According to a Stanford study in June 2020, 42% of the U.S labor force is now working from a remote workspace.
We are living in a new remote world!
It can be challenging getting used to working from home, especially if it is new to you. For me, this is my first remote workspace experience too.
Figuring out how to create a comfortable remote workspace that will allow you to be productive during the days – while not spending too much money on office items can be easier than you may think.
Although my company was very generous to give each employee some money on home office expenses, I realized how pricey office items can be and how quickly each item can add up.
The 3 simple saving tips for your remote wokspace include:
- Upgrade your office chair with a cushion
- Buy a personal fan
- Create your own stand-up desk
1. Upgrade your chair (with a cushion)
The first way to build your home office while staying on a budget is to get comfortable!
Your desk chair is an essential part of your remote work from home set-up and is where you are spending most of your day. After weeks of personally sitting in a wooden kitchen chair, my back and tailbone were in some severe pain.
I didn’t realize how expensive office chairs were until doing some online research on them – some chairs, even up to thousands of dollars! Although I think it is valuable to invest in a quality chair for the long-term, there is a simple fix that is more budget-friendly in the meantime– buying a chair cushion.
Within days of using a cushion, I noticed my back, spine, and tailbone felt much better. And I spent less than $30! There are many options on Amazon.com, but this is the one I chose to improve my home office while staying on a budget.
2. Buy a personal fan (before turning on the AC)
Did you know that 5 percent of all the electricity produced in the US is from residential air conditioning, which cost more than $11 billion to homeowners? At-home air conditioning is a fast way to get out of your budget if you are not careful.
The second simple home office ideas for your budget is to buy a personal fan.
If you are like me and get hot quickly, buying a personal fan is a good investment rather than turning on the expensive AC. Since I am in the Orange County area – it gets pretty warm early in the morning. Rather than turning the air conditioner on and running it all day, a little fan is a much more affordable and will save you and your household money in the long-run.
3. Create your own stand-up desk
I am a big advocate of stand-up desks for your remote workspace! I think it is imperative to get up out of your chair and stand multiple times throughout the day. An easy way to create a stand-up desk for your home office is to find a large box or heavy textbooks that you can stack up where you could balance your computer on. Even taking your laptop to your clothing dresser (or somewhere you can stand and work) helps change things up.
By the way – A study published by the American Cancer Society found that standing up burned 88 calories an hour. (Maybe this will encourage you to stand-up more often!)
Final thoughts
In conclusion, there are many unique saving tips for your remote workspace, and working from home does not have to be expensive. Although you may have to spend money on things like a computer and monitor, there are definitely ways to save on smaller things that could make your life easier with WFH.
What are some ways that you have adjusted to work-from-home life while keeping your budget? Do you have any saving tips for your home office? I would love to know.
Ashley is a finance graduate from the University of San Francisco and currently works at a financial technology startup in San Francisco that is focused on providing affordable and accessible 401(k) retirement plans to other startups and small businesses. Prior to working at a startup, she was an associate at a large private wealth management firm working with high-net-worth clients. She is born and raised in Orange County, CA, and loves spending time at the beach, in a pool, reading, and with her friends.
