To think this is the bottom of the barrel for penny pinching!

[GrumpyOldBagFace]

Email from work saying that our reports should be in font 11 as font 12 uses more paper.

I doubt this is an environmental concern. We've already been told to go easy on the biros.

I work for a statutory body where the standard print is a san serif (Arial), 11 font. The RNIB's recommended size used to be 14, recently updated to 18 font and a san serif, which I use for the partially-sighted people I write to.

Actually, it saves quite a lot of money, especially in ink. We did this at my workplace and the difference in less paper was shocking. Also change spacing and you can save another load. Suggest single spacing with no 6pt paragraph drop and you'll be treated like an eco goddess*

*not making any promises, mind.

If they're 1,000 page Reports seems reasonable to me. When fax machines were being used I worked in one place where the standard fax sheet was A5, perfectly reasonable again when most faxes were only a paragraph at most.

I mostly only send letters at work and we have to used Arial 12, I often change the margins and line spacing to squeeze an extra few lines onto the page so it fits on one page. Our office building is quite new we have lights that switch off if there is no movement in the room, meetings often get plunged into darkness. Tea and coffee are free. Pens and post it’s etc are in a locked cupboard which our directors PA has access to if she thinks you really need something. We are not allowed individual bins. Dyson hand driers in the loos. It is amazing how much the electricity bill reduced when they insisted every terminal and monitor was switched off when your not in the building.

Wow, I used to work for ICI before they self-destructed: when things were going badly, we kept having 'brown outs' when we weren't allowed to order stationery, and were reduced to bartering with other departments: 'I'll swap you 2 pencils for an A4 envelope'! Didn't stop them from going under - probably because we all had to spend so much time & effort getting the tools for work, rather than actually working!

Wasn't there some big catering organisation that saved a huge amount by cutting the number of olives in a salad from 5 to 4?
It was American Airlines.

My friend's husband:

"Will you marry me? I'm not buying a ring because you made me put a new bathroom in the house...."

(Reader, she still married him. He could have bought something really cheap but pretty and she'd have loved it, she's not a materialistic cow like me!)

You get post-its Cornetninja?! When I started in my current department at the local hospital they laughed in my face when I asked for some. Everyone has to buy their own if they want

I can’t believe some of the posts on here referring to being told to only use one paper towel to dry your hands! How is that even possible?

If I’m in a rush, I might grab two, and dry my hands for a while, then still have to wipe them on my skirt to dry them - which I think is disgusting. I usually use 4 paper towels, and that does the job nicely.

As for toilet paper use, I use 4 of the little squares after a wee, and I dread to think how many for ‘the other variety.’ Paper (for hygiene purposes), is something that I just couldn’t, and wouldn’t cut back on.

Where I work they've stopped comp slips.

So now we have to write formal headed letters - can't just scrawl a quick note in with a document.

Madniss.

Rather than making our 2 sided A4 reports so tiny no one can actually read them. They could buy an actual proper computer system that communicates with our partner organisations so we don't even have to print!

Or buy some insulation and double glazing for our clinics so we're not using fan heaters throughout the winter.

First they came for our biros but I did not speak out for I had a biro...

Same here Misty! If you want post it’s, you buy your own. I’ve also had to buy a calendar and a wall planner.

They’ve also changed the hand towels in the loos. They’re so cheap and nasty you have to use double the amount! False economy!

The san pro bin is awful. Imagine if men had walk around with nappy sacks and put all their toilet paper in it. Walk around with toilet waste in their pockets/bags. Gross eh. Women have catch body fluids in theirs and it’s “no problem!”

Here's a link to the story a pp mentioned. edition.cnn.com/2014/03/27/living/student-money-saving-typeface-garamond-schools/index.html
The American teen worked out that by changing to Garamond from Times New Roman, ie the font not the font size, the US govt could save millions of dollars per year.
I worked for a Local Authority some time ago and everything had to be in arial 14 as this was the best font and size for people with a visual impairment. The Chief Exec had a degenerative sight condition and eventually retired as he became legally blind.

We used to have a toaster but it went due to too much electricity being used

The sanitary bin thing is awful. Obviously menstruating is completely natural but it's still important - and legally required - to maintain an environment where people's bodily fluids are disposed of in a safe manner. Telling women to make their own arrangements simply doesn't cut it.

There's a good run down here: www.doveshygiene.co.uk/sanitary-bins-law-and-sanitary-waste-legal-requirements/ Basically, there's four laws/regulations covering it from toilet cubicle to suitable disposal.

I would suggest that your arrangements ought to be 'putting used tampons in open office bins' and making your CEO and company lawyers aware of the situation. And joining a Union who can protest this sort of shitty behaviour on your behalf.

We do as much as possible in A5. Saves on postage as well plus I refuse to fold hundreds of sheets of paper since I had a ganglion in my wrist.

Makes large print easy as well, as all you have to do is print A4 for the handful of people who need it.

It does mean that I spend a lot of time making sure everything fits onto no more than four pages (or eight if necessary) so it can be printed out booklet. Changing the margins helps. As does setting the document up correctly in the first place.

I have duel fuel with my energy supplier. I've just moved house and in one day I got a letter:

Thank you for continuing to let us supply your gas
Thank you for continuing to let us supply your electricity
Notes for your new smart meter gas
Notes for your new smart meter electricity
Your closing account balance gas
Your closing account balance electricity
We will begin taking your direct debit on gas
We will begin taking your direct debit on electricity

I kid you not.

In one letter daisy or loads?

What is funny is that a new computer and screens is about £1000, but the cost HR cost for finding, interviewing and hiring an consultant is between £5K-£20K depending on their speciality.

Not to mention the salary people will forgo for a nice working environment. Each £100 spent on a Christmas party or nice coffee or Fruit Fridays can save a grand or two on salary.

londonrach Every single one was separate, they didn't even put the gas and electricity together under one subject. My doormat was just a pile of envelopes from my power company.

Point out to them that using smaller font is disability-unfriendly for people with sight problems and dyslexia.

I think size 11 looks better anyway but I hate cheapness disguised as environmental concern. Especially when hotels try to tell you they don't wash towels and sheets to save water.

Argeles. Have you seen the TED talk by Joe Smith how to use a paper towel ?It is worth a watch. Mildly amusing but factual explanation on how to use just one paper towel effectively. Summary is shake 12 times and fold the towel in 4(or something lile that) Sorry don't know how to link.

Shake hands not the towel. *like