How to save on everyday office essentials?

As energy prices continue to spiral and businesses start to feel the pinch, it’s become harder and harder to maximise budgets. Stationery, office furniture, printouts and promotional materials are a necessary cost for businesses.

You can’t continue to grow and find customers without marketing, and if you stopped buying notepads, pens and paper, your office just wouldn’t function. However, despite the necessity for office supplies there are still simple ways you can maximise your budget.

As experts in print, stationery, office furniture and branded merchandise, with 60 years serving the nation’s businesses, we look at 5 ways you can make your budget stretch further when it comes to everyday office essentials.

1. Take stock of your supplies

It is all too easy to make regular monthly orders without even considering what you actually need. Take the time to review your current supplies. Would you be better stocking up on notepads this month rather than pens, or if your stationery cupboard is full why not tackle that broken chair? Make sure you use your budget where it is needed most by keeping a close eye on stock levels.

2. Take advantage of bulk buy discounts

It can often be cheaper to order items in bulk. Rather than buying smaller quantities several times throughout the year, why not work out what you need each year and order all in one go? LG Davis even offer a useful Stock and Deliver service so you can order in bulk to benefit from added discounts and we ship out in smaller batches as and when you need the items. Being strategic about how and when you buy can have a huge impact on your budget, maximising each spend.

3. Review your current choices

If you have been buying the same items for several years, there is a good chance you could save money by reviewing your choices. There may be an alternative way to produce your leaflets, more budget friendly merchandise options or even offers on a particular stationery item that, although may be slightly different to your usual buys, will still deliver and reduce your costs. Just because you have always done it that way doesn’t mean you can’t change and benefit from some added cost savings. Keep an open mind and ask the questions when purchasing. Are there more cost effective alternatives, is there another way to achieve your goal? Constantly reviewing and updating your orders keeps you on track with your budget.

4. Amalgamate your suppliers

Using multiple suppliers for all your office equipment and supplies can be costly. It not only increases the time needed for staff to process and place orders, but also reduces your buying power. Lots of smaller accounts means you are less likely to benefit from bulk buy discounts and you could get stung by multiple rounds of delivery costs. Bringing all your services into one easy to manage account can have a huge impact on not only saving time and staff hours but on reducing delivery costs and providing additional discounts through buying in bulk.

5. Look at the overall cost not just initial savings

It is all too easy when driving down costs to only reflect on the initial cost of an item rather than the lifetime value. Buying the cheapest product isn’t always going to give you the most savings. If you buy a product that is 10% more expensive initially but lasts twice as long as the cheaper alternative, then over the life of the product you are saving more. Balancing out initial outlay over quality is always one of the most important things to consider when trying to maximise your budget. Buying cheaper items more often will rarely be as cost effective as buying a quality item that lasts.

LG Davis offer a comprehensive audit of your current office and stationery needs to make sure that you are getting the most out of your budget. We regularly review your orders and if we think you could get a better deal doing it differently we will let you know.

Looking for ways to reduce your office bills? Worried you are paying too much on stationery and marketing materials? Want to look at how you could change your print works to make the most of your budget?

Put us to the test and see if we can save you money with our FREE Audit Review. For a quick chat and to book your review call the team on 0121 430 9000.