If your home is in desperate need of a makeover, but you don’t exactly have a champagne budget with which to make renovations, don’t worry because there are lots of simple tips and tricks you can use to stretch your decorating dollars. Here are some of the best:
Choose Your Priorities
If you’re decorating on a budget, you can’t just throw everything out and start again; you need to work out which changes will make the most impact, whether that be new furniture, a new bathroom, or brand new wallpaper. It’s amazing how much difference changing just one thing can refresh a room.
Shop Insolvency Auctions
It’s a shame that Insolvency Auctions aren’t all that widely known about because they are a very good source of everything from high-quality carpets to brand new furniture at a fraction of the retail price. Why? Because the companies who owned them have been made insolvent, and they are being sold to recoup as much of their debt as they can – they make the prices more attractive in order to do this.
Repurpose
If you don’t have much money, but you do need furniture, the best way to stretch your decorating dollars is by repurposing your existing pieces. After all, it’s cheaper to buy sandpaper and paint than it is to buy a new dining table and chairs, and fabric tends to cost less than a couch. Obviously, you’ll need to learn how to repurpose furniture effectively, but there are lots of free upcycling tutorials online that will help you. It’ll give you a great new hobby to work on too!
Use a Paint Calculator
Repainting your home is an easy way to update it and make it feel fresh and new again, but although you can buy paint cheaply, many people tend to overbuy on what they need, thus reducing their budget for other stuff. An easy way to avoid this is by using a paint calculator to work out exactly how much you need, and then only using that. While You’re at the paint store, see if they have any returned cans in the shade you’re after; they often do, and many will let you buy for a discount. It’s a great way to save money during a decorating project.
Hit Ikea
Sure, flat-pack furniture isn’t exactly the sturdiest, but if you hit a shop like Ikea, you will save a lot of money, whilst giving your home a whole new look, and if you look after the pieces you buy carefully, they will stand the test of time, Even better, if you have any DIY skills, you can hack your Ikea purchases to create pieces of furniture that are unique to you.
Used isn’t Useless
Thrift stores, eBay and Craigslist, are looked down upon by many who would never consider furnishing their home with second-hand pieces, but you know what? You can find some really great, solidly-made, unique and beautiful pieces of furniture from these sources, so don’t listen to your snobbier friends, and mine them for the gold that is always there to be found.
When you know how it’s easy to make your home look amazing without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars in the process!
