Affordable Home Office Essentials to Help You Slay Your Workdays Without Breaking the Bank

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Welcome to the world of remote work, where pajamas replace suits and home offices replace cubicles. Whether you are a seasoned remote worker or recently found yourself navigating this new territory, one thing is certain: a functional and comfortable home office is essential to maintain productivity and stay motivated. However, building the perfect workspace shouldn’t have to break the bank. Get ready to unleash your creative genius and create an inspiring workspace without compromising on your budget.

Home Office Essentials to Slay Your Workdays

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get some good (and necessary) pieces for your home office that can make your life a hell of a lot easier. Once you’ve tried these affordable home office essentials, you’ll wonder how you got along without them in the first place.

Home Office Furniture

If you have space available where you can set up an actual office area in your home, that’s ideal. One that’s tucked away, or at least one that’s somewhere where you can sit at a desk without having doors bang into you, etc. So, for the first section of this post, let’s say that you have that space (hopefully you do, and if not, skip down to the next section: gear and accessories.)

Adjustable Desk

Ergonomic office furniture can make a huge difference in your productivity and your overall well-being. A good adjustable desk can be your best friend at work and can help prevent lower back pain and that afternoon bout of lethargy that typically hits like a ton of bricks as you sit in front of the computer at 3 PM. This desk can be easily height adjusted according to your preferences and even comes along with a footrest.

Ergonomic Computer Chair

Affordable home office essentials: chair

Even if you don’t have an adjustable desk for your home office, an ergonomic computer chair can save your butt (okay, your back, no wait, both.) You want to invest in a solid chair with good lumbar support to avoid the kind of slouching and pressure that causes back pain. This ergonomic chair is a #1 bestseller on Amazon and costs less than $55.

Kneeling Chair

Affordable office essentials, kneeling chair

If you don’t plan on investing in an adjustable desk, you still shouldn’t sit for too long in your chair, even if it is ergonomic. Since we now know how bad sitting for long periods of time can be for one’s health, it’s important to take plenty of breaks from sitting in a regular position. But, if you don’t feel like standing either, you can always use a kneeling chair like this one, which takes the pressure off of your back.

Adjustable Desk for Small Spaces

If you’re not in the position to build a new home office area, but you need something reliable to get your work done on, you can opt for a smaller, more affordable adjustable desk like this one. It can be raised or lowered, so you can use it sitting down or standing up. It’s also very lightweight and easy to move around, and it fits nicely in small areas.

High-Quality Ergonomic Office Furniture

Read my post about the best ergonomic home office furniture to see some of my favorite chairs and desks.

Gear and Accessories

Once you’ve got your home office space all set up, it’s time to morph it into your ideal area, where you’ll be able to maintain productivity and stay focused. Even if you’re using your couch as your workspace for the time being, a lot of these things can be extremely beneficial to you.

Computer

Affordable home office essentials: computer

While you can do almost anything from your phone these days, chances are pretty good that you’re going to need a good computer to get the job done. You may have cringed just now, thinking about how much a computer can cost but really, you can find a good machine like this HP on Amazon at affordable prices.

Filing System

While it may seem like everything is done digitally these days, you still want to keep at least an accordion folder with dividers, or some type of system to store and separate important paperwork. The last thing you need is to lose something important! This adorable set of accordion filing folders is rated five stars, and you can get it for less than $20!

Good Pair of Headphones

Affordable home office essentials: headphones

If you don’t live alone, or in a place where you have a lot of peace and quiet, a good pair of headphones can make several worlds of differences. I prefer this kind of comfortable, over-the-ear headphones to earbuds, but anything that cancels out the noise will work.

Wireless Mouse

Using the trackpad on your laptop can be a pain in the ass sometimes, okay, most of the time. It’s much faster and easier to get a wireless mouse. If you have the desk space, I recommend going with a mousepad, too, since they make everything run more smoothly.

Balance Board

If you have a standing or an adjustable desk, a balance board is an excellent way to stay focused and energized while you’re working. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a little rocking board that you stand on that you need to keep balanced beneath you. They’ve been shown not only to reduce lower back pain, but to improve memory and concentration, improve your posture, and more. Plus, they’re just kind of fun to rock on when you’re at the computer! Grab one on Amazon for around $30.

Mini Fridge

Keep your snacks close, and your favorite snacks closer. Sure, you could run out to the kitchen every time you wanted to grab a bottle of water or soda, or you could just use a desktop fridge like this one in your workspace, to save yourself some time and trouble (also, snacks.)

Ergonomic Keyboard/Mousepad

Letting your wrists rest for too long on the hard edges of your desk while typing and clicking away on your mouse may not feel like it’s doing any damage, but it’s definitely possible. A keyboard pad slides right in front of your computer and acts as a little pillow for your wrists. The same goes for the mouse (wrist) pad. You can get them both in a set on Amazon for around $10, and your body will thank you for it.

Ergonomic Backpad

If you don’t naturally have incredible posture, you could really be hurting your back by slumping down in your computer chair all day. A lumbar support pillow slides right between you and the back of your chair, and helps keep the pressure off of your lower back.

Cardigan

If we’re talking affordable home office essentials, I am definitely adding a cardigan to the list. When you’re working from home, it can be easy to just roll out of bed, grab some coffee and jump on the computer. So, if you tend to sleep and/or run around in camis and your job requires you to be seen on cam, a cardigan on the back of your chair is a big timesaver! Toss it on and switch it out as needed. I absolutely love viscose, viscose everything, but cardigans are amazing since it is a natural, breathable, soft fabric and works well in both warmer and cooler months. You can find tons of great viscose cardis like this one on Amazon.

Thank you for Reading Affordable Home Office Essentials!

Read next: Organizing and Cleaning Your Home Office!

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Erika Sellmer is a digital content specialist with a passion for remote work and empathic design.