When it comes to my office, I keep it pretty organized. I don’t like surprises when it comes to money, but every time I’m running low on printer paper or ink it always catches me off guard. Not so much the paper, even, but the ink cartridges. The wonderful warning you get when you’re running out of ink is a less than stellar printing job with faded lines. But that always seems to happen right when you need to print something important. I love how that works.

Printer ink is expensive, too. It’s not like paper, where you can go buy a pack for $5. I have an HP All-In-One, so when my ink runs low I have to buy HP ink cartridges. I know there are generic types out there, but I don’t like to take risks with my $400 appliances. A $35 surprise expense is never good, but a $400 one (because you bought crappy ink) is even worse.

My printer takes HP 56 Black, which I found on this site, Carrot Ink, for only $20. That means I can buy 2 (one for next time) for about the same price as what I’d pay Staples for just one. I love finding bargains like this, especially when I don’t have to go to stores and shop around for it.

As a blogger, you probably spend a lot of time at the computer. If you’re a pro blogger, you probably spend equal time planning and researching your topics in a variety of ways. Some people prefer to do things all online, but I like to do many things the old fashioned way, without a computer. I write things a lot. I keep a log of my earnings, I write down ideas, I make a to-do list, etc. All the planning, brainstorming, and organization I do is with a pen and paper, because I work better that way.

I ran out to get a notebook and pens, I love notebooks. I like ball point pens because gels are sloppy and smear. Since I couldn’t find any nice ones, I decided to pick up this Bic Z4 Roller. It’s an attractive pen, and I must admit, I will always pick a more attractive pen. I got the blue, the pink, the purple, and the green. I like colored pens, too.. :P So I get home and I start writing and I can barely see it. Hmm, okay.. Let’s try another color.

All of the pens are disgustingly light and the ink is very thin. When I write I get goosebumps because of the way it feels on the paper and the noise it makes. It gives me the shivers. In short, I guess this was a poorly planned warning not to waste your $6 on these pens.