Keeping the costs down in the office can feel like a tough task – as you probably don’t realise how many office supplies you actually use every day. Invoices, memos, meeting notes, agendas – your office can’t function without stationary. It’s a necessity, but that doesn’t mean restocking has to be expensive. The supply market is massive so, you don’t want to get caught out with high costs on low quality products. Here are some tips on how you can save money on your office supplies.

Choose high quality over the cheapest product

Unfortunately, the majority of the cheapest products on the market are cheap because they are low in quality. This means you may end up needing to restock more frequently because the product breaks. If you do your research and choose a model or brand that’s at a higher quality – that office printer everyone uses is a good example of one such piece of equipment – you won’t mind paying a slightly more premium price as the product will be built to last.

Shop around online

Look online and shop around for the best deals. Make sure you check out reviews of products to find the best quality. Read up on your machines. Choosing the right paper and buying the correct type of high quality toner and ink cartridges for your printer model will reduce maintenance costs and prevent your printer from jamming and breaking down.

Restock supplies before you run out

Buying in bulk is the simplest ways to save money when it comes to office supplies. If you keep on top of your stock and replenish your supplies just before you run out, you won’t be tempted by single purchases. Many businesses in the supply market will favour you buying this way. This will help save money, as you’ll get a lowest price per unit and save on delivery costs too.

You’ll be able to buy in bulk online too – purchase larger amounts of everything from ink cartridges, toner and business cards, to toilet roll, paper and pens to save money. When shopping online you can also track what you’ve brought and at what price so keeping an audit is easy.

Only buy what you need

It can be easy to get carried away and buy things ‘just in case’, which will not help when you want to tighten those purse strings. Make sure you note down everything you’re buying and keep track of what is used. Don’t just buy the same quantity each month, it may be easier to do so, but it’s costly and wasteful.

As well as recycling the packaging, see if you can repurpose any boxes for extra storage. Some big supplies also offer a business discount for repeat purchases. This is great for things like paper and can save costs, but do make sure you 100% happy with the product before signing on the dotted line.

Have control over your supplies

By appointing someone to be the office stationary marshal you’ll have control over what is used. This is beneficial for many reasons, one of which is you’ll be able to keep tabs on your stock and make sure your staff aren’t using the office’s supplies for personal use. It also means you can track what you’re spending on supplies each much to help identify what you’re using most and what needs replenishing.