Decorating Tips for a Shoestring Budget
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...
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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0% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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0% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Addictive Eaters Anonymous
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Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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