Reducing Wastage As A Firm Via Property Inventory Management

Julie Starr • October 15, 2021



As general citizens living day to day, it’s true that many of us have understood the value in reducing the wastage of our homes. Throwing out food is never a good feeling, for example, and so planning our daily intake of meals can help you avoid purchasing and ultimately never using a vital resource that someone else could have. The same goes for throwing out our possessions when donations to charity stores or selling them outright could be a healthier option .

Unfortunately, many businesses fail to conform to the same mindset. It’s not uncommon to see bakeries throwing out huge quantities of day-old pastries, for instance, despite those who are less fortunate going without. Thankfully, in these cases, initiatives like donation drives for supermarkets have helped the less fortunate in society have access to foods that cannot be legally sold as part of that brand.

With that kind of worthwhile initiative in mind, it’s healthy to look at how to decrease wastage in our own firm, especially related to the inventory and assets we acquire and use. In this post, we’ll discuss how to get the best out of that:

Consider Purchasing Used

You may be able to acquire large amounts of purposeful inventory should you purchase used. For instance, opting for excellent used office furniture can help you give a new home to perfectly good furniture that may have been thrown out otherwise. Not only this, but you could save vast amounts of money on this compared to purchasing new, while still giving your staff a worthwhile experience working in the office and sitting on ergonomic chairs and using ergonomic desks that improve their health in the long run.

Repurpose Inventory

From time to time, repurposing your inventory can be key in helping you get the most out of a given product. Instead of throwing out computer monitors that are no longer viable for the terminals you use, for instance, you could repurpose these as wall-attached displays you use to present your company logo and play introductory promotional material in your waiting rooms. You’d be surprised what kind of creative asset management you can apply should you avoid throwing goods out and find a way to subvert your storage requirements.

Large Job Lot Sales

A large job lot sale can do plenty for selling large quantities of inventory off. There are many people that browse auction sites for great deals when an office downsizes or upgrade their equipment. For instance, reselling your old office furniture at auction can help it find a new home compared to disposing of it. Additionally, making sure to sell to parts companies that deconstruct and recycle the inventory you may have to offer, perhaps from an old production line, can be key in ensuring wastage is reduced. To that degree, your office and manufacturing facilities can strive to lessen their impact going forward.

With this advice, we hope you can learn to reduce wastage as a firm via property inventory management.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.