We’d all love to have a fully furnished home office in a quiet, aesthetically pleasing work space, but not everyone has the budget to make it happen. Especially now that many of us are working from home, setting up a home office for everyone in the family can be a big financial commitment! If you need a productive space to work but find yourself on a tight budget, here’s how you can set up a home office without spending any money.

Repurpose a dining set

The first thing we think of when it comes to setting up a home office is the desk and chair. The good news is that you don’t need a fancy new desk and office chair if you’re trying to save money. In most cases, a repurposed dining set will do. Many of us at SquareRooms actually do our work sitting at the dining table too!

Image courtesy of Authors Interior & Styling

Make yourself comfortable

You may be thinking to yourself that using a standard dining chair for office work sounds terribly unhealthy. You’re not entirely wrong, but there are ways to make things more comfortable for yourself without spending on a new chair. Our top tip is to put a pillow behind your lower back when you do your work, as this helps to maintain your back in good condition when you don’t have access to an ergonomic office chair.

Maximise natural light

Don’t just save on furniture—save on electricity too! Try to place your new office near a window so you can make the most of the natural light streaming into the room and don’t need to keep lamps on all day long. Plus, working with natural light is much better for your eyes and may save you a doctor’s appointment or two in the future.

Image courtesy of Third Avenue Studio

Schedule quiet hours at home

One of the reasons why many people choose to set up a home office in a separate room is that it’s often quiet and, consequently, easier to concentrate in. If you can’t afford to dedicate a whole room to your work zone, we suggest sitting down your family or housemates to schedule quiet hours dedicated to your work. This will give you space and silence to concentrate without the need to spend on soundproofing either.

Use what you’ve got

Another aspect of working from home that can cost quite a bit of money is equipment and materials. Depending on your work, you may need a fast laptop, lots of notebooks and pens or things like specialised video and sound equipment. If you start buying all of these from scratch, you’re going to shoot over your budget pretty quickly. We recommend making the most of what you have and asking around for the things you need. You may be able to borrow equipment from your workplace while the office is closed or even find that you have a family member with a collection of empty notebooks. Plus, reusing and passing along these items is a great way to share and recycle during these difficult times.

Image courtesy of Vlada Karpovich