Meuchel Computer Services & Office Supplies

List of home business office supplies

1. Computer – Laptops are convenient but desktops are cheaper and sometimes more powerful and upgradebale
2. Telephone – for a home office consider multi-line phones for uniterrupted use.
3. Printer (multi-function printers also act as a fax and photocopier)
4. Fax – consider a multifunction printer so that you don’t have a fax and a printer cluttering your office.
5. Internet connection – faster internet connections allow you to get more work done without waiting. Consider broadband (ie. dsl or cable). In the Watford City Area we have the option of Reservation Telephone’s DSL service or Satellite service from a number of providers. 
6. Filing cabinet – You need to keep tax records for seven years! Also have a place to archive any other records that are work keeping.
7. Desk or work space – make sure you are comfortable and ergonomic.
8. Chair – a comfortable, good, sturdy office chair is unbeatable.
9. Stapler and maybe a hole punch – need we say more?
10. Stationery and supplies – envelopes, business cards, printer paper, paperclips etc.
11. Stamps and envelopes for sending out invoices
12. Clock – granted a computer has a clock as well but a wall clock is always nice.
13. Calendar – keep track of scheduled appointments.
14. In-box (and an outbox) – stacking trays help you manage incoming and outgoing paper
15. Home business permit from your local municipality, if applicable.

Microsoft Office bundles range from $150 to $450.  Windows XP and Vista operating systems range from $90 to $250.  Here is an alternate solution to the software price crunch.

Try OpenOffice.org as a replacement to Microsoft Office.  It is an open source office suite including a spreadsheets, word processing, database maintenance, presentations, graphics and more.  The great part is that it is distributed under the open source license, which means it is 100% free.  Check it out at www.openoffice.org.

Try Ubuntu as a replacement for your operating system needs.  Ubuntu is an operating system based off of Linux and is also distributed under the open source license.  Check it out at www.ubuntu.com.

Want more open source solutions? Check out www.sourceforge.net for tons of open source projects created by programmers that believe that software should be free.  Remember that if you use an open source product a lot, it is always courteous to offer donations to the cause.

Use of open source solutions limits your support options as most of the software is self-support only.  Also it may not run under Windows unless it is specified.