Embarking on a room transformation can be daunting when it comes to the budget - it can be a challenge to make a visually engaging difference on a tiny budget.
But social media is bursting with people who have been hit with this decorating budget roadblock and overcome it by being creative.
By looking around your home for the dregs of paint at the bottom of the pots, off-cuts of wood, furniture you can repurpose or take apart to use as source materials, scraps of wallpaper and stick-on vinyl wrap. Even your garden can be involved in redecorating a room for less money.
READ MORE: How to transform tired outdoor furniture rather than buying new
And finding out if family, friends and neighbours are looking to dump their junk could be a treasure trove for you to rummage through and find some hidden gems - hopefully for free or just the cost of a sociable pint down the pub as a thank you.
Maybe a regular look on social media marketplaces might find you a bargain or even free stuff to use in your room transformation - one person's pile of wood offcuts could be a section of your new wood panel feature wall.
For inspiration to create something unique in your home on a budget using leftovers, cheap, and free items, Instagram is a good source to see what other people have done to their homes using their imagination and creativity but not necessarily their wallet.
Abi Hugo likes to share her decorating money-saving ideas on her Instagram account The White Thistle, while she transforms her home and more recently the cheap update of her bathroom using leftovers.
Speaking to Leader Doors about her use of upcycling hacks and shopped pre-loved furniture to renovate the entire bathroom without breaking the bank, Abi says: "This transformation was definitely up there as it made a massive difference to the room that I just felt was very boring and not very pleasant to start with."
Life is busy for Abi, but she put herself under more pressure than just updating the bathroom for a small budget, by setting herself a 24 hour time limit.
Abi says: "The reno was almost free! I used leftover stuff from the other rooms that I upcycled in my house, so that includes leftover wood and paint. The only thing that I bought was the peel and stick floor tiles from Dunelm which were £14 a pack and I brought two, so just under £30. I am all about the budget renovation!
"I made sure I kept soft, neutrals in my paint colours throughout. I chose to use wood as accents to make my wall a feature, so when doing this, I added leftover wood around my mirror which was very quick to do.
"I don't want to waste anything, so for me, it's always like 'what have I got to hand?'. Layering textures is something that makes a fantastic impact to a space, so for me, I brought pampas grass from the garden to implement character into the room. So dried grass, warm neutrals, soft organic linen is the style, and accents of black with painting things like the pipework black."
As well as leftover paint on the walls and specialist paint on the radiator and the new floor tiles, the unit has a new plastic wrap cover and a change of handles. Leftover wood has been used to create a feature wood strip panel behind the mirror and garden plant cuttings add free greenery.
The artwork above the radiator in a frame already in the home now houses a pressed garden plant cutting, with a splash of paint behind it.
Leftovers could be utilised more easily in Abi's bathroom makeover because she has a signature style throughout her home. This has meant that any scraps and off-cuts, paint and materials from other rooms, or sourced externally with her style in mind, are all going to seamlessly integrate into her home.
Abi says sticking to a theme works for her: "If you can find a theme for your house, and find a colour palette you love and want to run with, just like if you were building a brand, and if you think about the colour palette for your whole house, then your house will flow.
"This was how I was able to use leftover paint because rather than going out and buying a new tin, you can just reuse paint, wood and decor from all over the house to pull it all together so it flows really nicely."
And Abi's tips for finding inspiration to create your style and scavenging materials might be helpful for novice upcyclers and budget renovators too.
She says: "Use Pinterest for a mood board because it will really help you solidify what look you are going for, and help you plan before you dive in. Also, I would say research is key, fully look into your personal, interior style.
"And if you come across a product you love like a lamp or something, one of my top tips is to use Google Reverse Image Search, where Google will reveal all the places the product is found, and you might be able to find the product cheaper somewhere else."
Abi says diving in and have a go, think creatively and above all have fun. She says: "Paint can always be painted over so don't overthink things.
"With DIY, as it's such a step-by-step process, you can't really go wrong, because if it were to go that way you'll notice before you get to the next step, so just have fun with it and try things!". And don't miss out on finding out about interiors design to delightful dream homes, sign up to our twice weekly Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter to see them all.
