One of the biggest joys in my adult life was moving into my own place. I no longer had to deal with nagging parents or fight for the TV, and lavished the freedom of crafting my own aesthetic and turning my house into a home. The challenge now is not so much finding the perfect pieces to fill the space but how to afford it all.

Buying a house, be it a BTO or resale flat, is already quite the financial feat. Throw in renovation costs that average S$49,500 to S$62,800¹ for a 4-room flat and you might start to worry that your living room will end up looking like this…

The good news is you don’t have to sacrifice style for savings. Here are five hacks I’ve personally used to spruce up my living space.

Discover treasures on Facebook Marketplace & Carousell

You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t Facebook just for boomers?”. You might be right but it’s these boomers that have lots of nice stuff to offload. My house is filled with pre-loved items that honestly look as good as new (after a quick polish).

There are literally thousands of listings on these sites. To narrow your search, you’ll want to be as specific as possible. Say you’re looking for a chair, don’t just type in chair. Add in the colour, style (transparent, mesh, dining, etc.) and even the brand to refine your search.

Even if you don’t find what you want, you can click onto items that come really close to what you’re looking for, so that the search algorithm picks up on your taste profile. It will then recommend similar looking items and some surprising gems might pop up on your feed.

Once you’ve found a piece you love, you can attempt to haggle over the price but don’t push too hard. I’ve found most listings to be priced fairly but you can always try for a bulk discount when purchasing more than one item. Another common tactic is to offer to pick up the item on the same day, especially if you see it’s been unsold for a while.

Do note that you will likely need to arrange your own transport for bulky items like furniture. Getting a mover can be expensive due to surge fees and manpower costs but that can be minimised if you…

Shop at second-hand furniture shops

Beyond the rustic charm of these curated spaces, second-hand furniture stores guarantee the quality of refurbished pieces and offer deliveries at subsidised rates. From the vintage, opulent styles at Hock Siong and Co. to the Scandinavian, mid-century modern vibes at Second Charm, you’re guaranteed to find a piece that speaks to you.

Strolling through the stores themselves is an experience but companies like The Reject Shop have a digital storefront that lets you browse their entire collection from the comfort of your home. With crazy discounts of up to 80% off regular retail prices, you’ll want to act fast when you see a piece you love. Be sure to check back regularly for new items they add throughout the year too.

My best tip, though, is to keep an open mind when shopping at these stores. Even mundane items like the glass light cover above can be repurposed into delightful decorations. Speaking of decorations…

Test out new styles with IKEA

Apart from their affordable prices, the best thing about shopping at IKEA is their 365-Day Return policy. Just remember to keep your receipt together with the tags on your items and you can return them anytime within the year for a full refund, GST and all.

This works mostly with decorative items since they don’t have existing packaging. As a visual planner, I love to bring home different cushion covers and rugs to see how they match with the rest of my living room.

Special shout-out to their mattress return policy as well which allows you to return any mattress as long as it is not dirty, marked, damaged or abused. No need to lie down on the gross communal showroom mattress anymore. Just take home any of their 123 mattress variants and find the one that’s perfect for you.

Don’t be afraid of a little DIY

As someone who failed D&T (Design & Technology) in secondary school, I initially found DIY home projects a nightmare. Apart from the risk of getting injured using hot glue guns and industrial staplers, my worst fear was ruining the materials we had with my inexperience.

Thankfully, I have a supportive wife who’s way more experienced, and patient with my fumbling. We learnt to do some simple reupholstery work by watching tutorials on YouTube and TikTok, giving new life to the chair you see above. We saved easily over S$100 by doing it ourselves, plus we got to choose the exact fabric we wanted (it was on discount too!).

When it comes to DIY, practice really makes perfect. Work your way up from simple projects like stripping and repainting wood to more advanced ones like combining random furniture pieces to create a TV console.

Know how to get FREE items

Of course, the ultimate deal is getting home items for free. Apps like Olio and Sharetings allow users to share items they no longer want or need with their neighbours. The listings are also sorted by distance, so you won’t have to go far to collect your items. You can grab everything from spare charging cables to Chinese New Year decor for just S$0. This move is great not only for your wallet but for sustainability since reusing items means you don’t need to buy a new one.

Some of my favourite loot from these apps includes a SCOBY mama for kombucha as well as some lovely plants for my green corner. It’s also a blessing to share with others so I gave away some old clothes and tea bags to my neighbours.  

Protect the home you love

Creating your dream home takes time and effort. Safeguard your hard work by ensuring that your home and its items are protected. I had a sobering reminder of this recently when a unit opposite my block caught on fire, prompting the response you see below.   

The Straits Times reported an overall increase in fires in 2023, 967 up from 918 in 2022². Upgrade your HDB Fire Insurance to cover the contents and renovations of your home so you can make a claim for your furniture, renovation works and personal belongings should the worst really happen.

That about covers all you need to glam up your new place on a budget. Looking for more ways to optimise your home budget? Read our guide on how to keep your home cool or 4 moves to simplify your money management.  

Notes

^{1. Source: Property Guru, “Singapore's HDB BTO Renovation Cost Guide (2023)”, accessed 4 January 2024.}

^{2. Source: The Straits Times, “More PAB and home fires in first half of 2023 but fewer non-emergency calls made: SCDF”, accessed 4 January 2024.}