Here are some ways you can be frugal at your office:

1) Turn off the lights when leaving a room.
Is your meeting over? Turn off the lights whenever you leave a conference room or office. The simple act of flipping a light switch can significantly reduce your company’s overhead expenses and energy usage.

2) Do away with the hard copy.
Think twice before printing a document, try storing documents on your computer instead. By reducing the number of pages you print on a daily basis, you are saving a lot of paper, ink and money. If you absolutely must print a document, try to print on both side of the paper. Some other ways you can use less paper are by keeping your documents single-spaced, choosing smaller fonts and font sizes, and decreasing the document’s margins.

3) Go potluck.
Instead of going out to lunch as a team, why not have a potluck lunch in your office instead? Create a fun theme (such as “breakfast for lunch”) and have everyone bring in a dish from home. If you have officemates who don’t want to cook, then ask them to bring in utensils, ice, or drinks.

4) Bring your own glass, mug or thermos.
If you’re a heavy (water, tea or coffee) drinker, then bring a glass, mug or thermos to use at the office. Think of all the paper and Styrofoam cups you can save!

5) Upgrade or repair when possible.
Many offices replace computers, printers and other pieces of office equipment when they start acting up or slowing down. Take time to identify the cause of the problem and see if it’s possible to extend your computer or printer’s life by repairing it or upgrading it. Your computer, for example, may just need to be reformatted or need an increase in RAM.

6) Spend company money sparingly.
If you’re going out of town and are given a generous per diem to cover your daily expenses, there’s no reason to spend it all. You can treat yourself to a grand meal every now and then, but there’s no reason to eat at posh restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It may not be your money, but you should spend it like it was your own.