Ways To Save Money When Updating Your Living Room
This post may contain Affiliate Links
This is a sponsored post
Updating your home can be an expensive business, especially if you’re going for a whole new look. Here are some ways to help you save money when updating your living although many of them could be applied to other areas of your home too.
With my own home, it always feels as though there is something that needs doing. My husband and I have a terrible habit of starting home projects and not fully completing them, usually down to a combination of time, money and me getting fed up with the mess.
When it comes to updating your home, the living room can be one of the more expensive areas to revamp, especially if you need new flooring or new sofas (which are notoriously expensive!).
I’ve put together this list to try and help you save money on each area you might want to update in your living – whether that’s a quick lick of paint to help freshen things up, or new everything from furniture to home tech.
How To Save Money On Living Room Furniture
Upcycle What You Already Have
Upcycling pieces of furniture you already own is not only great for the environment but it could also save you cash too.
You could try upcycling it yourself (Youtube can be a great resource for learning how to do this!) or you could take it to a professional.
In our living room, we have two pieces we bought from a local lady who restores and refurbishes old furniture.
We then sourced two more pieces ourselves which she painted to match everything together. Overall this was much cheaper than buying new, even with paying for her services. And everything is still going strong seven years later!
Shop Outlet Centres
Outlet centres can be great places to find bargains if you would prefer to buy new sofas or shelves without spending a fortune. While sometimes items might have small defects, these can often easily be mended or repaired.
It’s worth keeping in mind that delivery may not be available or you may be expected to take your purchases with you on the day and you usually can’t return items if you change your mind or they don’t fit.
Buy Second Hand
I’m a big fan of shopping second-hand for pretty much everything, furniture and homeware included.
For buying bulky pieces like sofas or bookcases my go-to would either be Facebook Marketplace or a charity shop specialising in homeware, as these are typically larger than normal charity shops (so more choice) and will often offer home delivery.
Ikea Circular Hub
Did you know Ikea will actually buy back your used Ikea furniture? This could help to reduce the cost of buying new.
Alternatively, you could buy used, ex-display or discontinued furniture from the hub which would also save money.
Read more about it here: Ikea Circular Hub
Saving Money On Paint & Wallpaper
Choose A Feature Wall
If you’ve found an expensive wallpaper that you love, one of the best ways to use it is by making it into a feature wall or even using it on a chimney breast or in two alcoves so you still get a splash of the pattern you love from only buying one or two rolls.
Opt For Neutral Colours
While it can be tempting to opt for bright colours, this could be more costly in the long run. When you eventually fancy a change, bright and darker shades can be more difficult to paint over.
Plus, with a more natural colour palette, you can use new accessories to brighten up the room or change colour schemes without even needing to pick up a paintbrush!
Shop End Of Line
End-of-line paints and wallpapers can go for as little as a couple of pounds and this is a great way to grab a bargain when it comes to decorating your living room. Just remember to make sure you buy enough for the space you need to cover as there might not be the option to go back and buy more!
Related Posts
10 Uses for Leftover Wallpaper
7 Home Improvement Ideas To Save On Your Energy Bills
Where To Find Second-Hand Furniture Online
How To Save Money On Living Room Tech
Always Look For Cashback
Whether you’re searching for a new hd tv, sound system, smart speaker or even a fancy new fireplace, it’s always worth looking for cashback from sites like Topcashback or Quidco when you shop online.
Shopping instore? No problem – use a cashback app such as Cheddar or Airtime Rewards where you add your debit card and simply shop as normal and cashback is added to your account from featured retailers.
Search For A Discount Code
Discount codes can also be a great way to save money. Often they can’t be combined with cashback though so it’s worth checking which one is likely to save you the most money overall.
Look At Price History
Price history tools such as Idealo and CamelCamelCamel are great for checking whether an offer really is a good offer or whether an item was cheaper earlier in the year.
Best Budget Homeware Ideas
Look Around Charity Shops
Charity shops are full of amazing pieces that can be upcycled or left as they are to fit in with your home. They can be especially good for expensive items such as curtains and if you find something that’s not quite the right colour you could try dying or reupholstering it.
Try Vinted & eBay
If you’ve used Vinted for clothes then you might also want to give it a try for homeware. Recent trends that see people using places such as B&M for huge homeware hauls mean that there is more secondhand homeware available than ever before and lots of bargains to be had.
Poundland
When it comes to homeware, Poundland might not be the first place that comes to mind, but they do have lots of great options including things like plant pots and photo frames as well as candles and reed diffusers.
How To Save Money When Updating Your Living Room: Final Tips
- If you’re rearranging furniture as part of your referb, try to make sure it’s not blocking any radiators – none of us needs an increase in energy bills right now!
- Deep cleaning can make a world of difference – it might be cheaper to hire or borrow a Vax to clean and brighten sofas and rugs instead of replacing them.
- Leather Sofas can actually be redyed: see this guide from The Spruce for a how-to-do-it-yourself. You could also consider sofa covers if your sofa structure is sound but you’d like a change of colour on a budget.
- Skip diving can bag you great pieces of furniture for absolutely nothing – just make sure you ask before taking anything!
I really hope these tips give you a helping hand next time you decide to refresh your living room. I for one can’t wait to check out our local Ikea Circular Hub next time we need new furniture!
