One way that I have always loved to save money is to complete DIY projects.
There’s just something so fun about making something all your own and saving money along the way. If you are looking for some ways to cut costs, here are three easy projects to get your DIY juices flowing.
1. Refinish Wood Furniture
I’m always a bit taken aback at how expensive it is to buy furniture. Sure you can get inexpensive furniture brand new at places like IKEA and Target, but it’s difficult for someone on a budget to find affordable furniture at some of the higher end stores. One way I have gotten around this is to copy high end styles using DIY techniques.
I love finding solid wood furniture at thrift stores and refinishing them or repainting them. I love using paint to copy higher end looks and make something all my own. You can even purchase different overlays and use them on furniture to make them appear to be more expensive than they are. In essence, there are so many things you can do to alter thrift store or garage sale furniture, and no one would ever know that you didn’t spend a fortune on it.
2. Paint and Remove Wallpaper On Your Own
Many people hire others to strip wallpaper and paint walls, but these tasks actually don’t take as long as some may think. All you need to do with wallpaper is remove it a little bit at a time. There are countless ways to remove it, and the best way really depends on how old the wallpaper is and basically, just how well the previous owners stuck it on the wall! Do some research online and try a few different techniques. You might be surprised at just how easy it is to remove it.
The same applies to painting. Why pay someone to come paint for the day when you can make a fun weekend out of it? All you need to do is purchase a few supplies and paint and get to work! If you ask a friend to help you, you’ll be done in no time. You can also use one of my favorite tricks of purchasing “oops” paint, which is paint people return for being the wrong color. (Ask a sales associate at Lowe’s or Home Depot where they keep the oops paint, and they’ll know what you’re talking about!)
3. Lay Tile
This is one of those things that’s going to take a bit of practice or someone who has a really steady hand and a good eye for design. However, I firmly believe that anyone can learn how to tile if they practice. My suggestion would be to start small by tiling a serving tray. Then, move on to your fireplace surround and then your back splash and then your entire bathroom. Starting small is a good way to ensure that your bigger projects look more professional. It takes years for master tilers to learn their craft, so another thing you can do is shadow one and learn the tricks of the trade.
What types of DIY projects do you like to complete?
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We’ve laid our own tile before and I thought it was fun! We have hired a professional to stay there and cut them for us…but we did the laying and grouting ourselves.
Holly at ClubThrifty That sounds like a good compromise!
My neighbor saved a TON of money by building his own deck. It took a lot of research and Youtube watching but it turned out great! I love learning how to do things myself, but sometimes I get worried that I’ll hurt myself or others…lol.
DebtChronicles I bet that was a huge job but prob really satisfying!
I’ve never done any of these but I’ve enjoyed some of my car maintenance tasks. I’m incredibly unhandy but I think you’re spot on that most people can figure out how to do a lot of these things if they’re willing to put a little bit of time into it.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money Car maintenance is the best to learn for sure!
We’ve done quite a bit of #2 and a little of #3 in our house. It’s funny because I really don’t consider myself “handy” by any means, but have been able to teach myself quite a bit. Saving money on it is a pretty good motivation. ;)
FrugalRules Agreed – the best motivation!
I can’t do anything more advanced than painting. I really need to get better.
brokeandbeau I think anyone can learn. :D
I long for the day of extra space in my house so I can refinish wood furniture! There are so many DIY crafts I wish I could participate in and hope to soon.
Tara Zee I know – it’s so fun!
My wife and I just moved recently, and we were spending a lot of money on furnishings. One way we ended up saving some money, however, was getting furniture refinished. We had a beautiful coffee table and side table that we loved, but the finish had seen better days. Insteaed of buying new replacements we ended up getting the tables painted and given a new look via a local painter. While we didn’t DIY it, we ended up having to pay about $100 for a basically brand new set of tables that would have been closer to $400-500 new. Even if you don’t do it DIY, refinishing furniture can save a ton!
moneymatters That’s a good point! I have a desk that needs some help!
Laying tile is one that I haven’t tried yet, but would love to do. I think it could be fun and I can use the skill in other areas.
DebtRoundUp Totally! I think it would be fun!
I love to paint and I hate wall paper. So painting is a great idea. I just removed the wall paper in my bathroom and painted two weeks ago. It was actually fun but taking down the wall paper was a headache.
MonaSez Ah I can imagine!
I love doing DIY projects. My exhusband and I redid our entire house. He was like a jack of all trades though he could pretty much do anything home repair related. My trick to get something done was to pretend like I was going to do it myself. If he seen me starting to do something he would take over in fear that I would mess it up. Worked every time :)
SingleMomIncome Haha that sounds like a good trick!!
We are doing a bunch of different things in our home right now. Today’s goal is to paint our dresser in our bedroom and possibly paint our bedroom as well.
SenseofCents Love that! Take pics!
For a baby shower gift for my sister, I refurnished a child’s rocking chair that used to be in our shared bedroom. Best DYI project ever and it only cost about $25!
fitisthenewpoor Wow – want to come to my baby shower? ;)
I started working on my car to fix little things, painting is also fun. A friend of mine just changed his carpet floor to hard wood and his house looks great now.
BorrowedCents Car skills are awesome skills to have!!
DIY projects seem like a lot of fun, but as we are renting, we can’t really undertake many projects. My dad has always painted our rooms – my parents never hired out for it, and I don’t plan to, either. It can be time consuming, but I like knowing there’s a personal touch to the house. My dad re-did the entire guest bathroom in our old house, and it was really nice to see how my design and his skills worked out together!
JourneytoSaving That sounds like a great project with your dad!
I really enjoy wood working and haven’t done it in forever because I don’t have the space to really build anything. Not to mention a lack of tools. Refinishing furniture though might be a good way to work on projects that won’t take as many tools or space. The added bonus is I could try and sell the items back after restoring them. Might make for a good side hustle. ^_^
MicrosMissions Oh yes that would be an awesome side hustle!!
I love DIY projects! I’m about to paint my entire apartment, refinish the kitchen cabinets, and re-do the counters with that Rustoleum stuff. I can’t wait to get started! :)
Jen @ The Happy Homeowner Wow that sounds like so much fun! :)
none. I like none. ha ha! Seriously not kidding. I even call my friends over to help me assemble Ikea furniture. I do not possess the DIY gene because I end up crying in a puddle of my own tears. I get too frustrated. I can create though, so I did posses that gene. So writing, photography…that kid of stuff is up my ally.
Beachbudget LOL! To each their own of course! ;)
We LOVE DIY – though for us, it’s not real DIY since .. well, we’re doing it ourselves but we know what we’re doing. My fiance is a carpenter so that makes it easier.
I have a hatred of DIY. I’m not crafty and I get really, really frustrated when things don’t work out. And then I cry. Yeah…
I’d rather throw money at the problem and have someone else deal with it. I feel like I make up for it with a lack of expensive things/services other people have (I do my own taxes, don’t have pets, etc.)
I use a mix of kerosene and vegetable oil to give a new shine to furniture. With gas prices so high it isn’t really cheap but it works better than most products and the smell goes away quickly.