Starting a side business in your little home office always feels like this cheap little adventure at first. You buy a few supplies, get really excited about your first sale, and you think, okay, this is actually going to be affordable. But does it actually turn out to be affordable? Well, no, not nearly as often as you might expect. And then yes, it feels like out of nowhere, everything is costing money.
For example, tape is expensive, boxes are expensive, you probably already know that printer ink apparently costs as much as the product being sold (there’s the joke that it costs more than blood but it probably does). It’s awful to say, but it adds up fast and can make the whole thing feel like a bad idea to even start this in the first place.
Now, it’s always going to be expensive, that’s the bad news here. But there are some small ways, a few hacks if you will, that many people don’t know about (and some of these feel gate kept for some reason). So, you might want to consider trying out some of these to save money.
What Printer are You Using?
It’s absolutely going to be for the best to start right here; printers are one of those purchases that starts out innocent, well, to a degree they do because just about every business needs one (there’s no getting around this part). Basically, this is a normal adult item to own. Unfortunately, a lot of companies make you have a subscription service to use a printer that you literally own! Actually, HP is famous for this nonsense. Run out of ink, miss a payment, breathe wrong, and everything stops printing. It is so pointless and unfair to people just trying to print a label or two.
Hopefully, you’re not in this position. But a lot of people, even those who don’t run a business, fall into it. This is why so many home businesses swear by Brother printers. They last forever, they do not have attitude problems, and the toner goes strong for ages. Something like Brother toner saves so much money in the long run because you’re not stuck constantly reordering overpriced ink or dealing with subscriptions that charge you for existing. The ink lasts an extremely long time, too, like years. Sure, Brother is an expensive brand, but it’s worth it a million times over.
Get a Branded Rubber Stamp
This piece of advice is all over TikTok, but honestly, it’s great advice. So, branding doesn’t need to mean ordering boxes printed with your logo that require selling a kidney to fund. Yes, those are super expensive; they usually don’t look fancy either. Instead, a custom stamp is cheap and works on everything.
No, really, you can just stamp the tissue paper, stamp the ribbon, stamp the side of a cardboard box, and call it a day. It can even look more charming because it has that handmade feel. Besides, customers love that stuff and think it is thoughtful.
Free Packaging Stuff is Everywhere
Bubble wrap feels like it should be free, right? It comes in every package ever delivered. So why are we buying it all the time? Save everything that arrives at your home. Actually, do the same with family and friends, just ask them to save packaging material for you.
Skip the Cute Stationery Shops
Office suppliers or restaurant wholesalers are so much cheaper. Sure, going to stationery shops, well, even the stationery aisle is a lot of fun, but fun doesn’t pay the bills. You’ll need to find special wholesalers instead if you’re serious about saving some money.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba Studio
. So, you might want to consider trying out some of these to save money.){kind=link}