1. What kind of people will be frequenting your home office?

2. What is your budget?

3. Should the furniture be suited towards long-term use or short-term use?

4. How much space do you have in the room you are furnishing?

5. Do you prefer modern or traditional style furniture?

The types of home office furniture you purchase will obviously be very different depending on the answers to questions like these. Make sure you have a plan before you begin shopping so that you don't waste time and money looking for things you don't need. Let's go through each question and figure out the perfect home office set for me. Then you can easily follow my example to figure out your own needs.

The answer to question number one is quite simple. The only people that will be frequenting my home office is me and my husband. We don't have any kids and it will be used mainly for our home computer, printer, and filing of important documents.

The answer to question number two will determine where you may buy your furniture. I've set aside about a $2,000 budget for myself. If I do my shopping online I can find great deals on whole sets of home office furniture for this price and possibly even less. Competition on the web causes retailers and wholesalers to compete for your business. This brings the prices down and allows us to save a lot of money over many brick & mortar furniture locations.

Question number three is important because you must take into account the length of time you will use the furniture. It may come with you to future homes. In my case, I will plan on a long-term use of my home office furniture. I must make sure I purchase items of high quality and durability.

Question number four asks how much space is available in the room. Obviously, this is one of the most important pieces of information. This will determine the size and number of pieces you decide to buy for your home office. Personally, I have a medium sized room, about 20' x 15' devoted to this project.

The last question is also very important and will decide the final look of your office when it is finished. I have always been more partial to modern furniture with sleek lines and smooth finishes.

Now that I've answered some crucial questions I can start my online search for home office furniture with a good idea of what I'm looking for. I will most likely purchase a three piece matched set of modern style home office furniture including a computer desk, credenza, and filing cabinet for under $2,000. I want to make sure the set is durable and long lasting. I also want to make sure the dimensions are correct to fit in my room. Now I just need to start my search. Follow these rules and you can also have the perfect home office at an affordable price. Happy shopping!