1720 days ago

Decorating Tips for a Shoestring Budget

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean Hamilton

Call us optimists, but we think everyone under the sun can, and should, have a beautiful home.
If you're pinching pennies, there's plenty you can do to create a stylish and inviting home for yourself and your friends.

The first step (and this is true no matter where or how you live) is to clean your home and get it organised. Doing those two things alone will drastically improve the quality of your space.

Then, on to decorating. With years of budget decorating behind (and in front of!) us, we've amassed a few helpful tips for 'making house' with a slim wallet.

1. Paint an accent wall

STAND OUT: This one wall, in the home of Melbourne designer Miranda Skoczek, brings something extra-special to her bedroom without going overboard.

Painting your walls is one of the most cost-effective decorative updates you can make to your home. But if you're on a shoestring budget, the two cans of $30 paint it may require to paint your bedroom could very well put you off.

Instead, consider painting an accent wall. One litre (which will cover around 9 square metres) or a 2.5-litre can (which covers up to 24 square metres) is likely all you'll need to cover a single wall, which can make just as much of an impact.



2. Get rid of unsightly items

FIRE THE WIRE: This clever little picket fence, designed by Karl Zahn, provides some fun inspiration for ways you can tidy up all those wires that often dominate the modern day living room.

Before you start worrying about what you can and cannot afford to buy, consider what you should get rid of, or unsightly items that you need to hide.

Dated, worn or damaged items could be doing the look of your home a disservice, and if they're non-essential, removing them can give your home a clean slate.

One of the worst offenders common in rental apartments is vertical blinds. Or how about those not-so-stylish college posters you've been holding on to? Let go, or at least put them in storage.



Keep reading: www.curtainclean.co.nz...

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21 hours ago

Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙

One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.

So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?

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Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
  • 61.4% Yes, supporting people is important!
    61.4% Complete
  • 22.5% No, individuals should take responsibility
    22.5% Complete
  • 16.1% ... It is complicated
    16.1% Complete
298 votes
4 hours ago

Hamilton woman’s $50 flax roses are helping her family get by

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

Marama Wade sits outside her River Rd home selling harakeke roses for $50, trying to keep food on the table and the rent paid.

The 54-year-old said the reason she’s out there is simple, especially with Valentine’s Day approaching.

“We’re broke. The reality is life is hard.”

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5 hours ago

Derelict Tokanui Hospital site in line for a clean-up

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

Derelict Tokanui Hospital buildings will be demolished and contaminated land cleaned up so the site can be offered back to iwi.

The former psychiatric hospital, southeast of Te Awamutu, sits on land taken from Ngāti Maniapoto under the Public Works Act in 1910.

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