Most home offices quickly become cluttered with paperwork and become disorganized easily. Here are some cheap ways to improve your home office. If you have a budget of $500 or less, start with purchasing a filing cabinet. Ironically, you will surprised to learn how much desk space you really have when you organize your papers. A filing cabinet is an inexpensive purchase and a great way to improve your home office. You can pick up a filing cabinet from Office Depot for $50 - $300, depending upon the size.

You can improve your home office cheaply with the addition of a plant. Some people prefer a plant that doesn't require much water, like a cactus. However, there are "less painful" plants available that you can find for around $25.

A recycling system is a cheap way to improve your home office. Purchase a shredder for all that excess paperwork that you don't need. If you have only used one side of the paper, consider flipping it over and printing on the backside instead of throwing it away. This will save you on the cost of paper and it will reduce the amount of garbage you have each week. A shredder can be picked up at Office Depot for $15-$100, depending upon the type and size you want.

Another way to improve your home office cheaply is to tidy up the wires. If you have several wires stretched all over and under your desk, purchase a wire holder for $20 at Office Depot. The wire holder will allow you to gather all the wires into a neat and organized circle and keep then from getting tangled with each other or with the wheels of your office chair.

A calendar, whiteboard or wall planner is another quick and easy way to improve your home office. They will allow you to write all your deadlines and important tasks on the board and help you to keep organized and from missing important meetings, deadlines, or payments. A large desk calendar costs about $10, a whiteboard costs $20 - $100 and a wall planner costs $20- $100.

Wall clocks are another cheap way to improve your home office. You can find a nice digital or analog wall clock at Wal-mart or the Home Depot for $25 - $100. A wall clock is a great way to keep you on time and to help you negotiate the amount of time you are spending on your projects.

Improve the lighting in your home office. Consider replacing the lighting fixture that is currently in your home office, or purchase a desk lamp. New lighting will brighten the room and keep you awake during the low points of the day, making it easier to accomplish your work. A new lighting fixture can be picked up at Lowes for less than $100 or you can purchase a nice desk lamp for $50.

A USB cup warmer is another cheap way to improve your home office. This will allow you to keep that morning cup of coffee warm. Just be sure you toss the cup in the garbage when you are done instead of piling it on your desk. A USB cup warmer costs $35 at Office Depot.

The main goal is to organize your home office. Far too often we clean the home office, and then it gets right back to un-organized. By purchasing some of the above products, you have a greater chance to improve your overall productivity. The cost to improve your home office with the above products is $300 for all the low-end products. This allows you some room to expand on the above products like the filing cabinet and shredder.

Here are some ways to improve your home office for under $1500. Add some color to your office. A nice poster or artwork can wall your blank wall a little more interesting. You can pick up a "motivational" poster for $40 - $80 from Amazon.com, this includes the frame. A nice screensaver and desktop for your computer can also help take away the mid-afternoon let-down. You can purchase a screensaver program for $5 from Office Depot.

Lighting is one of the best ways to improve your home office space. If your home office is near a window, make sure the window is clear of anything that blocks the sunlight. Consider replacing the blinds on your window if the blinds are a dark color or dark wood. Having white blinds will allow more sunlight to come in. Faux wood white blinds can be purchased at Target for $50. If your office is not near a window, you can strategically place a mirror in your home office to help push the light around your office. Consider replacing fluorescent lighting with other types of lighting. Small, decorative lamps can be added to a bookcase or hidden below pot plants or placed next to your desk. You can pick up a nice lamp for $50 at Office Depot. Replacing the complete lighting fixture in your office can help too. Lowes and Home Depot have several lighting fixtures to choose from that range from $50 up. You can get a decent lighting fixture for your office for about $100.

Organization is the biggest problem for many people with a home office. Consider purchasing a new desk. The furniture department at Office Depot offers several different desk styles to choose from. You can get a nice desk for $500 and then buy a matching bookcase for $100. This will help your office get a fresh look and will allow you to stack all your books into one central place instead of on your desk or on the floor.

A filing cabinet is a must have for any home office. A filing cabinet can is an inexpensive purchase and a great way to improve your home office. You can pick up a filing cabinet from Office Depot for $50 - $300, depending upon the size.

If you have a calendar, whiteboard or wall planner, take a good look at it and make sure it is not cluttered with excess information. While the drawing from your child is nice, too many of them will take up too much room on something that is meant to keep you on task and organized. If you don't have a calendar, whiteboard or wall planner, you should seriously consider purchasing one. It is quick and easy way to improve your home office. They will allow you to write all your deadlines and important tasks on the board and help you to keep organized and from missing important meetings, deadlines, or payments. A large desk calendar costs about $10, a whiteboard costs $20 - $100 and a wall planner costs $20- $100.

Do you have an old printer or computer sitting in your home office? If you do it's time to donate it. One of the best ways to improve your home office is to reduce the "junk" that is sitting around. Box unused computer hardware and store it in your garage or give it away. You can get a tax deduction for donating your old computer equipment to a local charity.

A nice, new office chair will also help you increase your overall productivity. You can find a nice, comfortable office chair at Office Depot for $200.

The total to replace your office chair, desk and bookshelf will be about $1000. This is just for the low-end materials. If you choose to purchase all the above items, you are looking at $1500 give or take, depending upon the quality of the items you purchase.

How to improve your home office for under $2500

Here are some ways you can improve your home office for under $2500. Start with the size of your office. A large, open office can provide more workspace for you and will eliminate the look of excess clutter that may be accumulating in the corners. If you don't think you can knock out a wall or use the extra closet to expand, consider your attic. Many homes have large, unused attics that work great for home offices. You can finish your entire attic to be your office, or just select a nice sized space in your attic. A contractor will finish your attic, paint, and wiring for about $2000. This leaves you with an extra $500 to paint the attack and place nice tile flooring up there. To carpet the attic, you are generally looking at $2000 on its own. If you can, go ahead and finish the attic yourself and then you can pay someone to come carpet it or you can carpet it yourself.

Many home offices really need a complete makeover. Consider painting your home office, try out different colors. Harsh, dark colors are often seen in home offices and it has been found that it makes the occupant uncomfortable and less productive. Consider a neutral, lighter color such as a tan or off-yellow. To paint the office yourself, you are looking at a cost of about $100-$200. If you hire a professional painter, you will be paying roughly $300-$400.

After you have painted your home office, it is time to consider replacing the old, outdated desk and bookcase. Office Depot has a large furniture section that you can browse through to find the right style for you. A complete desk system which includes a bookshelf and desk that is built for a corner will run you approximately $1000.

Space is everything in a home office try moving your desk to a corner and try to place most everything touching the same wall, this will open up the other half of your office and allow you to decorate it with plants, lamps and chairs.

The best way to freshen up the look of your office is to add new lighting to it. Take out the florescent lighting and replace it with new energy efficient bulbs. A nice lighting fixture will run around $100 from Lowes or the Home Depot. Energy efficient bulbs can be picked up while you are there for about $20 for 4 bulbs.

If you have certificates and degrees that you would like displayed, consider purchasing matching frames and only hang the most significant ones. Hanging every degree you have obtained or every award you achieved tends to be overkill. Nice frames for diplomas or certificates can be found at the Office Depot for $50 or less.

The common problem plaguing many home offices is clutter. After you have repainted and installed your new furniture, create a filing system that will keep you organized. Your new system should include a filing cabinet ($50-$300), a shredder ($50) and a tabbed hanging files ($10). All your documents should be properly filed in the filing cabinet and un-needed paperwork needs to be shredded on a daily or weekly basis.

Donate any old computers, printers, or hardware to a local charity. You will get a tax deduction and it will clear up needed space in your home office.

Consider adding a plant to your office, just to give it more life. You can pick up an "office plant" at the Home Depot for about $25.

Hopefully these tips will give you a guide on how to improve your home office. Again, if you want to build a new office in your attic, you are looking at spending the full $2500, and this doesn't include furniture and carpet, just tile. If you plan to re-paint, install new furniture, lights and decorations, you are looking to spend $2200; the extra room can be used to splurge on nicer lighting or for a new office chair.