When mum-of-one Ellen Humphries went shopping for new flooring for her dining room and kitchen, she baulked at the cost.
So the 56-year-old from Glasgow came up with a way to save more than 75% on the initial price.
"To buy this floor from any walk-in shop would have been £290. I didn't have this. So, I was thinking outside the box," Ellen told money saving community LatestDeals.co.uk .
She decided to see if she could find enough flooring from good pieces from damaged packets to cover her.
"Off I went to the local shop - I didn't think a big company would do this - I asked the manager could I have a look in his stock room."
But that meant she had to make a decision.
"I realised the shop would not have enough of the same colour so I thought I would ask for different shades of the same wood," she said.
“I told my family and friends but they didn't think it was a good idea.
“I then had a word with the joiner that was going to fit it. He just said, ‘It's vital that it is all the same manufacturer as the click system would need to be the same’."
So Ellen asked the shop’s manager if they had open packets in the back that she could choose from.
"We found more than I needed in pallets that were open or broken, so we made up 18 square metres," Ellen said.
"I told the joiner to make sure he picked up a different board from the one before and use all the cutoffs too. I even had enough left to do the risers on my stairs too!”
The cost? Just £70 - a massive £220 cheaper than buying wooden flooring off the peg.
And her system has gone down a storm with other members of the LatestDeals community - with her post shares and liked thousands of times.
And Ellen has some tips for people looking to make similar savings themselves.
“Go around different shops asking about broken packets, but they must be the same manufacturers,” she said.
"Think outside the box and ask for older stock. And remember, free samples of carpet can do smaller spaces!
“I haven't done it but you can also carpet your stairs with free carpet samples.”
