Why the Cheap Chair is Always too Expensive
I have a free office chair. So far, it’s cost me a couple hundred dollars.
Let me explain. I set up my home office on the cheap. I bought a desk on sale at IKEA, refinished an old bookcase, and appropriated a friend’s old office chair. Instant office.
The chair is not good for my back. Unfortunately I found this out the hard way. Two and a half months and way too many chiropractor’s visits later, I’m feeling much better. I wasted dozens of hours of time on office visits and lost work time. I’ve shelled out money for muscle relaxers, physical therapists, etc. because I was too cheap to buy a good chair.
Look, we’ve all heard the advice that says ‘don’t buy expensive office equipment when you’re starting out.’ This is wise. You shouldn’t buy a $3,000 desk when you have no clients. But if your office furniture is sub-standard, that is a false economy. I would have saved a lot of money if I had just spent $100-$150 on a good chair right from the beginning.
The moral of the story? Buy the furniture that will keep you in good working order while you work on your business.