an office. It makes sense to try to minimize what you spend in this area while getting the functionality you need.

The first thing you must do is to determine needs precisely. What items of furniture can't be avoided? What is nice to have but not essential? Plan to cut out the latter if you're on a tight budget.

Here are ideas for saving on each of several types of office furniture.

* Storage Having some form of organized storage is usually essential. However, it can be quite expensive. Brand new filing cabinets can cost you several hundred dollars apiece. Buy used filing cabinets from surplus stores, auctions and so on.

Alternatively, try using those storage boxes meant for keeping hanging files in. You can get them from office supply for as little as ten or fifteen dollars. There are also stackable storage drawers made of steel and fiberboard. They are quite inexpensive when compared to traditional filing cabinets.

* Desks You can get office desks in a very wide price range. If you want to save money, emphasize functionality over style. Avoid buying those computer desks. They are often fragile and way too small if you want to do any sort of paperwork.

Here's an idea -- why not use a kitchen table as a desk? You can get a rectangular kitchen table at a far lower price than traditional office desks. You get a large desktop area that partly compensates for lack of storage space. Plus, you can add a filing cabinet or other storage under it.

* Chairs This is one piece of office furniture worth spending money on. Buy an ergonomically designed chair that offers good back support. That way, you can work for long periods of time without fatigue.

You can often find used office chairs in good condition. Be sure to check for wear and tear or damage that might affect the comfort and support you get.

* Desk storage There are good shelving units available at office supply stores. Plus of course, you can get used ones to save money.

Another way to save money on desk storage is to use storage cubes. You can usually find them in the kitchen sections of department stores. They are very cheap and give you the storage space you need.

* Computers and software When buying a computer, buy one with the configuration you need rather than go for the highest-end configuration available. You are looking for the functionality you need at the lowest possible price. Keep an eye open for sales. Once you know what you want, try to buy at a sale.

Look for deals where essential software like the operating system and office software suite are bundled along with the hardware. It usually pays to shop around when buying computers.

* Stand for printers and other equipment Using a separate stand for your printer and other equipment can free up space on your desk. While you can get a good printer stand fairly cheaply, you can also be creative and think of other options. For instance, use a drawer or an end table as a printer stand.

Use the simple ideas above and you will save money while having the office furniture you really need.

About the author:

Mary West writes on workspace design. Her articles on office furniture at http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/ and http://www.guide-to-office-furniture.info/furniture-buying-tips.h tml include ideas on how to buy on a budget and other money saving tips.



Budgeting News


Water Sector Calls for Accurate Budgeting, Local Experts Utilization
AllAfrica.com
By Bilham Kimati, 19 May 2012 ACCURATE budgeting of water projects away from exaggeration of the estimates together with effective utilization of local experts is among strategies proposed to end water blues in Dar es Salaam before end of next year.

and more »

Christian Science Monitor

How to fix flawed Medicare budgeting
Christian Science Monitor
Budgeting for Medicare's hospital insurance program is flawed. Here are two ways to fix it (and one way not to). By Donald Marron, Guest blogger / May 18, 2012 This 2005 file photo shows of trays of printed social security checks waiting to be mailed ...
Fixing Medicare's Double-Counting ProblemForbes

all 40 news articles »

Budgeting in Times of Uncertainty: Insight From 3 Hospital CFOs
Becker's Hospital Review
In a session moderated by Holly Carnell, JD, associate at McGuireWoods at the Becker's Hospital Review Annual Meeting on May 17 in Chicago, three hospital CFOs shared their insights on the most challenging aspects of budgeting and managing finances ...

and more »

Students learn about budgeting during Reality Town
News Virginian
Created in 1997 by Jane Parker, a middle school business teacher, Reality Town was developed to teach students about budgeting, fiscal responsibility and the importance of education. “I think it's great,” said Marsha Sensabaugh, an economics and ...


Poor Budgeting Crippled Company
AllAfrica.com
By Jan Poolman, 18 May 2012 THE financial mess that TransNamib finds itself in cannot only be attributed to poor control and ignorance of policy guidelines, but started with a number of weaknesses identified during the annual preparation of its budget.

and more »