- 1). Craft your own desk from two file cabinets or two sawhorses topped with finished plywood.
- 2). Haunt tag sales, rummage sales and thrift stores if you're not in a hurry; desks, file cabinets, bookcases, lamps, chairs, phones and computer equipment regularly pop up at these venues.
- 3). Look in your classified telephone directory to see whether there's a secondhand office-furniture store in your area. Call ahead to check stock on items you're particularly interested in.
- 4). Check for unfinished furniture. While not the cheapest way to go, this can net a nice savings if you're handy with a paintbrush.
- 5). Consider ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture, most of which is easy to put together nowadays. RTA bookcases, desks, consoles and desk chairs can be very reasonably priced - sometimes less than $100 - and are available in styles ranging from high-tech to very traditional Chippendale.
- 6). Comparison shop for a desk chair, but go with comfort over price. This is an item you don't want to skimp on if you'll sit for more than an hour at a stretch.
- 7). Think about what you really need in terms of office supplies. A case of file folders, no matter how cheap, could be too much for you to use within a reasonable amount of time. And while office-supply super stores often give deep discounts, basic supplies at mass-market discount department stores could cost less.
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