Are you working from home or remotely and you need to upgrade your home office setup on a budget? Maybe you started working remotely a few hours a day and now it's a couple days a week or more. And working remotely is now uncomfortable or you're not as efficient as you would like to be. In this article, I’ll draw on my years of remote work experience to share free and low-cost upgrades that can make your home or remote office more comfortable, productive, and enjoyable.
Ergonomic Upgrades Under $75 for Your Remote & Home Office Setup
Sitting at a desk all day can be tedious and also painful if you don't have the correct equipment or take a break everyone once in awhile. The nice thing about working from home is you can get up and take care of things like the laundry or go for a lap around your house or apartment. Or if you are really lucky get outside and get some fresh air.
My wife got a very sore back sitting and writing all day long and after talking with her physio she got herself a high-end Herman Miller chair. These are the Cadillac of office chairs and don't worry I'm not going to recommend you get one of these. But here's my list of the top 4 budget friendly ergonomic upgrades for your home office setup that won't break the bank and should improve your overall health:
1. Laptop Stands and Monitor Risers ($10 to $40):
It's important to have your monitor at the correct height while you are using it. From what I've read, you should have the top of the monitor aligned with your eyes. A quick search on Amazon and I see laptop stands from $10 to $30.
Depending on your monitor, you may be able to adjust it for the proper height and you don't need a monitor riser. If not, I see adjustable monitor risers on Amazon from $20 to $40. Good to get an adjustable one to make sure you can set the monitor to the correct height. I've also used books to adjust the height of my monitor and I also had a friend that is handy with woodworking make me on to my specs. One nice thing about an riser is that you usually have space under the monitor to put things.
2. Keyboard Wrist Rest Pad and Mouse Wrist Cushion for your computer ($10 to $20):
I use to sore wrists from typing on a keyboard all day. Once I started using a keyboard rest pad the pain went away. I also got a mouse wrist cushion with it and I think this is also a ergonomic product to have for your home office setup. This is an pretty inexpensive option on a budget and can make a big difference to your health.
3. Wireless Mouse ($20)
I think almost everyone has a wireless mouse and keyboard for their PC or laptop when working from home. Years ago I purchased a smaller mouse for my remote office setup. I'm not a fan of using the built-in mouse pad on a laptop and like to use a real mouse. Unless I'm in really cramped corners, like working on the drop down table on a plane. The small wireless mouse I'm using now is the Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse, 2.4GHz with USB Mini Receiver. Being using it for a couple of years now and very happy with it. Goes for around $20 and may get it cheaper when on sale. Just don't forget to pack the mini USB receiver when traveling if you use a different wireless mouse for your home office setup.
4. Foot Rest Under Your Desk ($25 to $50)
Okay, this is not something I've ever used, but I have friends that really like this home office upgrade. I see a lot of different styles available and think it's good to get an adjustable one. Cost on Amazon is around $25 to $50. Another nice option for under your desk if your home office gets cold in the winter is a small electric heater. This will keep your feet toasty and warm. Or a nice pair of slippers.
For more information on products I take when I'm working remotely working, please read my article: Portable Office Setup: My Must-Have Travel Kit For Working Remotely
Software Tools to Improve your Remote and Working from Home Efficiency
There are a lot of different software tools on the market today, but which ones to get? Really depends on your requirements and available funds. One software tool I used a lot in the past when I did wireless network system designs was Lucidchart, but not something I used today.
I'm not going to do a deep dive on every tool, but provide a high-level summary. At some point I'll write a more detailed review and add a link to the article. Here's the list of my top 5 software tools that I use for my remote and home office setup on a budget. These make my job easier and fun… yeah fun, I enjoy using these tools and get in the zone when designing stuff on my computer.
1. Canva Design Software (free to $13/month)
Canva is a web-based design tool that lets you easily create graphics like social media posts, presentations, thumbnails, and simple documents using drag-and-drop templates. It includes a large library of free and paid templates, photos, icons, and fonts, so non-designers can quickly produce professional-looking visuals. Canva also supports collaboration, allowing teams to edit and comment on designs in real time.
I'm also amazed at how much functionality is included in the Canva design tool. Even the free tool has a lot of functionality and a good place to test out the application and see if it something you need. This is where I started and last year I purchased a one year license for $120, so a bit of saving over the monthly price.
2. Evernote Digital Note-Taking and Organization App (free to $15/month)
I've been using Evernote for over 12 years and love it for note taking and organization. It's easy to use, nice interface, and I run the Evernote App on multiple devices like my laptop, iPhone, and iPad. As long as your device is connected to the Internet Evernote will sync your notes and data across the multiple devices you are running their App on. They also have an App available for Android devices, but I never used it, so can't comment on how this works.
3. LastPass Password Manager Software (free to $3-4/month)
In the old days everyone used one password for everything. This made life pretty easy to manage your passwords. This is no longer a good idea and we all have a lot more passwords to remember. I have a small address book with most of my passwords and I also use the LastPass Password Manager. One master password to remember them all.
For a few years I used their free version that restricted you to using the LastPass software on one device. Last year I upgraded to their family plan. This gives me six premium accounts and I can use it on multiple devices. This is handy when you are travelling and not packing your PC or you just want the flexibility to have access to all of your passwords on your smart phone, tablet, and laptop.
4. Magai AI Tools ($20/month)
I just started using the Magai AI Unified Platform recently and really enjoy it. There are a few things I really like about the Magai AI solution:
- You have access to over 50 AI models. This includes Large Language Models (LLM), Text to Image, Image to Image and Image to Video. You are not stuck with one AI model.
- It has the concept of Personas. This allows you to create custom Guidelines or Instructions you want to use for your search. You don't need to re-enter them every time you want to use them, just select it from the interface. And they provide 50+ pre-built Personas that you can use.
- Easy to use interface to select the AI model, Personas, and enter your Prompt. You can also switch the AI model or Persona during your research. You can start a chat with one AI model and them move to different one that is more suited to create an image or video from what you've learned.
- If you are not sure which AI model to use they have an Auto setting. And same for the Persona, they have an Assistant. So use the generic version as you learn more about the different AI models and Personas, then you select a specific one for the job at hand.
5. Snagit Screen Capture and Recording Software
This is another software tool I've been using for a long time. I recently found my original copy of Snagit software on a floppy disk. Microsoft comes with a Snipping tool, which is okay, but I really like using Snagit, and too be honest I have used the Microsoft tool very much. So why to I like TechSmith Snagit software:
- It allows you to annotate captured images. This is great if you are explaining to someone how to use a new software or want to call attention to something.
- It comes with templates you can use to explain a process. So much easier than talking someone through it or writing a long document. Just show the steps in images using the annotation features.
- If you can't copy and paste an image, you can grab a screenshot then convert it to text.
- With newer versions of the software you can do a record a video and do some editing. It's not as powerful as Camtasia, but it's pretty handy for a short video capture.
Quick Tip on Saving Money on Subscriptions
Few quick notes on pricing. If you are a student you may be able to get a discount with some of the software packages and tools. If you sign up for a free trial and you need to provide a credit card, make sure you make a note in your calendar before the subscription runs out to decide if you want to keep using it or cancel it. If you signup for a year to get a discount, make sure you put a note in your calendar before the subscription runs out to decide if you want to keep using it or cancel it.
And if you do signup for any subscriptions, I like to review my credit card and PayPal statement every six months to see if there are any subscriptions I forgot about. I regularly save $25 to $50 a month by cancelling subscriptions I no longer use. This includes subscriptions for streaming and data storage plans.
Training on a Budget
One thing that can really improve your efficiency and enjoyment of your job is getting some good training. This can include training on your favorite software application or specific to your job. When I went from a solutions engineer to a product manager I took a few courses and bought a few books on product management. Same when I did sales for a short period of time. My favorite book on sales was by Sandler Training: You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar.
The good news is a lot of training is available for free or low cost. And books are pretty cheap for what you can learn. There are also a lot expensive courses out there, but I will focus on product training on a budget.
1. Software Application Training
There is a lot of good training you can find online. YouTube is a big one, but sometimes not the best information or outdated. I like to see if a application provider has any of their own training online. Some of it will be marketing, but once you sign up for the product, even if it is a demo or trial, checkout if they have any additional training available for product users.
All of the companies I mentioned above in the Software Tools section when working remotely have additional online training. The Canva, Magai AI, and TechSmith Snagit training is really good and up to date with their latest solutions. Magai AI also has a weekly AI Academy you get for free if you sign up and TechSmith offers targeted training throughout the year. A few years ago I did a two day online training course with TechSmith that was really good and covered all of their products. Had a tradeshow vibe and was free.
2. Books and Other Resources for Training
As I mentioned earlier, books are a good source of product and skills knowledge. If you have a topic you are interested you in can; Search the Web, Search on Amazon, or head into a Bookstore or Library. When is the last time you were in a bookstore? 😉
Another good resource for learning new skills when working from home on a budget is to checkout online learning centers like the: Coursera Platform, Google Grow, and the Udemy Academy. I've taken courses on all three and the provide a variety of topics and have been very happy on the content. The Google certification courses are usually free and the other two platforms usually have sales. And you can go at your own pace, which is nice. I started a good course on learning programming on a Raspberry Pi that I still need to finish, but really enjoying it.
And the last thought for training solutions, is to look towards your local college or university. They can offer a good selection of courses and you maybe able to work towards a certificate, diploma, or degree. How cool is that! If you are LinkedIn or working on updating your resume you can add completed courses to show your product knowledge.
3. Last Note on Training on a Budget
If you work for a company there may be a yearly budget for training for you or your team. Good to check with HR or your manager to see what is available. If you get some push back, let them know how it will benefit your job and the company. You can also mention you are open to doing a small training or summary to your team of what you learned. This has worked for me in the past. I also was able to have companies I worked for pay for my yearly Snagit license.
If you run a small business or you're a contractor, you should be able to write off your training on your taxes. Good to check with your accountant first before you signup to understand what you can write off. You might also be able to deduct some, if not all, of the items mentioned in this Home Office Setup on a Budget guide when tax season rolls around.