Having a successful home based business doesn’t rely only upon how much income you bring in. Some of the success lies in how well you cut expenses. Here are a few tips to keep those expenses down to a minimum.

1. Use Free or Open Source Software as often as possible. I’m moving more and more towards eliminating any software that I have to pay for, and the open source movement is making that easier to do now.
2. Freecycle. Freecycling is a grass-roots movement of people giving (and getting) stuff for free in their local communities. This is a great way to get used office equipment, desks, and many other home-office related items without having to pay for them. (It’s also a great way to get rid of things you don’t need anymore, but that’s not really related to this post).
3. Barter / Exchange Services within your community (either online or offline). I know many people that I can call upon to help with various tasks in exchange for my services. Even though my time can be scarce, I’d much rather find some time to help someone if it means I don’t have to pay for something I need. Sure, time is money, but it doesn’t deplete my bank account.
4. Garage sales, Goodwill stores and flea markets carry a lot of junk, but the occasional gem can be found there as well. Things like file cabinets can be picked up for next to nothing, and are completely serviceable.

These are just a few ways that you can help your home based business succeed, not by working harder, or bringing in more income, but by spending less.