Amazon.com features a long list of refurbished computer resellers, and the site's seller ratings let you immediately know what sort you're dealing with. The sellers also report the condition of the equipment with a rating system: Good, Like New, Refurbished, and so on. Under Amazon's A-Z Safe Buying Guarantee, sellers will let you return items if they're defective.

eBay also offers a wealth of deals. As a buyer, you'll know immediately whether the seller is shady or reputable based on user reviews. Look for a seller with a large amount of positive feedback, at least 95 percent. Be sure to thumb through the buyer feedback to see the comments before you dive in and bid. Like Amazon, eBay backs buyers, and the community will boot anyone out if they aren't on the level.

Refurbished systems may not be under any sort of warranty, and the vendor may sell it to you "as is." This can be a nightmare if, say, the operating system is simply installed on a new hard drive and the drive is stuck back into the computer. Be sure to ask questions of the vendor before buying.

5. Cut Down on Printing Costs

According to GreenBiz.com, you don't have to spend money to be green. You can save on paper costs if you simply photocopy pages on both sides or use outdated letterhead for in-house memos. If your office currently passes out paper memos to employees, try posting the memos instead in a central location (such as a board near the water cooler) where people normally gather and will see it.

Another money-saving tip is to use your printer's draft mode to cut down on ink usage and replace cartridges less often. Draft mode is much faster and uses less ink. When printing e-mail and Web pages, check for a "printer friendly" option.

Color print cartridges typically cost more, so printing in grayscale using only the black cartridge can save money, and you'll replace your color cartridge less often. Most printers offer plenty of settings, so check your printer's software to see what features can save money.

If you rarely print, but your ink runs low anyway, this may be because your printer automatically cleans the print heads. To avoid this, print regularly (at least once a week) to avoid ink buildup.

Watch the PC World video, "How to Save Money on Printing," for more ideas.

6. Outsource Work

Many businesses lack a full-time IT professional or have one very overtaxed person managing the network and systems. Or perhaps you have a Web project that needs finishing or a simple press release you'd like to have written, but don't have the staff.