Office supplies are necessary items that must be purchased to ensure that an office runs smoothly and efficiently. However, that doesn't mean that those supplies must cost a fortune. There are some money saving tips you can use to help you save money on office supplies. One tip is to buy in bulk. You will find that buying in bulk saves you more money than if you have to keep buying smaller amounts time and time again. Of course, if you buy in bulk, you will need a supply closet or storage area to house all of the items you buy. To make sure you are getting a good deal, divide the price of the bulk item by the number of items in the bundle. Compare that price to the price you would pay for the item individually. Another tip is to put one person in the office in charge of all of the supplies. The person in charge of supplies should keep up with the number of supplies each employee uses. This means tracking every item from pens to pads of paper. Employees who know they are being watched are more likely to be considerate of how much they use. If employees think they are not being monitored, they are more likely to abuse supplies and use too many. If the person in charge of supplies notices that some employees are being wasteful, then limits can be imposed on the number of supplies issued. Another great way to save money in this area is to implement a plan for supply distribution. You can dictate that employees will only be given so many supplies per week or per month. This will ensure that you don't go over your supply budget and cause employees to have to be mindful of how they use their supplies. Paper can be a big expense for any office. You may have to have employees put in a special code before making copies or using the printer. This will allow you to see how much paper each employee is using to make sure no one abuses their paper privileges. You may need to limit the amount of paper each employee gets to save money in this area. Also, look for ways to recycle paper in the office by reusing it. For example, you can use the backs of old paper for scratch paper. One other great idea is to stop and really look at what supplies you are buying. A lot of people continue to buy what they've always bought and forget that there may be other options available. Look to see what brand names you are buying. Then, look at the quality of your items. There may be cheaper versions available. You can switch to store brands instead of buying brand name products. You can buy lower quality items, too. You have to decide if anyone will ever notice that your cheaper paper is slightly thinner than the paper you used to buy. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get the products you really need. You just have to be smart and think before you buy.