Many homeowners are putting their renovations on the back burner during the cost of living crisis. But whilst money may be tight there are ways that you can transform your home on a small budget.
Sarah Weds, 45 managed to save a fortune when turning her lifeless kitchen into a trendy space. The mum-of-two bought bargain items from the likes of eBay, B&M, Tesco and Amazon to keep her costs down.
After doing the labour mainly by herself and taking inspiration for her accessories from Instagram, the entire transformation cost the DIY and design enthusiast less than £800.
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Sarah told money-saving group DIY On A Budget UK : "I decided it was my chance to get my kitchen just how I’d like it at last. I got to work on painting the walls, fitting vinyl tiles on the floor and gradually buying accessories.
"I made my own prints for the walls and used tile stickers for the splashback and behind the sink.
"The council fitted the new units and tiles in but I saved a lot by doing the decorating, floor, blinds and shelf myself and shopped around for bargains in the sale from Amazon, eBay, B&M and supermarkets and got ideas from looking at Instagram, Pinterest and home magazines."
The mum-of-two managed to cut costs by shopping around the best deals.
“The vinyl floor tiles were £25 for four packs from Studio, the tile stickers for the splashback were £6.50 for 24 stickers from Amazon, the paint was £50 from Wilko, and the worktops were £90 for three metres from Wickes," Sarah said.
“The oven, hob and cooker hood were £350 from Argos, the blinds were £60, made to measure and fitted by me from Blinds2go, the rug was £25 from eBay, the shelf was £40 from eBay, and the accessories cost £100 from Tesco, B&M, Amazon and eBay.
"In total, it cost me less than £800."
The money-saving mum is delighted with the outcome.
"I’m so pleased with the finished result. I’ve always had an interest in interior design and spend a lot of my spare time on Instagram for inspiration," she said.
"I’ve been painting and decorating since I showed a huge interest while watching my dad when I was young. I was decorating my parents' house from the age of 11."
"I enjoy being creative and trying out what different textures and designs go best together. I’m on a very tight budget so I try to hunt for bargains. B&M is a godsend. You can also pick up some bargains in the local supermarkets too, and keep an eye out for end of season sales," Sarah added.
"I try to do most of the work myself wherever possible. I’ll try my hand at anything. You save a fortune on labour by learning to do it yourself."
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