Can’t seem to put your hands on the bill that arrived in the mail last week? Or worse yet, did you temporary lose the paperwork for the insurance that you think is due in a few weeks. It may be time to get organized and set up a home business center. The time you spend now may save you dollars later. Handling your personal finances will be much easier if you have a designated home business center. It does not have to be elaborate either. It should be located in a convenient, comfortable area of the home, contain necessary equipment, supplies, papers, records and references, and have a good light. You may be able to find space for a home business center in any room of your house. Ideally, if you had enough space, you would have a designated room for a home office. But few homes today are large enough for such a luxury. Instead, consider a spare corner in the living room, bedroom, kitchen or family room. You will need some equipment for your home business center such as a sturdy writing surface, comfortable chair, storage space for current records and papers, equipment and supplies. This does not automatically mean you need a desk and file cabinet. You can use the dining room table as your writing surface and a nearby cabinet or chest for storage space. A desk and storage unit can be built in an unused closet. A plywood or hallow core door mounted on two, two-drawer filing cabinets provide both storage and writing surface.
Or, you could use a new or remodeled standard office desk and file, or a combination desk and metal file unit. You also will need some supplies such as pencils, tape, ruler, scissors, deposit slips, pencil sharpener, stationery, envelopes, paper clips, rubber bands, stamps a dictionary and wastepaper basket. Once established, you may want to add items along the way. Other supplies that you may want, but that are not essential include: stapler, paper weight, calculator, bulletin board and a computer. Your home business center will provide space for storing all of your supplies, material and important papers and documents, bills, unanswered mail, and current receipts. Having all of your finances in one area keeps you organized and paying bills on time. When it comes tax time, all of your financial records are in one location. For more information on what to keep in your business center contact Madison County Extension office. The University of Florida Extension – Madison County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Institution.