Budget can become a limiting factor when creating a functional home office. Office equipment can be expensive, and some users may be forced to use suboptimal furniture for their workspace. As a result, they may compromise their ergonomics, which lowers efficiency and comfort. That said, you can make smart decisions about furnishing your room and still end up with ergonomic furniture within your budget. This guide on how to furnish a home office on a budget shows you how you can get excellent equipment and still not spend a lot of money.
How to Furnish a Home Office on a Budget – A Guide
The first thing to save money is to realize that you should prioritize your equipment. So, buy the essentials first, and spend the most money on those. The two essential furniture pieces include an ergonomic chair and a home office desk.
Even if you want to work in a standing position, you will need to sit down in intervals after standing for about an hour each time. Standing and working all day is not only really difficult, it's also not good for you.
With that said, below are things to keep in mind when buying both your chair and desk. After that, we'll list some useful accessories you can consider for your home office.
Consider a Fixed-Height Desk
You can find a high-quality desk if you consider a fixed-height desk instead of a height-adjustable one. One of the reasons some professionals consider a height-adjustable office desk is that it can help improve the position of their wrists and their elbows.
The ergonomic and ideal way to position your elbows and wrists is to ensure that your wrists are straight when they are placed on the keyboard on your desk. So, your wrists should not be bent upward because that can result in a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. Your wrists should also not be tilted toward one side too much. At the same time, your wrists should be at the same height or slightly below your elbows. This way, you'll ensure that there's no wrist flexion.
If you're looking for a fixed-height office desk, you can consider the FD1 model by FlexiSpot.
What to Note about a Fixed-Height Desk
When you're considering a desk with a fixed height, make sure to check if the height works for you. The FD1 model is fixed at 29 inches from the floor to the tabletop. It's a good medium that can work for many professionals. So, sit down at your ideal position on your chair and check if this height works for you for your elbows. For example, you can measure the height of your chair's armrests and ensure they can match 29" inches when you're sitting comfortably on your chair.
What's great about this particular desk is that it offers a lot of value for money. This model is significantly more affordable than its height-adjustable counterparts, yet it's made of high-quality materials. The tabletop is made of high-quality chipboard to last a long time. In addition to that, it has a complete steel frame for both sturdiness and durability.
The rectangular desktop is 47 inches long and 24 inches wide, giving you more than enough room to work comfortably. You also have enough space to accommodate a dual-monitor setup if your home office requires it. It can also withstand 220 pounds, so you can easily place two monitors and a desktop PC.
Consider a Height-Adjustable Home Office Desk Only When Necessary
If you must get a height-adjustable home office desk, avoid getting a motorized one to help save costs. You can get an affordable option from FlexiSpot. The crank office desk allows you to raise or lower the desk between 28 inches and 47.6 inches using a smooth crank. The crank can adjust the height with minimal effort, allowing you to raise your desk even when you have heavy items (such as a PC, monitor, and laptop) on it.
Another great thing about this particular desk is that you don't need to plug it into an electrical outlet to change its height. So, that can be a useful feature when you have limited ports in your work area.
One disadvantage of a crank system instead of a motorized height-adjustment system is that you cannot save height presets that you can switch to with a button. However, the cost savings make up for that.
When You Should Consider a Height-Adjustable Desk
Everyone won't benefit from spending extra money on a home office desk with height adjustment. So, here's when you should consider one.
When the fixed-height option doesn't match your height requirements
When you want to switch between a standing and sitting position
Ergonomic Office Mesh Chair
An ergonomic office mesh chair like the EOC 1368 from FlexiSpot offers an excellent balance of comfort and affordability. A mesh chair is a great option for home offices because the material offers superior breathability, which improves overall comfort, especially if you're working in a relatively warm office or area. It can help prevent your thighs and hips from getting sweaty. In addition to that, it also has a high-quality thick sponge to offer you excellent support on your seat.
What's great about this partiular mesh chair is that it has a height-adjustment feature even in this price bracket. Thus, you can raise it from 17.9 inches to 21.6 inches. With this adjustability, you can ensure that your legs and arms are in the ideal positions. The chair can also support up to 250 pounds of weight, so you can rest easy knowing the chair won't move once you set it at the ideal height.
In addition to that, the chair also comes with ergonomic armrests. You should avoid chairs without armrests because you will start to put a lot of strain on your shoulders that way. Moreover, you may struggle to keep your wrists in the ideal position when working (which is at the same height level as your elbows.
The chair also comes with high-durability PU casters that allow you to move the chair around with ease. It's smooth enough to work on flat hard floors and carpets without making a noise or ruining your flooring.
Something you should note about this ergonomic office chair is that it does not include a headrest. However, by maintaining correct posture and taking frequent breaks when working, you may not need a chair with a headrest.
Consider a Chair with More Features Only When Necessary
We understand if you would rather have a chair with a full headrest. In that case, you can consider spending more money on the Essential Office chair (C3) for your home office. However, only do so when your budget allows it.
Some additional features you get with this investment include the following.
Adjustable headrest
Adjustable armrest
Reclining ability
Strong lumbar support
Consider Storage Options
After you have spent money on the essentials, you can start looking at additional home office supplies that can help make your working space more functional. Storage options should be the next thing to consider because they can help declutter your workspace. A well-organized home office can help reduce stress, improve efficiency, and boost productivity. Some quick options you consider are listed below.
1. A pegboard is a great minimalistic storage solution. It allows you to hang small essential items, such as office supplies, headphones, and personal photos. You can also use it for reminders by placing important notes on the pegboard that you place at your desk.
2. A file cabinet is another useful storage solution for professionals who deal with a lot of physical paperwork. This storage solution can be expensive, so you should only consider it if you really need plenty of storage space for books, files, documents, etc.
3. An under-desk drawer is another simple yet effective storage solution. If your desk does not come with storage space, you can install this onto it and have enough room for office supplies, notebooks, and so on. What's great about them is that they are also cost-effective options.
4. A cable management system is the last thing you should look at, but it can be useful for decluttering your workspace. It can help keep a lot of cables in one area, making your home office look organized and neat. That can help reduce stress and boost efficiency.
Final Thoughts
This guide on how to furnish a home office on a budget shows you how you can make a great home office without spending a lot of money. The main takeaway is that you should prioritize the furniture you need and make buying decisions according to that. It's always a good idea to spend most of your money on a good desk and chair because those are the factors that will determine most of your home office ergonomics.
