 TITLE: How to Pay for a Home Office Upgrade CONTENT: How to Budget for Your Home Office\n----------------------------------\nYou may be tempted to drain your emergency savings or splurge on purchases for your home office. But instead of making a move that could harm your finances, consider the following options for covering furniture and equipment costs first:\n*   **Ask your employer about reimbursement.** Your employer may offer allowances for items that are necessary to your work or help increase your productivity. Consider asking if office equipment, such as an office chair or a monitor, could be provided for free. You could also ask about getting your purchase reimbursed, just be sure you understand reimbursement requirements _before_ making a major purchase.\n*   **Ask for a gift.** If a holiday or birthday is around the corner, you could ask for home office items as gifts. From a wireless mouse and keyboard set to an ergonomic office chair, consider putting an item on your wishlist if it'll make your workday go more smoothly.\n*   **Try a payment plan.** A payment plan can allow you to buy your equipment now and spread out your repayment over time. For interest-free payments spread out over four installments, try Klarna, a company that offers a plan with zero interest and zero fees, as long as you make all of your payments on time. Affirm also offers payment plans, with an option to choose your repayment schedule, but look out for their rates which can range up to 30% APR. Just know that services like this may perform a hard inquiry on your credit, which can affect your credit scores. It can also hurt your credit if you miss payments and default on the plan.\n*   **Use a credit card.** Credit cards aren't always the ideal way to finance a purchase since they tend to carry high interest rates if you don't pay off the purchase right away. Plus, unpaid credit balances can affect your credit scores. If plastic is your only option, make a plan to pay off the balance as soon as possible. You could also consider applying for a 0% introductory APR credit card and budgeting to pay off the balance before interest charges kick in. Consider using Experian CreditMatch™ to find the credit card for you.\n*   **Take out a small loan.** You also might apply for a small loan through a credit union or online lender. You might be out of luck, however, if you only need to borrow a few hundred dollars, as many lenders have a minimum loan size of $1,000 or more. Generally, taking out a loan smaller than that shouldn't be your first option, as you're likely to pay a relatively high interest rate. END