Living in a flat share, working full time, it can be easy to let things go for a bit.
Not getting round to fixing things on a day off, not having the people you need at home to get things sorted, and wanting to spend your time at the end of a hard day's work relaxing, not DIYing.
And all of that comes before the cost of getting a place fixed up.
So when Alex Short and Anna Watts decided to do up their home - which they share with another four friends in their mid-20s - they took an unusual route.
Working purely with items donated to British Heart Foundation (BHF) shops, they took just a single day for the makeover of their four-bedroom London house.
A bed and mattress cost them for £150, four chairs were picked up for £40, while bedside tables set them back £15 each.
Then there was a set of drawers for £20, wardrobes from £120 and a host of smaller accessories including lights and pictures at between £5 and £10 each.
Overall, the entire transformation was carried out for less than £1,700 - cheaper than a lot of sofas - and saw four bedrooms, the living room and the kitchen of their house updated.
Alex said he was thrilled with the makeover that "surpassed all expectation", but especially happy at the price.
“We were also really surprised by how cheap and easy it was. As a big house share, a lot of our furniture were hand me downs from family so it’s fab to have an update and put our stamp on it," he said.
Anna, a junior doctor, added that she was shocked how much could be done with so little.
“We hadn’t realised that with a lick of paint, you can transform items into stylish pieces and were really impressed with the quality of items that get donated," she said.
Alex and Anna carried out their home makeover as part BHF's Reuse Revolution campaign, designed to raise awareness of shopping second hand for the home.
BHF retail director Allison Swaine-Hughes said: “These photos show the amazing potential of shopping pre-loved for the home. You can find items that are both great value and good quality, as well as unique pieces that you wouldn’t get anywhere else."
If you want to see what they have on offer, BHF has 190 home stores across the country, and people sharing their makeovers online can win £250 to spend at Annie Sloan in October.
To take part you need to tag @the_BHF in a social post, use the #BoughtAtBHF hashtag and finish the sentence: “I love shopping at the BHF because...”
