20 Budget Home Office Ideas
Setting up a fully functional work-from-home space can feel relaxing, but the steep cost of the project surely would burn a big hole in your pocket.
Thankfully, by applying a few ideas and practical tips, you can set up an equally stylish and ultra-functional work office without shelling out a lot of money. If curating a haven of productivity feels like something you could use, we highly recommend following our guide.
This comprehensive guide highlights a list of barebone essentials, principle arrangement tips, 20 highly creative budget workspace ideas, and finally, a fully operational setup for busy beavers.
A Barebones Essential List of a Home Office
- Sturdy Desk
- Cushy Chair
- Organizer racks or cubbies
- Office supplies
- Electronics (printer, scanner, shredder, etc.)
- Lighting
- Area Rug
- Footrest
- Decor (art accents, plants, frames)
The above list includes all the furniture, electronic equipment, and decor units one needs for a home office. We also recommend a file cabinet or a bookshelf if you are blessed with huge space to pull the entire room together.
Principle Arrangement Tips
- It is ideal to set your desk’s face towards the light.
- Your arrangement should never block natural light or air.
- Pay attention to light glare and adjust your overhead lights accordingly.
- Avoid bulky furniture if your home office space is tiny.
- Arrange all your electronic equipment in ascending order of height.
- Utilizer the work area by stacking your organization bins vertically.
- Strapped for space? Organize your office stationery and essentials vertically.
List of 20 Budget-Friendly Home Office Ideas
#1 Repurpose Your Old Furniture
Consider sifting through furniture and accent pieces that you already own and think if you can repurpose them for your home office. Make a list of things you need and start looking for items that can efficiently work in your workspace.
For instance, an ottoman that you have lying around in your living room can be an excellent footrest under the desk. You can also use chairs from your drawing room and add extra cushioning for a comfortable chair.
An old whiteboard from the kids’ room may turn into a super functional deadline memo pad.
#2 Utilize Free Resources
Many people mistake purchasing pricey decor items that eventually increase the budget. Instead, try to think out-of-the-box ways to save your money on every big little thing.
A home office is incomplete without a few motivational quotes or picture frames. But buying picture frames with art always costs more than you might expect. We highly recommend searching online spaces for free motivational quotes and free licensed art.
You can quickly print and put it inside a frame that might be lying around the house. You also get the freedom to choose various art types, mediums, and color combinations.
Since they are practically free, you can even print new designs each month to keep your home office new and exciting.
#3 Hunt Pre-Loved Items And Furniture
You must know by now that a luxurious home office can cost up to thousands of dollars. However, you can highly reduce the cost by including pre-loved furniture pieces and items in your study.
We recommend keeping an eye on various online marketplaces that often list pre-loved units. Not only will you have the office of your dreams within your budget, but you will also be a part of a greener earth.
#4 Decorate With Affordable Decor
As mentioned earlier, decor can be expensive for something with zero practical use. If you despise non-functional decor items or simply pricey artifacts, we recommend opting for houseplants.
A little greenery around your desk will undoubtedly boost your serotonin, thus keeping you excited and productive throughout the day. A simple, fresh bouquet can also elevate your home office without costing any drastic amount.
#5 Use a room divider
Creating a fully functional budget-friendly home office space can be a genuinely challenging task if you have an open concept house.
We recommend purchasing room dividers or wall separators for house plans to create a visual boundary and differentiate your workplace from the living area.
If you do not wish to spend money on a divider, consider rotating your organizer rack to create a makeshift wall. Such shelves will create separation while keeping the layout fully functional.
Moreover, any noise-canceling earphones can make you feel like you have been transformed into another room.
#6 Strike A Balance Between Splurge And Frugality
If you have a tiny budget to buy new items, we suggest you make a list of things that give you the best payoff value.
For instance, if you are setting up your home office from scratch, then buying a new laptop or desktop becomes your priority rather than a new desk. You can splurge on a new computer and opt for a makeshift or pre-loved desk.
#7 Paint The Walls
Painting your walls is one of the uncomplicated and quickest ways to revamp your home office space. A fresh coat of wall paint can indeed make any office feel new without splurging a lot.
If you are artsy by nature, create a beautiful mural or add texture to elevate the space a little more. However, select the color carefully as a light-colored room looks bigger, brighter, and more spacious than any dark-colored room.
#8 Choose Mini Products
Be thoughtful about your purchases and consider investing in office equipment that helps you save money during and even after the purchase. For instance, a small portable printer costs less than a heavy-duty full-sized printer.
Additionally, it will even consume less energy. If you can work with a mini version, avoid going for a full-sized one.
#9 Negotiate Before Purchasing
Always try to negotiate your way into saving! Remember that you can sometimes get a better deal from one service provider than the other.
They might even reduce the current plan if you are clubbing a few services together. This strategy is advantageous when dealing with Internet service or network providers.
#10 Spend A little Time Searching
You can always shop around for an excellent bargain! Spend a little time visiting places or checking online platforms for incredible deals.
With such an epic rate of consumerism, people are constantly replacing older items with newer ones. That means you can indeed find good deals with a bit of patience.
Online or brick-or-mortar thrift stores, garage sales, consignment shops, or flea markets are excellent places to find a good deal.
#11 Don’t Rent An Extra Space
Remote workers often complain that their house isn’t big enough or peaceful enough for a brand new home office. Most people don’t have extra room to set up their sanctuary of productivity.
To tackle this, you can set up your office in a closet room without spending a dime. Clean out your closet and remove the door’s hinges to see an impressive space that breathes quiet and feels personal. Feel free to research and find numerous inspirations for closet home offices on the Internet.
#12 Calendar As A Functional Decor
A giant wall calendar can be an excellent office decor if you love functional items. We can vouch that a simple calendar can instantly make the space look more like an office.
With that said, you can use it to plan your schedule, mark important dates, and write a few critical notes for added functionality.
#13 Use An Exercise Ball
An exercise ball isn’t the most feasible sitting option throughout the day, but it is undoubtedly better than spending on an elliptical. Most remote workers prefer investing in a few exercise equipment that surely cost a fortune.
But an exercise ball is a piece of non-electric equipment that costs less and gives zero electricity bill. If you wish to include any workout equipment in your home office, consider an exercise ball, your core will indeed thank you!
#14 Hang An Old Clock
A clock is another functional item that you can turn into a decor accent without much effort. You can also dust off and use any old clock that goes with your office theme and call it a day!
Similarly, a wall clock is quite an apt decor choice instead of a desk clock if you have limited desk space.
#15 Shop Off-Season
Shopping off-seasons is another intelligent and effective way to set up a budget home office. Things and furniture are often sold cheaply in off-seasons, so you can deck up your home office with the most stylish units without spending a lot.
We also recommend keeping an eye on special offers, promotions, end-of-year sales, black Friday sales for stationery, electronics, and other items. Since office supplies and stationery items are fun to buy, we end up purchasing more than we could ever use.
For such overspendings, consider making a list of necessary items along with a practical unit column.
#16 Embrace Minimalism
There are multiple reasons why most successful people often favor minimalism. A pure and clutter-free office space often comes outfitted with minimal furnishing and a neutral color palette.
These elements have a distinct way of clearing one’s mind while sparking creativity to the maximum. A minimalist office also allows you to spend less while reducing your constant maintenance and upkeep duties of the place.
Another bonus for opting for a minimalist office is the significant improvement in efficiency as you no longer would search an hour for that specific report file.
#17 Fresh And Fragrant Air
Another simple way of tying up your office is taking the help of aromatherapy. Put a budget-friendly candle or add a few drops of essential oil in your diffuser to make your home office smell luxuriously calming.
It will create a pleasant atmosphere that will revitalize you for the day ahead. Our favorite picks for home offices are rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, and citrus scents.
#18 DIY Elbow Grease
DIY projects can be enjoyable, and the best part- they help you save big bucks! If a new desk feels like an expensive option, take out your working gloves and get working.
You can follow various simple instructional videos that show you numerous ways of making furniture. A desk is a relatively simple project that you can complete with suitable raw materials within a day.
Or you can place two file cabinets across each other and place a large wood board on top. Sand the board, paint, and apply varnish for a perfectly functional desk. Similarly, try finding other easily doable projects that require minimal effort.
#19 Minimize Printing To Save On Office Supplies
If your job requires minimal to no printed materials, avoid printing out documents for small tasks. Similarly, you can also ditch the entire printing conundrum by removing the printer from your work office.
This step will automatically reduce your paper, electricity, and ink cartridge expenses. Consider laminating a single sheet instead of printing out to-do list checklists every day. You can also use a whiteboard to avoid printing altogether.
#20 Light Fixtures
Light fixtures are notoriously pricey, so brace yourself for the final blow, or you can select your fixtures smartly! A workspace needs to be amply lit, so consider a highly concentrated task lamp that will brighten up your entire work area quite effortlessly.
If you enjoy making stuff, then a brightly lit workspace is a few steps away! You can create statement light fixtures with metal rods or wood. We highly recommend perusing the endless stream of DIY light fixture tutorials for some exciting ideas.
Readymade Setup
If spending your time over the ideas mentioned above feels like a lot, we recommend relying on our readymade home office setup.
We took the liberty to include a linked list of fully functional and highly productive home office essentials. Also, the entire office setup costs less than $400!
Are you ready to work at your mesmerizing office sanctuary that is unbelievably budget-friendly?
- L-Shape executive desk from Wayfair
- Cushioned height-adjusted beige chair from Amazon
- Area Rug from Wayfair
- LED Table lamp from AllModern
- Organizer cubby from Target
- Modern Wall clock from Amazon
Conclusion
Now that we have come to the end of our budget home office guide, we hope it has helped you find the same ideas you have been looking for.
Before wrapping, we would like to mention that these ideas are undoubtedly budget-friendly, but they do require a little labor and a whole lot of time! So if you wish to speed up the setup process, consider opting for our readymade setup.
Lastly, don’t forget to add a few lounging features to your office to relax your mind during breaks.
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