When starting out your business, sometimes you do not have enough money to throw around. This makes it very important for you to imbibe the saving culture. Just in case you’ve forgotten the value of a hard-earned penny, we’ve come up with a slew of money-saving ideas to boost your business’s bottom line-from cutting your legal bills to inexpensive ways to draw in customers.

You’ll need equipment, office space, and computer software. Employees and suppliers need to be paid. You may be looking for some methods to save on initial spending. Though some tips will save you more money than others, the end result of your overall spendthrift strategy could add up to a bundle.

This article will aim to provide a few ways to reduce expenses when starting a business. Some of the points to look out for include, 17 Reasonable Ways for Entrepreneurs to Save Money:

• Make use of Open Source Softwares
• Purchase Used Equipment
• Eat Out Less
• Reduce Energy Costs
• Be Mobile
• Take it with you
• Find Discounts
• Track Your Cash Flow
• Consider Trade-by-Barter Options
• Start Chatting
• Incremental Increases
• Find Suppliers with Affordable Products
• Cancel Your Gym Membership
• Make Your Own Coffee
• Get out on the town
• Query your consultants
• Make credit comparisons

Make use of Open Source Softwares

Much of the software a business uses has been recreated by volunteers in the open-source community. Open source refers to the non-proprietary nature of a product. In other words, free or much less expensive than similar commercial software.

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Points of sale software, accounting and bookkeeping software and many others are available. Keep in mind when using open source software that there may be limited or no official support. Support can usually be acquired from community forums in the form of other users.

When you are looking to save on initial purchases, known as the initial outlay, open source can help you get started.

Purchase Used Equipment

When starting out, resources such as cash are scarce. There are methods of acquiring the equipment you need to operate at reduced costs.

When considering equipment, examine the used equipment market. Small businesses close for a variety of reasons, leaving you an opportunity to capitalize on their misfortune.

Government auctions are another place to look and are much more convenient than in the past. Government auction sites such as GSA Auctions are host to many used governmental industrial and service items small businesses could use. Generally, they post pictures and videos of the items being auctioned so you can view the condition it is in.

Eat Out Less

The cost of dining at restaurants can add up fast, even if you’re just getting a breakfast sandwich every morning. However, when you’re spending long hours at the office, it’s difficult to make time to grocery shop and cook for yourself. As such, not only do you wind up spending too much money at restaurants, but your nutrition may suffer, too.

A meal subscription service like Sun Basket can save you time and money by delivering complete, organic meals right to your door that are ready to eat in as little as five minutes. All of their chef-crafted, dietitian-approved meals are made from premium, clean ingredients so you won’t have to worry about maintaining your diet, either.

Alternatively, you can meal prep for the week on the weekend, saving money by having all of your meals planned out ahead of time. That still requires cooking but with an Instant Pot, you can prepare a large amount of food that can last you for the week.

Reduce Energy Costs

Energy costs, especially if you lease an office space, can be sky-high for entrepreneurs. Save money and help the environment at the same time by investing in some LED Light Bulbs. These bulbs can help you save up to 85% on your energy bill and will last for up to 18 years without needing a change.

Similarly, heat costs can be crippling in the winter months. Rather than turn on the central heating twice a day or loading up on blankets, get a 1500W / 750W Ceramic Space Heater. With an adjustable thermostat control and quiet operation, it’s a perfect addition to any office space.

Be Mobile

While the costs of establishing a permanent retail location can be steep-you may spend up to $100,000 or more, with leases spanning three to 10 years-carts, kiosks and temporary spaces can be an easier way to get a foot in the door with a lot less risk.

The upfront investment for a kiosk or a cart ranges from just $2,000 to $10,000, according to Patricia Norins, publisher of Specialty Retail Report. License agreements for carts and kiosks are shorter and are usually renewed every month up to one year depending on the location.

This arrangement makes it easy for entrepreneurs to “come in, try it out for a month, and if their product isn’t working, shift to a new product line or close up shop and move to a new location,” Norins says.

Take it with you

If you’re near your suppliers, pick up your order yourself-or perhaps have a friend or family member do it for you, suggests Sarah Williams Steinman, president of Casco Bay Herb Co., an herbal soap manufacturer in Cumberland, Maine.

For example, Steinman’s husband travels throughout the Northeast. “He keeps me updated as to when he might be near one of my suppliers,” she says. “He often travels through the town where my olive oil supplier is, and he’ll pick up a few hundred pounds of oil on his way home.

That saves me about $75 in shipping.” Caution: Pick up supplies yourself only when it truly saves you money. If it’s taking you away from a revenue-producing activity, you’re not really saving.

Find Discounts

It is usually cheaper to buy in bulk than individually. When you talk to your suppliers, see if they offer discounts for bulk buys. Generally, suppliers are willing to work with and negotiate terms with their customers. If your supplier is not willing to negotiate or offer discounts, you may be able to find one that does.

Don’t limit yourself to local suppliers. Using local suppliers is good for the local economy (money is kept in the surrounding economy, increasing your sales opportunity), but you may be able to find suppliers that offer discounts on shipping and bulk that cost less than local suppliers.

Track Your Cash Flow

Tracking your cash flow can save your business from paying late fees or missing bill payments. As a business owner, you’ll hear repeatedly that cash flow is important. Most small businesses that fail do so because they run out of cash.

You might want to consider tracking your cash flow from the first period of operations. Cash pays your expenses before you generate revenues. It also covers unforeseen expenses that crop up.

The statement of cash flows will allow you to follow your cash. You are able to use this statement on a monthly basis as well as annually. All that is needed is your monthly financial data to determine where your business’ cash is and if you have enough.

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Consider Trade-by-Barter Options

Swapping one product or service for another is a good way to avoid cash outlays-and unload slow-moving inventory. If you’d rather not bargain with other businesses directly, hire a commissioned barter broker (listed in the Yellow Pages under “Barter”), or join a commercial barter club or exchange.

The National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE) is a clearinghouse for member exchanges across the country, allowing business owners to swap just about anything with anyone. Participants typically receive “trade dollars” for their goods or services, which are brokered across cities nationwide with the help of NATE. Visit NATE at www.nate.org.

Start Chatting

Find newsgroups that cater to your audience, and join the fray. “I didn’t start [participating in online discussion groups] to generate business, but as a way to find information for myself on various subjects,” says Shel Horowitz, owner of Northampton, Massachusetts-based Accurate Writing & More and author of several marketing books, including Grassroots Marketing.

“But it turned out to be the single best marketing tool I use. It costs only my time. [One] list alone has gotten me around 60 clients in the past five years.” Always include your URL in your signature, but don’t do any hard selling-most groups will ban you immediately. Instead, provide useful information that’ll make people will want to click on your site.

Incremental Increases

Start your business small, and establish slowly increasing goals to grow your customer base.

Once you’ve established your business and are operating well, you may find that you are able to spend a little more. This may be the time for you to address equipment upgrades or new hires. You may also want to look into changes like different products or services, or expanding.

Incremental increases give you an opportunity to measure the effectiveness of each step of the change before investing more capital for the next steps. Smaller steps will also limit the losses should a change not go as planned.

Find Suppliers with Affordable Products

If your business is going to be generating products to sell, you are going to need to find suppliers for your materials. Shop around for suppliers. Compare their products with your needs, and compare the pricing to find if it falls in line with your budget.

Once you identify the suppliers you can work with, see if they will establish partnerships with you. They may even be willing to grant you a line of credit after you have dealt with them for a time. Similar to a credit card, a line of credit is the ability to pay at the end of a period for the products or services you have purchased.

Cancel Your Gym Membership

Fitness is often one of the first things on the chopping block when you’re forced to tighten your belt. (Irony fully noted.) However, there are many more ways to stay in shape than paying $50/month for a gym plus the cost of classes. Here are some options to consider

Tonal is an all-in-one fitness system, letting you get a full-body workout at home while providing access to a virtual personal trainer. Not only will you save on gym fees, but you’ll have a more personalized workout experience that you can do at home.

If you love to spin, you don’t have to sacrifice that either. The EX1 Bike lets you say goodbye to $30 SoulCycle classes while still giving you access to live and on-demand classes with top trainers so you don’t have to sacrifice your sweat.

Make Your Own Coffee

Let’s say you buy a $4 coffee every morning. You work five days/week — roughly 20 days/month. That adds up to at least $80/month! It’s like an extra car insurance payment. Nobody is asking you to give up coffee but you can be smarter about it.

Trade helps you discover your taste preferences and delivers beans from top roasters from around the world. That helps you save in the long run as you make your own coffee that you love. Prefer cold brew? The Gourmia GCM6800 Automatic Cold Brew Coffee Maker lets you make delicious cold brew in as little as ten minutes.

Get out on the town

If much of your business is conducted at restaurants or you find yourself driving to clients’ offices, make sure you take those deductions. If you entertain clients or potential clients to discuss a current or future project, you can deduct a portion of your entertainment costs.

To qualify for this deduction, you must maintain a log of entertainment-related expenses you plan to deduct. For mileage, you can deduct 37.5 cents per mile in 2004. This figure usually changes annually, so check with your accountant at the beginning of each year.

Query your consultants

The professionals you work with regularly are often easy to bargain with, thanks to the rapport you’ve developed with them. Ask your insurance agent, accountant or attorney how you can cut back on their costs. You’d be surprised at the suggestions they might offer on ways to cut your premiums, reduce billable hours or avoid huge retainers. You might also barter your services.

Read Also: How to Successfully Oversee Multiple Businesses at once

Make credit comparisons

If you tend to run unpaid balances on your credit cards at the end of the month, shop for a card with a low-interest rate. If you pay in full, it’s more important to avoid an annual fee and look for a longer grace period.

“Often credit card issuers waive the annual fee or reduce the interest rate if you ask,” says Scott. “Just tell your credit card company you’ve had several solicitations from other companies with more favorable interest rates or no annual fees, and ask if they will reduce yours.”