A couple of weeks ago, I was having lunch with an attorney friend when the conversation turned to the rising cost of fuel and commodities.
Things had gotten so bad, he told me, that a client of his–a landscaper who specializes in installing roof gardens on top of fancy Manhattan apartment buildings–had just started hitting his customers with a surcharge to cover the rising price of copper.
Unfortunately, not every business is in the enviable position of being able to raise prices in order to cover rising costs.
Here are five easy ways you can keep more money in your pocket and put less money in OPEC’s.
1. Open your windows. Less A/C means lower electric bills ,whether you’re working from home or out of an office. There’s no reason to share your hard-earned profits with Con Ed if you don’t have to!
2. Take the subway. Even if you don’t live in New York City like I do, public transportation is a cost-effective option available to people in most parts of the country. Whether you travel by bus, train or carpool with friends, you’ll see an immediate savings–and have a chance to network with potential clients along the way.
3. Save your receipts. However you choose to get from Point A to Point B, remember to save your receipts so you can write off your travel expenses at tax time. Now that New York City taxis have started taking credit cards, you can get American Express Membership Rewards points, too.
4. Order online. Sure, Costco has some great deals on toner cartridges, but how much gas are you going to have to burn to get there? You’ll save more money by ordering online at sites such as Staples, where delivery is free on all orders above $50, excluding custom products like coffee mugs with your company’s logo.
5. Buy in bulk. While you’re ordering online, you might as well buy in bulk. As my mom would say, you’re going to use all those toner cartridges and all that paper anyway–it’s not going to spoil!
I could easily go on. By switching to online banking, you save on postage. By e-mailing instead of faxing, you save on paper. These are all minor cost savings, I know, but a couple of pennies here and there can add up to big dollars down the road.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 6:15 am and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.One Response to “Save to Win: Don’t Let OPEC Take You to the Cleaners!”
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May 29th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Thank you for your insight,
I like the methods you provide to cut costs. While they might be common sense to some people I appreciate the breath of fresh air. I am in the floral industry, and delivering flowers is an integral part of my business. While many of us have felt the crunch its hard not to pass on the cost to the customer. We will press on with business as usual with our head held high and the best of hopes. Thank You
Eva Rosa
www.EvaRosa.com