How to Fill Your Home On a Shoe String Budget
If you are passionate about interior design or you just love showing off your beautiful home, finding a cheap way to create the look you want is vital. It would be amazing if you could afford exclusively designer items and bespoke furniture, but in the real world, the make do and mend strategy is much more affordable.
Finding beautiful pieces to fill your home and creating dynamic spaces shouldn’t be expensive, and like lots of things, a house is never truly finished. So what can you do to get the look you want on the budget you’ve got?
Here are the best tips around.
#1 Create a Budget for Each Room and Start Saving!
Redoing a whole house is always much more expensive than you think it will be. It doesn’t matter how sure you are of budgeting, even if every room goes over by 10%, that could be some serious money by the time you’re done!
Unless your house is a complete disaster, prioritize each room and do one at a time. Create a budget for each room too, taking into account everything from paint to a new sofa.
Your budget will show just how much you will have to save up for each item on the list as well as what your project will cost in total. If you know how much you can save up and how quickly, this should give you a reasonable timeframe for completion too.
To save a bit more a bit faster, you could also look into your current expenditure and see where you can cut back. Many people do this and find that their energy bills are the best place to start.
Shop around to see if there is a better deal you could be getting and see where you could save energy in your home too. It might be as simple as remembering to switch off lights in rooms you aren’t using!
#2 Find Amazing Deals
Once you have your budget, and you have saved enough, you should treat these numbers as a challenge. Rather than spend every last dollar, challenge yourself to find a better deal and save money.
For example, you might have seen a gorgeous, brand new sofa you like and put down a reasonable $2000 in your budget. Now, you should challenge yourself to find a similar sofa you love that will cost less.
There are a few tricks you can try here.
Lots of stores have seasonal sales where they cut prices right down to get rid of excess stock and make room for the new season’s stuff. If you can wait for these sales, you can certainly take advantage of the deals on offer and still get exactly what you want.
If you are more open-minded about what you like, try estate sales near you for more unique pieces. Everything will be second hand but often estate sales are brilliant for finding things that you would never have thought of otherwise. Most estate sales are aimed towards getting rid of things quickly, so get in there and snap up a bargain!
And of course, you could always upcycle something old or build your own…
#3 Upcycle and DIY
If you are a crafty type then your skills should be put to excellent use in your money saving scheme. You don’t need to find everything perfect already, all you need is a good foundation to start from and you can make things beautiful for your home.
And, if it turns out that what you have made isn’t quite for you, sites like Etsy are great for selling unique, handcrafted items so you could make a small profit on what you have done.
The most important thing about any piece you are going to upcycle is that it is broadly the right shape and size for you. Unless you are fantastic at DIY, restructuring furniture is a pretty risky strategy, especially when compared to your more basic re-upholstery or a splash of paint.
Before you buy, take into consideration the cost of the piece you are planning to upcycle as well as the materials and tools you will need to complete the project.
While most of the time upcycling is cheaper than buying new if you don’t already own some of the things you need the price tag can take a sharp rise. On the other hand, once you have the tools you need, you will be able to upcycle time and again and reap the rewards of your investment. It’s really up to you.
A fashionable, beautiful house doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Give every item some love and attention, be careful with your money and everything will fit together perfectly.
What are you doing redecorate your house on a budget? Share your thoughts and comments below.
Cheers!
