Cost-Cutting Ideas

Cinch up your budget belt and get ready for work. Technology can help you cut costs on everything from equipment purchases to travel to software. Read on for a collection of tips, software alternatives and deal sites that can keep your business spending in line with your budget.

Budget-Trimming Tips

There are tons of ways to harness technology to cut costs. Here are a few that can work for your business.

• When buying hardware and office supplies, price comparison engines like PriceGrabber.com and Shopping.com let you locate the lowest prices online.
• Bring telecommuters and contractors on board by using VoIP, virtual phone systems and Web conferencing and collaboration to keep them in the loop.
• Consider adopting Web applications that only require a browser to access them. You can save on having to install software on multiple computers, and many Web-based programs are more affordable than their boxed counterparts.
• Smart spending can save you money in the long run. Don’t skimp on buying the right hardware. Stick to a sensible upgrade cycle, and don’t let slow or outdated machines bog your business down.

Software Savings

You may not be able to fit both the Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Photoshop into your tight budget, but you still need to create documents, build presentations and handle some high level photo editing. Open source software alternatives can fit the bill. Just remember that support options may be limited for certain freeware and open source programs. Here are three of the top open source options that offer a lot of functionality without the hefty price tags.

OpenOffice

OpenOffice is a suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs. It has no built-in Outlook equivalent, but can handle the usual office suite duties with aplomb.

GIMP

When you need a little bit more oomph in your graphics manipulation, GIMP is stocked with powerful features like extensive file format support, digital retouching, painting tools, layers, text, photo enhancement and plug-in support. It has a bit of a learning curve, but the advanced capabilities are worth the time.

Thunderbird

This open source e-mail application has strong security and privacy features. It also has intelligent search functions, compatibility with many Web mail services, junk mail filters and lots of available add-ons to customize the program.

Let’s Make a Deal

These deal finding Web sites can help you conserve cash when you’re shopping for business equipment and supplies.

DealCatcher

DealCatcher highlights popular deals and coupons for easy access to recent savings offers. Browsing by category is a good way to compare deals among different retailers in areas like electronics, computers, office supplies and travel.

Kayak

When you need to do some quick business travel cost comparisons, Kayak will handle the searching for you. It pulls search information on flights, hotels and cars from over 140 travel sites.

RetailMeNot

This is a top destination for online coupon hunting. Run the name of the online store you’re shopping at through the search engine to pull up available coupons and deals.

Spoofee

Spoofee’s main page gives you a good roundup of the latest deals or you can venture into the coupons, community and deal search features. It’s also a one-stop resource for locating the online weekly ads for major retailers.

Woot

“One Day, One Deal” is this site’s motto. Items on offer on any given day can range from wireless networking equipment to LCD TVs to toasters. It can be hit and miss, but the bargains can also be substantial. Also keep an eye on sellout.woot.com site for an additional daily deal.