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Tips to furnish a home on a low budget

If you move or are ready for a new interior, you don't necessarily have to spend tons of money. Today I am sharing my tips to furnish a home on a low budget. Read how I designed my house on a low budget.

Sell surplus items

Whether you're relocating or just ready for something new, start selling surplus stuff. Think of clothing, decoration, DIY materials and other things that you no longer need. This certainly applies if you plan to purchase other furniture. Sell ​​the furniture you currently have. For sales use Marktplaats.nl or local sales groups or Facebook. By selling unnecessary things you create a budget to be able to furnish your home differently.

This can be done via Marktplaats, for example, but local groups on Facebook work even better. I myself am connected to various 'junk corners' in my neighborhood where I regularly offer surplus items for sale. Local groups have the advantage that people are more likely to buy something because it is in their neighbourhood.

Tips for furnishing a home on a low budget

If you have sold surplus items, you have created a pot. You can use this pot to reduce the costs of furnishing your home. Start by purchasing necessary items and use the jar for the larger expenses.

Low budget furniture

When we came to this house we hardly had any furniture. The previous house had built-in wardrobes and a number of furniture had been rejected and removed due to the fire in our rented house. They have never been replaced. We solved the flaw in a creative way. Instead of a sofa, we used the leather armchairs and the dining room chairs were replaced by borrowed chairs. But now furniture definitely had to be made, so I started looking for low budget furniture.

I used Marktplaats to purchase most of the furniture. There I found a large wardrobe for my daughter for 65 euros, a wardrobe for my son for 15 euros and a wardrobe for me for 20 euros. I also bought a free desk for both me and my son and a free desk chair for myself. At Ikea I passed for washbasin cabinets for 15 euros each. I found a special cupboard for my son's cartoon characters in Germany at Kaufland for only 15 euros.

At the moment I am still looking for a sofa (unfortunately not yet, but that also depends on transport), a dressing table and bedside table for my daughter, a small narrow cupboard for the upstairs hallway and a cupboard for my office for all DIY. and drawing stuff from my daughter and me. I also want to pick up an old hobby and play music. I've already managed to get a keyboard, now I'm still looking for a guitar.

Tips for buying second-hand furniture

  • Ask if the furniture can be disassembled and if necessary help with disassembly, that makes assembling a lot easier
  • To measure is to know. There is nothing more annoying than a piece of furniture that you have in mind and afterwards it does not fit in the desired place or cannot go up the stairs (yes unfortunately, I speak from experience)
  • Check if everything is complete (screws, plates, planks etc)
  • Save the photo of the ad so you can always see what the end result should be when assembling (helped me a lot with assembling my son's cabinets and desk, which was a headache as it was a designer agency)
  • If you really can't figure it out:make sure you save the seller's number so you can contact him or her (I did when assembling my daughter's closet)
  • You may be lucky, but keep in mind that this is second-hand furniture and not everything will be in new condition
  • You are free to bid:you can't always be lucky, but you often succeed in haggling, especially if you offer a fair price

pimp DIY furniture

Instead of searching Marktplaats or other groups on FB for that one suitable box, you can also get started creatively. Buy a wooden cabinet, sand it and paint it in the desired color. That can make a big difference in purchasing costs. Refurbishment furniture is often given away for little or nothing, so that you only have costs for paint, sandpaper and the like.

Are you a little handy yourself? Then you can also make your own cupboard with some loose shelves. You can buy shelves separately at any hardware store, but you can also find them at Ikea. If you are not that handy, but don't shy away from a nice project? Then I advise you to take a look at Pinterest or Youtube where there are countless videos and tutorials on how to make certain furniture yourself.

Low budget home accessories and home deco

Once you have all the furniture at home and is everything in its place? Then it's time to make the house cozy with accessories. Depending on your own wishes and requirements, you can make buying accessories as expensive or cheap as you want. In any case, you will find low budget accessories at the Action. And you can not think of it that they have it in this store.

Not only can you succeed at all kinds of home deco at Action, that also applies to Ikea. Now I personally don't think Ikea is very cheap, you have to be really lucky there. Or looking for something special. In any case, the choice is large and here you will find suitable home accessories for the most diverse living styles. Finally, stores such as Kruidvat, Wibra and Trekpleister are also increasingly selling nice accessories to furnish your home in a cozy and, above all, low budget.

Do you think Action as well as Ikea and all other things are still too expensive? Then I advise you to take a look at the different giveaway corners on Facebook. The best things are often given away for free here. People get tired of accessories or furnish their house differently and want to get rid of knick-knacks quickly. That is your luck, because that way you can decorate your house for free. You can often find nice home accessories at flea markets and second-hand shops.

Bonus tips for furnishing a home on a low budget

-Ask in your environment (family, friends, colleagues) whether they still have a few things that they happen to want to get rid of

– Be creative and keep in mind that setting up a low budget takes a little more time and takes a little longer

– Creativity is a plus if you want to furnish your house as cheaply as possible

Plants immediately make your home cozier. There are various Facebook groups where you can exchange/ask for cuttings

– In the Marktplaats app you can indicate if you are looking for something special. You will then receive a notification when this product is offered

– Instead of searching you can also place a requested advertisement

– You may be able to borrow some things from family or friends for the time being, so that you can move forward for the time being until you can purchase the furniture yourself

Reading tip:7 Tips to renovate the bathroom

Have you ever decorated your house on a low budget? How did you do that?

*Thanks to my daughter who gave the bathroom a makeover (low budget of course!)