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Homes can be expensive! From buying to moving to improvements, all of it can be incredibly costly. However, we highly encourage everyone to take the time to research and find ways to get what you want at less than what others are spending. Think it isn’t possible? On the contrary, we are going to give you tips on saving that money.
In This Post:
1. The List Price Isn’t Always the Final Price
There are all sorts of ways to save money on your home purchase. One of the things you should do is buy when and where the market is sluggish. If there are plenty of homes for sale and not a lot of buyers, it gives you the upper hand. You can always haggle the price down and come below your budget. Although your budget reflects what you can afford, coming in under as much as possible is the best bet for your finances.
2. Save When Moving
Moving is one of those things that has a lot of extra needs and fees that pop up and can skyrocket quickly. Your best bet is to have a budget where you have everything accounted for, from packing tape to a truck rental or moving service. We recommend getting quotes from moving companies, like Allied Moving Company, and compare them with renting a moving truck locally. Account for all the fuel, food, and hotel stays during the move. Those hidden costs can rack up quickly and you may find yourself in a better financial situation if you used a moving company. This is especially if they offer packing services, which help to save you a lot of time and stress!
3. Decorating on a Dime
You bought the house and you moved in, now you have to decorate it. You may already have most of your décor on hand but you still need to accent the home and maybe add some paint. Decorating the home should not be that expensive, there are lots of tips and tricks that we found that could help you.
- Check your local hazard recycling center for free or low-cost paint
- Hit the dollar store for inexpensive shower curtains and bathroom supplies.
- Go to the thrift store to find curtains, blankets, and small furniture.
- Look for DIY projects that upcycle into beautiful accent pieces or artwork.
4. Renovating the Smart Way
Renovating your home can be just as expensive as trying to buy one. There are some ways to get what you want without paying so much for it. It’s a matter of re-thinking how to achieve the goals you desire.
- Focus on efficiency rather than space – enlarging your kitchen is more expensive than making your current kitchen more efficient!
- Rather than adding windows to your home, add light tubes to lighten the darkest parts of your home.
- If you are doing your own renovations, check out Habitat For Humanity Re-Store for salvaged supplies.
- Avoid installing recessed lights, they are more costly due to the precise nature of the installation.
- Keep plumbing fixtures in place as much as possible, rerouting plumbing is very costly.
Your home is one of the most important investments you will ever make. We encourage making the investment but do it in a smarter way. Lots of people will say it’s just easier to pay someone else to handle it but those people don’t have any other interest than making money. You spend time working on the home with sweat equity and researching money-saving methods puts your devotion into the home and you will love it that much more!
