I encourage commentary; additional suggestions will be appended.
Part 1: Recycling and Repair
Part 2: DIY Lab Supplies
6. Shop around and negotiate.
- A lot of things can be bought elsewhere for less, and this place sells the weirdest stuff.
- Used equipment! (See here, e.g.) Really old things, especially, are worth it: they are unlikely to a) have circuit boards or b) break irreparably.
- Common household things- like tupperware containers- are useful. See also: Hardware stores.
- Ask for a samples, demos, and trials on equipment/ materials.
- Big companies (Sigma, IDT) will cut rates up to 25%. Negotiate long-term written agreements on consumables and services if possible, including sequencing/ analytical chemistry/ computer time. There is a lot of competition. If your college has any kind of support staff, try to negotiate for the college, and publicize: the more people will use it, the better deal you'll get. (Our stockroom gets 20% off, for example, and Dr. S's old lab negotiated a 3-for-price-of-2 deal with Qiagen. Of all places.)
- Ask for an academic price on equipment. Get two quotes and play them off each other; Sigma won't starve if you pay $500 less, and salespeople usually work on commission.
- Think hard about service contracts and how much the thingum breaks. Often, not worth it. (Except for: see #9.)
- Some places are set up so that large equipment can be used in common: centrifuges, -80 freezers, autoclaves, etc. Ask if anyone else has one, and offer to pay part of the service contract.
- There are grants for large equipment if it'll be used in common. (Though often not for maintenance.)
- Collaborate with someone who'll do your expensive experiment for an authorship!
9. Know when it's dead. That centrifuge tube with a hairline crack? Toss it, it's dead. Don't push your equipment beyond its tolerances or you'll spend a lot of time fixing it.
10. Think twice and order once. I can't tell you how many wrong primers I've ordered, and I have a whole drawer of prematurely ordered things I can't use. It doesn't matter to my lab, but very important for the limited budget!
11. Try not to be depressed by how much everything costs. Yes, we're being ripped off. Oh well.