Office Ink BlogExpert advice on going green, getting organized, office design & tech from On Time Supplies.

What is it that they say? Many will enter, few will win? Well, only one of the more than 160 of you that took to Facebook, Twitter and commented right here at Smart Office for free school supplies could win the On Time Supplies Back to School Giveaway prize package. I’m here today to reveal the winner. Drum roll please. *Ahem* And the winner of the 2010 Back to School Giveaway is… Read the rest of this entry »

Having the right school supplies is key to your child’s success, so as a parent, you have to take your time and organize a school supplies list before you go back to school shopping. In fact, I recommend  putting together several school supplies lists, including a list of essential classroom supplies such as pens and pencils, art supplies, locker supplies, and school organization supplies. Read the rest of this entry »

Messy cross outs were fine for Beethoven, but messy school work is just not going to fly with your kid’s teacher! Correction fluids do a good job of covering mistakes, but can be almost as messy and unsightly as scratch outs in kid’s hands. Plus, correction fluid can take too long to dry. How many kids have the patience to wait for Wite Out, Liquid Paper and other correction fluids to dry before writing over mistakes? That’s why every student needs Tombow correction tape.  just works better for kids. Tombow correction tape dries instantly, so your kid can quickly and neatly correct errors. Even better, Tombow correction tape comes in break proof cases, so they won’t get destroyed in your kid’s backpack. Read the rest of this entry »

Update: The Back to School Giveaway is now closed. Winner will be announced Friday, August 6th.
On Time Supplies is giving away more than $100 in back to school supplies to one lucky winner! You’ve got a few ways to enter the drawing. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Memorial Day everybody! I am so looking forward to the long Memorial Day weekend and my mama’s barbeque! It’s been almost a whole year since I chowed down on some ribs! I hope you get to spend the holiday with your family. If you’re one of the millions who have to work, well I hope someone saves you a plate! Is it obvious from allthis talk about BBQ that I am ready for lunch! Read the rest of this entry »

In this economic climate, nothing is more important to a business than customer loyalty. On Time Supplies is no different. They want to be the only place you order office supplies and furniture. Competitive pricing and stellar customer service goes a long way towards accomplishing that goal, as does the new, more user friendly OnTimeSupplies.com. The response to the new site has been amazing, and overwhelmingly positive. However, smart businesses like On Time Supplies knows that there’s always room for improvement! Read the rest of this entry »

With the Louisiana oil spill and failed Times Square bombing grabbing recent headlines, a national disaster has largely flown under the radar for those of us outside the affected region. Heavy weekend rains flooded rivers and creeks across Tennessee, killing 28 people, forcing mass evacuations and shutting down down much of Nashville. Read the rest of this entry »

Home made shelf with toilet plungers for feet. There's an easier way to save a buck.

The newspapers tell us that the economic climate is better than it was this time last year. However, I know I’m still in a cost-saving mode, and polls show that most of you are too. We here at Smart Office are always on the look out for new and creative ways to save money. The internet yields helpful tips, such as new uses for vinegar (is there anything that liquid can’t do?) as well as impractical tips. After all, are time so tough that I really have to join the Amish in making my own office furniture? While looking for new ways to cut expenses, it’s easy to overlook one method that makes great sense in any economic climate: buying in bulk.

Bulk buying isn’t just for stocking up on enormous bottles of ketchup, or in my case, coffee in bags the size of newborn child.  No, bulk buying is often the most economical way to stock up on the supplies you use the most, including a wide variety of office supplies. For example, every office needs a good supply of pens. BIC Clic Stic pens are among the most popular pens sold at OnTimeSupplies.com. A 12-pack of BIC Clic Stic pens sets you back $6.49 at OnTimeSupplies.com, unless you buy in bulk. You only spend $4.57 when you order BIC Clic Stic pens in bulk, a savings of 30%. Why wouldn’t you wouldn’t you cut your recurring expenses by 30%? It’s not just pens. You reap significant savings on a wide variety of office supplies when you buy in bulk. At OnTimeSupplies.com, you’ll pay between six and 31% less when you order clipboards in bulk, and on bulk orders of virtually every other office supply.

Buying in bulk is an even bigger money saver when you target the supplies you use at home and in the office, or the supplies that both you and your school-age children need. For example, sheet protectors in bulk, pocket folders in bulk and other school and office supplies all cost significantly less than purchasing those items individually. Since you go through those supplies like water anyway, do your self a favor and stock up.

After all, you don’t just save money when you buy office supplies in bulk – you save time and frustration too. The office supplies you use every day are always on hand when you need them when you buy in bulk.  So look out for bulk order discounts when you’re shopping for office supplies. It’s not just your wallet that will thank you.

If you thought your left the cliques and drama behind when you graduated from high school, the reality of the work world must have come as a surprise. Anytime you take the same group of people and lock them into a building together eight hours a day, five days a week, things will get a little hairy, especially when you add the competition and hierarchies of the work place. Failing to successfully navigate the social scene in high school just means you don’t get to sit at the cool kids lunch table. If you don’t get a handle on the politics in your workplace it can cost you your career in the form of lost promotions and poor working relationships.

Officepolitics.com, a great site that features an advice column offering solutions to workplace dilemmas, recently featured a reader letter in which a woman said she felt psychologically scarred by the backbiting and gossip in her office. The phrase “office politics” leaves a poor taste in everyone’s mouth, but the reality is, most of us have to participate to get ahead and get noticed at work. Successful office politicians aren’t rumor-mongers or back stabbers; they’re people who understand that actively pursuing power and prestige is just one of the steps to a successful career.

So how do you become a successful office politician? Louellen Essex, co-author of “Manager’s Desktop Consultant: Just-in-Time Solutions to the Top People Problems That Keep You Up at Night,” says one the first things you have to do is  emulate the movers and shakers. “Think of playing office politics as a game of strategy through which you are able to get the resources and influence you need to accomplish your goals. Most often those who are diplomatic, respectful and build coalitions with effective people win,” she says at CNN.com. Essex offers more great advice, including: don’t get sucked into one faction or another and don’t hesitate to talk about your own successes in the work place. A word of caution — tooting your own horn as Essex recommends is great. Bashing your co-workers is not. Office politics is for advancing your own career, not hindering someone else. If you are constantly running down you colleagues, you look unprofessional and you create a miserable work environment. Don’t be that person! Office politics also turns nasty when it turns personal. For that reason, the folks over at Suite101.com recommend drawing a bright red line between your work life and your private life. In the modern office, that includes not friending your co-workers on Facebook. That’s what the relatively staid LinkedIn is for.

The best way to be an office politics winner? Be a good employee. Take initiative, do your work well and talk about your successes. Those are the best ways to separate yourself from the pack.

With the April 15 IRS tax deadline looming, its time to start thinking about deductions.  Tax deductions are expenses you incur that lower your income in the eyes of the IRS. The lower your income, the less the government expects you to pay in taxes. Most of you know you can deduct mortgage and student loan interest, but there are a ton of other totally legit ways to lower your tax bill.

In “The Most-Overlooked Tax Deductions” Kiplinger lists 19 tax breaks you may have forgotten about or didn‘t know existed in the first place, including state sales tax, moving expenses for your first job, refinancing points, charitable donations and more. In addition, property taxes, vehicle registration fees, the annual cost of your safe deposit box and child care are all tax deductible expenses. You can even deduct tax preparation fees. If you work from, you can deduct a percentage of you housing costs. For example, if your home is 2,000 square feet, and you use 200 sq.ft. for business purposes, you can deduct 10% as business operating expenses. For more deductions, check out this informative article from Helium, an awesome personal finance site.

A word of caution: be sensible when combing over your expenses while looking for deductions. You do not want to get on the wrong side of the IRS! Entrepreneur offers some expert advice on how to properly claim your deductions.  Approach the whole enterprise with the right attitude–you just don’t want to pay more taxes than you owe, not put one over on the government!