Home Office items from Thrift Store Sourcing

So you enjoy working from home, which your boss finds advantageous, even timely. They want to reduce the rental space at the office, a cost saver. Everyone agrees you should work from home for the foreseeable future. So, it’s time to assemble a home office, and you start developing a budget. 

I’m going to suggest sourcing office furniture from thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army in this blog. You won’t find this information anywhere else, and I’ll share my sensibility to shopping such stores as well.

How to Use a Thrift Store Sourcing

Can you save money at a thrift store, building a home office from donated items? A home office may set you back, running up costs if you buy from a retailer. The things you need may be available at thrift stores, and all you must do is step up your shopping effort and maybe reconsider how to acquire everything you need. As a rule, don’t shop at a thrift store with a list. You may find it frustrating to shop at a thrift store with a long checklist of items to buy. Instead, browse and buy.

Evil Doppelganger

First of all, Don’t think evil doppelganger. Don’t build a home office that resembles the office at work. Think of everything you need and then consider how minimal you can get. After all, you must live in the same space you’re working in. Shop for a desk or small table which will hold your stuff. Consider buying a converter to hook your laptop, including a flat monitor, keyboard, mouse, and perhaps a laser printer. 

At first, put extra items on hold. The coffee stand, refrigerator, storage cabinet, bookshelves, and office supplies can wait at least as long as it takes to get a minimal workstation set up. After your basic setup, buy stuff piecemeal and really question whether you need it. 

Consider the Chair

On the other hand, you might prioritize a comfortable chair. Nothing can make work at home succeed better than a nice chair, a recliner with an adjustable seat with plenty of width and depth. Before buying any furniture at a thrift store, try it out and make sure you’re entirely comfortable.

Tip: While you can buy electronics in thrift stores, it’s hit-and-miss. Believe it or not, technology gets dumped on thrift stores because it often requires disposal fees anywhere else. In other words, the city won’t accept technology as everyday garbage. The device you find in a thrift store may not work at all. Test electrical items if you can. At least look to see if a LED light comes on. Shake it, and if anything’s loose, put it back on the shelf.  

Wifi or Mesh from Thirft Stores Sourcing

Suppose your search efforts have produced a used WiFi extender to reach your new home office, and it works. In that case, it might be good, but then knowledge of the product helps. Suppose you move your WiFi to your home office area and use the WiFi extender to provide the HD TV at the other end of the house. In that case, you’d be better off buying a mesh system. Mesh systems are better for streaming videos, and an extender is better for data transfer. Items like this are more reliable when purchased at a retail store and not a thrift store.

There’s another drawback with a thrift store supplier. The staff might be clueless about their inventory, compared to a retailer’s staff.

Home Office: Standard Features

The typical home office offers the following features: 

1. A desk. An open mind is a real help here.
2. A comfortable chair.
3. A wastebasket
4. Two lights: Overhead LED lighting and a local lamp. A window as well. That should come with your rent or mortgage.
5. A surge protector.
6. A milk box to serve as your file cabinet 
7. Software for your computer system

Extras

After that, dream about optional stuff:

1. A chaise lounge
2. A visitors chair
3. A phone system (landline)
4. A bulletin board
5. A chairmat. 
6. Office supplies

That’s actually a pretty good list, but be budget-minded. 

Tip: It’s weird, but chairmats show up in thrift stores. It’s easy to get a goofy chairmat into most cars, and it’ll spare your floor or carpet much wear and tear. 

Suppose you actually discover bonafide office furniture in a thrift store. In that case, the desk is built like a tank and weighs as much. Forget it. Many consumer items are well constructed and will last. 

Thrift Store Sourcing: There’s Never Too Many Stores

To successfully thrift store shop, you’ll have to shop multiple stores. Go to a thrift store in your neighborhood, query the employees, or chat about people who look like regular customers. You want to find out the following: 

1. What thrift stores nearby have furniture. 
2. What thrift stores nearby are the cheapest. 
3. Does the store have policies against hauling customers’ big purchases to vehicles? For legal reasons, some won’t help at all. 

For the sake of argument, make multiple trips to the thrift store. Make it a routine for a while. 

1. The first trip involves buying the desk, chair, and printer. 
2. Look for scissors, software, paper clips, stapler, tapes, and writing instruments on succeeding voyages.

Transportation Role in Thrift Store Sourcing

Tip: You can get the stuff you want at the price you want if you have transportation. 

One strategy is to shop several thrift stores on a single day or a weekend and buy what you can find. Then turn to full-service retail stores for the rest. A second strategy is to purchase piecemeal stuff, constructing your home office for a month. 

This blog was originally published in 2021 and has been slightly edited.

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