Buying smart: When you shop around for things for the office or workplace, consider doing a double-take on the item(s) you’re [...]]]>

Every penny counts, whether you’re a lever puller on an assembly line, or a corporate exec. Pinching pennies isn’t necessary. In-fact, often spending less on something can have the opposite result you might want.

Buying smart: When you shop around for things for the office or workplace, consider doing a double-take on the item(s) you’re about to purchase. Just because the store you’re at has everything you need at one go, it may be prudent to whip out your phone, and call a couple of other stores who might have the same item, but for less.

For example: You need an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier (maybe a fax too) as well as paper, a thermal laminate press, and a few other smaller items. First, call Wal-Mart and ask for the Electronics department. Find out how much the items you need cost. Put them on hold (if they’re good employees, they’ll wait) and call Office Depot or another franchise that might have the product you need. Once you hear the price from each store, then quickly pull up Mapquest (which you can also do on your phone) and easily determine the distance and time you will need to purchase the item(s) you need.

If the price difference between the two stores is $10.00 or less, pick the closer store. By the time you’ve arrived you will probably have spend more on gas than the price difference between the two printers.

The Green life: Consider going green. Okay sure it’s not cheap. The light switches, the bulbs, the insulation etc… but it adds up in your favor.  For one, the energy saver bulbs tend to last longer, burn brighter, and use much less energy than your standard bulb.

That also comes in handy when you’re running on battery backup during an outage, or storm.  The motion-detection light switches help reduce hassle when entering a room. The oh-so-common bathroom warcry “Where’s the damn switch!?” no longer exists. The light turns itself on when you enter it’s field, and turns off after a selected time of inactivity. This means you save money for all the times you forget to turn off the light in the shed, latrine, hallway, garage, etc. It adds up, trust me.

There’s some really cool insulation for cold winters. Basically it’s a foam sheet sandwiched between a cool aluminum film on either side that keeps the elements out meaning summers stay cooler, and winters stay warmer. Perfect for the office.

Quick tip: Consider blocking the vents in your bathroom(s) and extra bedroom(s) since you rarely spend more than an hour at a time, you will barely notice a temperature difference. Keep the door closed, and give your AC a break. Taking an entire room out of the equation means you can heat/cool the entire place much easier, and cheaper.

Battle of the peeves: Your pet peeves can cause serious discomfort for people around you, and they can also cost you money. Getting your nails done, getting a pro-salon haircut, and paying to get your car detailed all cost money, and tend to be entirely unnecessary. Of-course time isn’t what it used to be, there’s less of it every day(so it seems) but consider that by the time you’re done waiting in line to get prettied up, you could have done the job yourself, or gone somewhere less  expensive, and may even get a better job done.

Last one: Don’t forget… start writing things down instead of relying on your handy dandy devices 100% of the time. This will help increase your short-term memory and actually will increase your overall productivity. Productivity means getting more done in a given amount of time, and time is money.

There are other interesting ways to boost your memory skills. Crossword puzzles, word games, association games, or even memorizing a book can help your mind become more malleable, meaning you can absorb more with less effort, making you a valuable asset to any employer.

Oh, and don’t forget to brush your teeth… actually that’s just for my co-workers. I hope they read it.