With the recession looming, many businesses are looking to cut costs wherever possible. Fortunately, there are several reputable ways to reap the benefits of business discounts, promotional codes and coupons; bulk purchasing savings, and more. Businesses can take advantage of amazing discounts and smart operational moves to save big on all of their business needs. In this article, I'll outline several steps you can take to help your business save money.

1. Join a business discount club. This is a simple way to access hundreds or even thousands of deals simultaneously. You can usually apply discount promos or coupon codes offered through the discount club to save big on goods and services from flowers to travel to shipping.

2. If you're looking for places to cut back, technology is one of the biggest budget-busters. Join a technology discount buying service, or scout the Internet for promotional coupons and discount codes. Many vendors offer seasonal or buy-in-bulk coupon discount deals, so always compare prices between different seasons and different vendors.

It never hurts to buy used technology, either. Laptop or notebook computers usually should not be purchased used, because the internal hardware could be infected, corrupted, or failing. Never buy used computer towers, either. However, purchasing used desktop computer accessories, such as keyboards, monitors, and ball or optical mice, is a great way to save a few bucks.

3. Consider outsourcing your IT services, or using remote tech support to help boost your budget's staying power. With remote staff, you won't need to pay for benefits or training time. More importantly, you can usually use discount coupons and promotional codes to shave a few bucks or more off of the services. Bonus: Remote IT services often staff help desks 24/7/365, so there's no downtime during your technology emergency.

4. Visit specialty office supply stores or bulk discount warehouses to get the best savings on your office products and needs. You can purchase pens, pencils, printer paper, CD spindles, ink cartridges and toner, and more. Use discount coupons and promotional codes to save more on office supplies.

5. Give discounted gifts, and consider giving logo or promotional items to your colleagues and customers. What are the benefits of this? You will spread your name and your brand, thereby netting more business. And, many logo and promo product outlets accept discount coupons, promotional codes, or business membership discounts.

6. Join a trade association for great insurance discounts. It's difficult to provide small businesses with health insurance at affordable rates because the risk pool is too small. However, small business owners who join a trade association - such as a group of writers or a group of designers - join a larger risk pool. They are then usually able to offer group healthcare plans with lower premiums - the savings are passed on to employees.

7. Hire part-timers and contractors to take on some duties. Let's face it: hiring an employee on full-time can be costly. You need to worry about comprehensive training costs, benefits, health insurance, and paid vacations. Have you ever considered hiring staff part time or on a per-project basis to complete tasks? Many people don't want to work full-time, either - maybe they have kids, maybe they're pursuing other projects, or maybe they just want a project a week to get some experience in a new field. Whatever the reason, send out feelers and you're sure to find some part-timers or moonlighters ready and eager to help you with your business tasks.

Operating a business can be costly. However, by using smart buying tactics, great discounts, and strategic business moves, you can cut costs as you work on growing your profit margin.