How to save money when ordering stationery
Without careful management, stationery purchases can easily rack up huge bills and become more expensive than they should. Following some simple guidelines, however, will enable you to cut down on the cost of office stationery, saving your office money.
1. Buy in bulk
By buying your office stationery in bulk rather than on a more frequent basis, you’ll be able to take advantage of bulk discounts – and will also save on delivery costs. It may not seem sensible to order huge amounts of paper, pens and other items in advance, but as long as you have somewhere to store them, you will save a fair amount of money in the long run.
2. Buy before you run out
Don’t leave it till the last minute to restock on office supplies: if you get to the stage where you need to run to the nearest stationery store to buy items that have run out, you will not only end up more stressed, but will undoubtedly have to pay more too. Keep a close eye on your stationery stock levels, and be sure to reorder before you are completely out of any items.
3. Opt for refillable items where possible
Pens, highlighters, whiteboard markers, correction tape – many office stationery items are available either in disposable form or with the ability to be refilled. Refillable products are more cost-efficient as you aren’t paying for the outer casing: you are simply paying for the inside, thereby saving you money.
4. Cut back on the printing
Do you and your staff need to print as many documents as you currently do? By cutting down on the number of printed pages that your office produces, you can save money on both paper and printer ink. Email documents and information rather than printing, if possible, and choose to send documents to clients electronically rather than in the post. You will soon see a difference.
5. Print more effectively
If you do need to use office printers, make sure you are using them in the most efficient way possible. Save paper by printing longer documents double sided rather than single sided whenever possible – and if there are any printed documents that are no longer needed, use them again as scrap paper for telephone memos, meeting notes and similar. You can also save on ink costs simply by changing the settings on your printer. Do documents for internal usage really need to be printed in colour? By choosing the black and white option instead, you will reduce ink usage, thereby prolonging the life of your office ink cartridges.
6. Stay organized
Make sure that your office stationery is all kept in one place, and is neatly organized. If it is spread across the office, you will find it hard to keep track of what you need and what you don’t: by organizing your stationery cupboard, you will find it easier to keep track of when you need to place a new order.
Stationery is an essential purchase for any office – from pens and post-it notes to binders and low noise brown tape (“low noise” is important, trust me). Follow these simple tips and you’re sure to save some cash.
Harry Jones is a business analyst and keen blogger. He regularly blogs on everything business related, from simple money saving tips through to advanced tactics for company expansion.
