Here's How I Updated My Living Room On A Budget And You Can Too!

We all want our homes to look good, don’t we? But when money is a little tight - we’ve all been there, giving your home a makeover can seem impossible. Luckily, however, it’s not. Okay, so it might take creative thinking and hard work, but even when your bank balance is low, you can still give your home a makeover.

Recently, I noticed that my living room had started to look a little rough around the edges. So I did some research into budget revamping and found some amazing tips and ideas, which would allow me to redo my lounge on a small budget.

Just in case you are also thinking of doing the same, I thought I would share these tips with you, here:

Give the walls a clean
One of the features that can have a large impact on the feel of your living room is the walls. If your living room walls have become grubby, this can affect the look and feel of the whole space. While repainting them would be the easiest option, buying all the materials that you will need can be expensive (have you seen the price of paint?!).

Believe it or not, simply by giving the walls a clean, you can significantly change the feel of the space. I found Sugar Soap to be the best for cleaning walls, and you can pick it up pretty cheaply. If money is tight, cleaning your walls is a great alternative to painting them.

Use contact paper
If you want to change up your walls, but aren’t able to afford to paint, consider investing in contact paper. This is an affordable alternative to wallpaper, that is easy to put up and take down - it leaves no marks, so is often used by renters.

If you can’t afford to do the whole room, consider creating an accent wall, instead. If you want to add style to your living room, adding an accent wall is ideal. Think carefully about the design of the contact paper that you use, and make sure it fits with the rest of the room. I haven't got any yet, but I'm definitely considering it!!

Have your carpets cleaned
If your living room is carpeted, you most probably want to get new carpet fitted (especially if you have pets like me, eek). However, getting new carpets can be incredibly pricey. Instead, consider having your carpets cleaned by professional carpet cleaners.

While you could clean your carpets yourself, the results won’t be as good as having them professionally cleaned. Although hiring a cleaning company to deal with your carpets will cost you, it will be much cheaper than having to replace them.

Re-cover your sofas
If your sofas are looking a little worse for wear, but you can’t afford to buy new ones, consider re-covering them yourself.

This might sound like a hard job, but it’s not as difficult as it sounds, all you need is some pretty material and a stapler, and voila. You can find instructions for covering your sofas yourself, online. So before you go ahead with it, make sure to have a browse for advice.

If your sofa is leather and can't be covered, invest in a couple of stylish throws to place over any damage. It might not be as good as getting a new sofa, but believe it or not, simply adding a cute throw to your sofa, can make all the difference. I've managed to find some really big throws that cover our sofa perfectly.. take a look online!

Paint your old furniture
If you have any old pieces of wooden furniture, you can give them a new look by painting them. It’s amazing how much difference a coat of paint can make to a piece of furniture, especially if you choose a standout colour.

If you don’t have wooden furniture but need to replace your old items, visit your local scrapyard or charity shops. These places are often full of old pieces of wooden furniture that are ideal for doing up!


Doing up your living room on a budget might take more effort, but it is doable. By following my tips above, you can transform your living room without breaking the bank! I will be sharing more of my living room makeover in the coming months! 


Stay safe, x