Maximizing Savings: Tips for Managing Office Expenses Under $2000

[cookingwithlove]

Holy... Holy... I spent over $2000 on office supplies last year. I think I have to ban myself from Office Max!

 

[pamperedlinda]

What did you buy?

 

[tlag1986]

For me it is the ink I use. My DH has a Dell printer and the ink refills are expensive. They also don't seem to last as long as our older printer (it was an HP).

 

[wadesgirl]

For me it is the ink I use. My DH has a Dell printer and the ink refills are expensive. They also don't seem to last as long as our older printer (it was an HP).

Sometimes the cost of a new printer out weighs the cost of all the ink cartridges. I haven't entered in my receipts yet but I'm pretty sure that the PO/US government got all my money for the year.

 

[peachey]

This is my first year with PC. Glad it isn't just me with high office expenses. I did buy a laptop and printer and they have been a huge help to the business.

 

[amy07]

Holy... Holy... I spent over $2000 on office supplies last year. I think I have to ban myself from Office Max!

GULP!!! I don't think I really want to see what mine will be! I still have to enter all my receipts into P3

 

[pampered.chris]

I am with you all. I haven't entered any of my receipts. I really need to do that. I am hoping for a big enough return to upgrade the electric fuse box in my house. Estimated at $3K. Gulp...

 

[cookingwithlove]

It looks like the biggest thing is ink for the printer. This year I am going to just print one copy and get it copied at OfficeMax. We get 4 or 5 cents per copy. I do a lot of color printing. I am going to cut that down too. I just love having color flyers. OfficeMax is my place to go when I am bored. It used to be Costco, but hubby told me I could only go once a month. I was buy so much useless stuff. Of course, I thought it was stuff we needed! It is funny, because I really do not think of myself as a spender and buyer! This is an eye opener!

 

[turtle15]

Sometimes the cost of a new printer out weighs the cost of all the ink cartridges. I haven't entered in my receipts yet but I'm pretty sure that the PO/US government got all my money for the year.

|I use my printer for personal and business. How do you figure out the cost of ink - or do you have a separate printer for business?

 

[mamadugan]

yes, and also stamps (if you mail your invites) I don't think that I can do that anymore. My director told me stamps were going to be going up in May to 50 cents

 

[pampered.chris]

yes, and also stamps (if you mail your invites) I don't think that I can do that anymore. My director told me stamps were going to be going up in May to 50 cents

The regular stamps...the post card stamps are going up 1 cent in May.

I agree this can be quite the expense, but I have found that my hostess's are not willing to take on this expense and that it helps me greatly to mail their invites for them. How does it help me? I know the invites are going to be mailed out which increases show attendance and sales. I personally think that it would hurt my business to stop providing this service.

 

[thecougchef]

yes, and also stamps (if you mail your invites) I don't think that I can do that anymore. My director told me stamps were going to be going up in May to 50 cents

if you can .. start buying the "forever" stamps. you can still use those when stamp rates go up....

 

[pampered.chris]

Are you guys putting regular first class stamps on your postcard invites? The forever stamps are for letters and envelopes, mini-catalogs etc. But the postcard invites are 27cents a piece. That is all you need to mail the postcards.

I am assuming that everyone knows this, but I just wanted to make sure.

 

[lauradahl]

if you can .. start buying the "forever" stamps. you can still use those when stamp rates go up....

I buy these ALL the time! I don't really want any stamps left over so I buy some EVERY TIME I'm at the PO. It will save money. My Post Master told me I could count on an increase each May...that is the magic month.

 

[niktim3]

I havent even started the recipet entering!!!
Any short cuts on doing this for those of you who are on top of things??
THanks!

 

[Get_Pampered]

I havent even started the recipet entering!!!
Any short cuts on doing this for those of you who are on top of things??
THanks!

Reserve 5-10 minutes to input them once a week. I try to do all errands on Wednesdays and I put in all receipts when I get home. It is super fast when you only have a few.

 

[jbdowd0798]

It looks like the biggest thing is ink for the printer. This year I am going to just print one copy and get it copied at OfficeMax. We get 4 or 5 cents per copy. I do a lot of color printing. I am going to cut that down too. I just love having color flyers. OfficeMax is my place to go when I am bored. It used to be Costco, but hubby told me I could only go once a month. I was buy so much useless stuff. Of course, I thought it was stuff we needed! It is funny, because I really do not think of myself as a spender and buyer! This is an eye opener!

I used to do that but now I put three months of specials (if we have that many at once) on one flyer and don't change it out every month. That cut down on what I spent by a LOT!

 

[Malinda Klein]

I cut down alot on my printing too AND switched printers. I was going thru 50 a month just on ink with my hp and lexmark printers (which both broke last year). I ended up buying a kodak - and my printing cost dropped by 50% to 25 a month. I've had my printer break twice, but Kodak has overnighted me a printer twice to fix it. The pages aren't as nice as the HP, but the price difference doesn't justify the difference in quality.I only print out:
invitations (biggest expense)
oof (include the guest special on it)
5-7 host & guest specials for each month
and replacement paperwork for my lapboards and information on business i hand out.

 

[NooraK]

Anytime I print ANYTHING in black, I use "draft" instead of normal. I don't see a difference in the result, and it uses less ink. Color comes out faded, but I don't print THAT much in color.

Things that I use constantly (oof, host packet info) I make copies of using our discount. I've made my host packets to be generic so I don't have to re-print from month to month.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Can someone recommend an affordable printer with cheap ink cartridges? If you use your pampered perks online to print with Office Depot, b&w copies are only 3 cents and they get delivered to your door for free. Color copies are 32 cents, I believe.

 

[niclowther]

Can someone recommend an affordable printer with cheap ink cartridges? If you use your pampered perks online to print with Office Depot, b&w copies are only 3 cents and they get delivered to your door for free. Color copies are 32 cents, I believe.

Yeah, and to have copies (that are black and white) on color paper it is only 4 cents. And if you're in a hury, I just call and email my local Office Depot and have them print and i'll pick up if I can't wait the 4-5 days for delivery. If I need a large amount printed, I'll have them print for me. Way cheaper!

I figured my canon was costing 10 cents a copy (went online to research how many copies my ink cartrige does).