Tips On Where to Save or Splurge During a Home Makeover

Shannon Quinn - December 12, 2020

Photo: Credit: Shutterstock

13. Save on Table and Floor Lamps

In the last bullet point, I talked about how important it is to have really beautiful light fixtures on your ceiling. However, people aren’t going to pay as much attention to your table and floor lamps. Another thing about these lamps is that they are often nearly identical to one another. You can get an affordable lamp somewhere like Target or Ikea and have very similar styles selling for double or triple the price at high end stores. And if you’re really looking for a certain style, it should be able to find the newest trends for affordable prices at Home Goods.

Sometimes, light bulbs actually matter a lot more than the lamp itself. Take some time to figure out what type of lighting you currently have in your house. Figure out if it’s time to switch out your bulb for a cooler or warmer tone. You might also want to get a dimmer, or a smart light connection to Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

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12. Splurge on Tailored Window Treatments

In general, curtains don’t have to be expensive to look great. However, you want to make sure your curtains are tailored to the size of your windows, as well as the length from floor to ceiling. Or, in some cases, you might need to pay someone to create custom drapes if you have windows that don’t fit the standard curtain sizes that you can find in a store.

Photo Credit: The Window Treatment Specialists

To some people, the thought of paying a seamstress to make custom drapes is something that only rich people do. However, it’s going to be worth it in the end. Alternately, you can learn how to sew and do it yourself. A woman named Stephanie Jarvis runs a YouTube channel called The Chateau Diaries, where she chronicles her daily life owning a castle in France. She learned how to sew specifically for making drapes. With so many windows in the house, it would have cost a fortune if she paid a professional to get these custom sizes done throughout an entire castle!

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11. Save on Wooden Dining Room Chairs

People seem to disagree on this next point, depending on which blog you read. Some people believe in investing a lot in your dining room chairs, while others think it’s best to save. Personally, I believe they belong in the “save” category. Most people who have a formal dining room rarely sit in those chairs. They’re reserved for special occasions like Thanksgiving. So I personally believe that it doesn’t really doesn’t matter if they’re the most comfortable chairs in the world. However, if you’re using your dining room table as a daily eating or work-from-home space, I would say it’s okay to splurge on better chairs.

Another reason to save on these chairs is that they’re easy to find in thrift and antique stores. Some people also like the idea of mixing and matching chair styles, which makes it unnecessary to find a perfectly matching set. If you have a certain type of wooden chair in mind, it can be fun to go on a search for these at auctions, yard sales, and Facebook marketplace. Over time, doing something like this can save hundreds of dollars.

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10. Splurge on Real Wooden Floors

There is a lot of vinyl flooring out there made to look like wood. While it might look amazing in the first six months to a year, there are a lot of issues that crop up over time. For example, humidity can cause the vinyl flooring to buck. Seams between the vinyl slats are unattractive, and can also crop up from air pressure. And once a vinyl floor is scratched up, there’s really no way to fix it except to replace the boards. By the time you’re ready to move out, the person who buys the house is most likely going to have to rip up the vinyl flooring and do something new.

Real hardwood, on the other hand, is designed to last a lifetime. If you’re lucky enough to live in a house with hardwood floors, it could be over 100 years old, and it still looks beautiful. Many home buyers also get excited about real hardwood, and it can be a real selling point for the next buyer. Unlike vinyl, real wood can be sanded and stained to fix up and scratches. Sometimes, scuff marks even give more character to real hardwood floors, and can be seen as a good thing, rather than a tragedy. It might cost more up-front, but it adds value to your home in the long run.

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9. Save on Wooden Dressers

One of the most common pieces of furniture that I see on Craigslist Free, Facebook Marketplace, and donated to thrift stores are wooden dressers. These are often passed down from parents and grandparents. For whatever reason, a lot of people don’t see the value in a high quality wooden dresser. Instead of taking up floor space, they want to have their clothes tucked away in a closet.

Since these are so commonly found for free and cheap, it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money buying one brand new. You might even have luck asking family and friends if they have any pieces they’re trying to get rid of. If you are comfortable with buying something second hand, do a quick search in your local area. Remember that real wood can be sanded and repainted. So it doesn’t matter if it’s the wrong color, so long as it’s the right size and style that you need. Knobs are also easy to replace, and it can totally transform how a dresser looks.

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8. Splurge on High Quality Statement Pieces

When designed well, statement pieces can make a home value skyrocket. And it can be the difference between having a home that sits on the market for a long time versus one that’s sold almost instantly. Even if you plan to stay in your house for years, it’s still something that people are going to see when they first walk in a room. Just like a painting, their eyes will go to the statement piece first, and then move their way around the room.

A statement piece can be a piece of art on the wall, a statue, light fixture, doors, stained glass windows, and so much more. You’ll know it when you see it. In some cases, statement pieces can easily be sold later on, because they might hold onto their value. Sometimes, they can also increase the value of your home.

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7. Save on Kitchen Backsplashes

If you’re trying to do a kitchen renovation on a budget, the good news is that there are a lot of cheap options for you to make an attractive backsplash. One of the most popular go-to items is white subway tiles. These are incredibly common, and can be found in most hardware stores. It’s also a look that’s timeless, and your next buyer will most likely want to keep it the same.

There are also a lot of peel-and-stick tiles that are incredibly affordable. Believe it or not, even Dollar Tree sells self-adhesive wall tiles! This is easy enough for you to do on your own as a quick fix, and you can always replace it later when budget allows.

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6. Splurge on Investment Artwork

Earlier on this list, I talked about how it’s easy to save money on graphic artwork for your walls. However, it’s a completely different story if you’re looking for investment pieces. The process of buying investment artwork is something that you should receive an education on before you dive in. Or, work together with a professional art dealer who can accompany you to an auction. However, once you get into buying great art, it becomes part of your investment portfolio. Wealthy people get in the habit of investing in up-and-coming artists who have their work displayed in galleries, because they are banking on the fact that one day, the value of the painting might double.

Sometimes, with a trained eye, you can find investment art pieces for very cheap. For example, I once found a large original oil painting in a gold frame for just $12. There is a signature, which was from a local artist. The painting is a scene of a beautiful mountain, with a cottage nestled in the valley. Even though this artist wasn’t famous, this piece is still worth well over $100. The value comes from the fact that it’s not a print of reproduction, but rather an original piece of art that took an artist hours upon hours of work.

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5. Save on Table Accessories

A big aspect of interior design is the little accessories that people put on their tables, dressers, and mantle pieces. Vignettes are a common way to display your interests or the style of your space. Many high end stores want to sell these accessories for a few hundred dollars each. In case it wasn’t obvious, you don’t have to spend that much money to get a cool looking vignette on your table.

The best places I have found for buying affordable table accessories are Home Goods and At Home. Don’t be afraid to blend old and new items. You can use objects that you already have in your home, or that you’ve inherited from your parents and grandparents. Thrift stores in affluent areas are also another great place to go to find some stylish accessories.

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4. Splurge on High Quality Sheets and Bedding

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your mental and physical health. And when people go to stay in a hotel, one of the things they comment on is how comfortable the sheets and the bedding is. While high-quality bedding might be expensive, it’s actually worth it in the end. You’re going to feel better when you go to sleep, and it’s going to be a more comfortable experience.

High quality bedding will also last years longer than something that you get from Walmart. Over time, the number of times you need to re-buy cheap sheets and bedspreads will add up to the cost of one expensive set. Great bedding can also be something you share and pass down in the family. For example, my brothers and I have taken bedspreads that belonged to our parents into our new apartments, and were able to return it to them when we moved out. But the cheap bedding I purchased on my own from Target or Walmart always eventually needed to be thrown away, because they would pill, stretch, or rip.

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3. Save on Mirrors

Everyone needs a mirror in their home so that they can see themselves when they get ready in the morning. However, mirrors are so common, that you don’t need to spend a fortune on one. A lot of people will even take cheap $10 mirrors from Ikea or Target and transform them into something that looks far more expensive. Check out our Ikea Hacks article for more examples on how people have taken cheap mirrors and made them into something cool.

If you really have your heart set on a mirror that is stylish and trendy, check out places like HomeGoods, Marshall’s, and At Home. These stores usually have overstock from various high-end home brands for a fraction of the price you would pay in fancy showrooms.

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2. Splurge on Structural Changes to Your Home

On YouTube, you can find video tutorials teaching you how to fix almost anything. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain structural things in your home are best left to the professionals. People study engineering for a reason. It takes a lot of time and experience to know when a home is being built correctly, and what it’s not. If you make a huge mistake doing something DIY, it could actually cost more money in the long run. And a cheap DIY job will make it more difficult for a professional to do their job later on.

Whenever you pay a professional plumber, roofer, electrician, or any other construction person, it’s money well spent. They often have a license to work and make sure that all of their changes are up to code. You can also hire an inspector to make sure everything was done correctly afterwards. These men are usually part of unions as well, which means that they have to stick to strict codes when they get a job done.

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1. Save on Anything That’s Easy to Learn on YouTube

In my last point, I say that you should hire a professional for a huge structural projects in your home. There is actually a lot you can teach yourself on YouTube. A lot of people hire a handyman for projects like mounting a TV on the wall, hanging a shelf, or painting a room. When in reality, you can just look up a tutorial on YouTube and get it done by yourself.

With that being said, know your limits. Or, you just might be so busy, it’s worth the money to pay someone else, anyway. However, don’t always assume you need to pay someone for every little thing in your home. If you learn how to do a bit of DIY, you can save a ton in the long run.

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