How To Make An Office At Home For Free; No Purchases Required

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One of the most daunting aspects of when being asked to work remotely is the surge in costs to get set up at home. The dread for those especially who live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have disposal cash they can throw at making a home office. Well look no further I have got you covered. So, what exactly is required to make a home office for free?

Using garage sales, free sites like freecycle, or getting your employer to contribute to the necessities you need to create a workspace in your home such as laptop, Desk, Chair, Keyboard, Mouse, and a Monitor is the best option to make a home office for free. 

I know what you are thinking, how on earth are you going to pull it off at 0 cost.

Well let’s start with some caveats, the first being your employer is going to provide you with a laptop and the second caveat that you already have broadband set up at home. With that out the way let’s get started!

(Just a heads up a lot of people reading my blog are in the process of designing their own home office. If you want to save some of the painstaking time I did in designing my office, you can find my recommended products here) 

How to make an office at home for free? 

Let’s first manage expectations, we are not the Genie in the bottle who can grant such wishes. The first thing to understand is this will be an essentials only type of office and also you will need to spend some time researching and being patient to find that product for you.

If you are looking to spend some money then maybe a better read for you is the article I wrote titled How Much Should You Spend On A Home Office? A Big Spenders Guide

We will focus on getting you set up with the following:

1. Table
2. Chair
3. Mouse
4. Keyboard
5. Monitor – If possible 

Table and Chair

As mentioned we will be working on the assumption you already have a laptop and wifi set up (if not check out this post on working from home with a slow internet connection). So first up is the table and chair for which we need to consider the following:

1. What space do you have in the house to set up your office? Is it a whole room or part of the living or dining rooms?
2. How strong is the wifi signal for the area you want to set your office up in? The last thing you need is to lose signal mid-way through a conference call

Once you have answers to the above you know the area you will be limited to. Now the first question is what do you have at home that’s either not in use or can be temporarily refitted for your purpose. Do you have:

–         A dining table

–         Old no longer used dining table

–         A coffee table

–         A makeup table

–         Old/current study table

If you have one of the above then great you can start on refitting it to your purpose. In my case, I “borrowed” my wife’s Makeup table when we were first requested to work from home. 

I removed the glass panel to ensure it would not be damaged and cleared out the draw it comes with of all the makeup equipment.

It’s been a year since so let’s hope my wife does not decide to invoke her right to the table! But seriously with just some creativity and 30 mins of my time, I was able to transform the table into what I needed.

Similarly, with any home items you can convert to your benefit, some examples are:

Item	Convertible to a desk?	Time Spent	Cost incurred
Makeup table	Yes – remove any glass pieces and makeup items and place your laptop, monitor, and notebooks appropriately	30 mins	0
Dining Table	Just split the area of the dining table you need so to allow the family to eat on the other half – beware of entangling wires – keep them organized and out the way	30 mins	0
Coffee table	If the height is ideal then perfect – but if not then replace the legs to increase the height to your needs.	Up to 1.5 hours	0
Study table	Nice and easy – just move your Monitor and stationary over.	Up to 30 mins	0
Pieces of unused wood	Recently finished a refurb or have pieces of wood left from an old project then you can build a simple desk using a plank and smaller pieces of wood as legs	Up to 2 hours	0

The purpose of the table is to show you that by being creative most of the time you can find a solution at home that might need some handy work done to convert to your table.

In terms of chairs the simplest option is the one you have at home, if uncomfortable similarly you can add layers of material to make it more comfortable for the multiple hours sat there doing your work. An example is beefing up the cushion so it feels more comfortable on your behind.

Ok, that’s the infrastructure all set up now what about the supporting pieces? Find out below

Mouse, Keyboard & Monitor

Sadly, we can’t just build one of these or convert the tv remote into what we need, or can we? No definitely can’t so that leaves us with the dilemma of how to get these at 0 costs. Well luckily for you I have not just one but 3 potential solutions on the table!

Option 1 – Boss you look great? Can I have a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and a pay rise?

Ok, the pay rise might be a step too far but sometimes it is as simple as asking your employer. In some societies and cultures, it can feel embarrassing to ask for something, even if it is in your right! Honestly do not be embarrassed and simply ask.

Remember the magic phrase “you don’t ask you don’t get”

Option 2 – Exchange at businesses such as CEX

Do you have games you no longer use? Or a Laptop that’s broken but has parts with some value? In that case, an option is to exchange it at local Computer shops that will value the items you have and give you store credit or cash to allow you to buy a mouse, Keyboards, or secondhand Monitors

Option 3 – Sites that donate and give away free items no longer needed

Yes, you read that right, Free giveaways! There has been a rise in recent years of websites set up as platforms to donate and take items no longer used by people. This can be from as little as a mouse all the way up to a TV. Potentially you could get everything you need for the home office from these sites!

Two popular sites are:

1. Trash Nothing
2. Freecycle

Speaking of sites that you can get things for free there are a lot of hidden gems out there that you might not have considered, in my opinion, there are sites that allow you to swap items, get items for free or offer reduced prices items, whilst freecycle and trash nothing are great, the following are also great options in my opinion: 

Site	Why	Items you can get
My Skip	A site that works and has tons of free items that people are giving away ( just be careful it can be a little glitchy)	Office furniture, monitors, laptops
I Love Freegle	Created from the moderators of freecycle, think of it as the tinder for free items	Office furniture is usually, great but you can find more expensive items now and then like MacBooks
VSkips	Think of it as a site to dumpster dive in	Usually, lower prices or outdated items in here but still some good things can be found here.
Whatsmineisyoours	Pretty much an online free swapping thrift shop	A great option if you are looking for professional clothes to wear in your home office.
Gumtree	The market leader when it comes to free stuff in the UK.	Tonnes of items although there is only a limited selection of free items.
Craigslist	The classifieds usually have loads of great options that people give away	Worth having a look in more detail however around some of the free items as they can sometimes be few and far between.
Let’s all share	Another variety of freecycle (forum based)	Lower-priced items can be found here although you do sometimes find some incredible options
Preloved	A paid-for site, but some serious discounts to be found here	You can find almost any item here.

We did it, we built a home office at 0 costs!

This blog is one I am personally proud of as it highlights important traits – anything can be overcome with a positive attitude, creative thinking, and the willingness to put the work in.

If this is a short – mid-term arrangement, then this method is fine. However, if this is a full-time commitment then maybe discuss with work what support they can provide to get you set up at the office. 

Alternatively, find out what you can claim through the government and tax reliefs to maybe spend upfront and recoup it back later through HMRC.

Do not hesitate to ask for HELP!

Now if you are interested in upgrading your home office and investing in items, I would recommend having a look at my recommended products below: 

• Desk 
• Chair 
• Monitor 
• Laptop

A lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.