
DIY - top tips for cutting costs
With spring in the air many of us begin thinking about the odd spot of DIY or perhaps redecorating the lounge, but howcan you save money on DIY?
Firstly DIY or ‘Do It Yourself’ is the cheapest way to go. Painting and decorating may seem like an easy task and you might think cheap, but hiring a good painter and decorator isn’t cheap. I think I paid something like £160 for a 3m by 2.5m bedroom which needed on prepairation on walls or woodwork; I think it took the decorators 3 hours from start to finish. I’ve recently had a quote of nearly £700 to paint the outside of our house and I bet it would take a good painter under 2 days to do.
Second - Get online discount vouchers - www.myvouchercodes.co.uk provides online discount vouchers for everything under the sun, including online DIY stores so make sure you check it out.
Third - Much like the vouchers, try and get a trade discount; if you know a builder or painter ask them where to buy supplies and what to say or ask for.
4th - Make sure you calculate the correct quantities you’ll need to do the job. Overspending or wasting perfectly good materials is a complete no-no when it comes to DIY. Double check your sums!
5th - Pay by credit card if you’re spending more than £100 most credit card purchases over this amount are protected against faulty goods - check your credit card company details. Obviously if you’re going for an extention then get remortgaged! Or find a cheap personal loan…
6th - Hire tools - this can work out much cheaper, especially if the tools you need are specific to one job you’ll probably never have to do again in your life! There is also a free recycling website www.freecycle.org which lists free to pick up tools in your local area.
And last but not least - if your parents or grandparents are around drag them down to B&Q on a Wednesday and sign them up for membership to get a 10 per cent discount - on top of any in-store promotions or discounts. Just make sure they take their bus pass for ID!