A savvy mum-of-one has saved a fortune transforming her garden with freebies and bargains.
Rachel Fowles from Stockport wanted to make her small garden feel more 'cosy', but didn't want to endure a huge cost.
Instead the 39-year-old started a budget makeover during lockdown, picking up cheap décor from the likes of B&M, Home Bargains, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
She also got her hands on free pallet wood that was due to be thrown away, which she upcycled and used as the furniture.
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Rachel told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk : "I have the smallest seating area in my tiny garden and I wanted a pergola to make it feel more cosy.
"Around 10 years ago my brother and partner added some gravel, patio slabs, decking and wooden garden furniture to make it look better.
"It was so simple and just what I needed back then. However I was ready for something more and my budget makeover started there at the beginning of lockdown last year."
Rachel began shopping around for bargain buys in discount stores and online.
"I can’t stand to throw things away and I try to upcycle things on a budget," she said.
"When I shopped for supplies I managed to pick up plenty of bargain buys. For example my garden tables are from Facebook Marketplace and I picked them up for £20. They are IKEA glass over sofa tables and they’ve lasted two months in the garden and withstood multiple rounds of rain.
"When I’m entertaining the two tables push together, and when I’m not they slot under the pallet furniture in such a way that the top forms a little side table. I couldn’t find any garden furniture that fitted this way and obviously I love a bargain so these were perfect."
The mum-of-one managed to save £140 on pergola wood and get her pallet wood for free.
"I bought the wood for the pergola from our local timber merchant. It cost just £66 and most of the kits I saw were around £200," Rachel said.
"The pallets used for the furniture were free from a man who was throwing them away.
"The welcome cushion was £6 and the floor cushions were £15 each, all from B&M. The festoon lights also came from B&M for £15 and the chill sign was from Facebook Marketplace. It was £3 per letter and it’s made from artificial grass.
"The green cushion on the hanging chair came from Home Bargains for £6. The pallet cushions came from eBay. They were pricey, but the cheapest I could find of a good quality came to £122 in total."
Rachel got creative and made some cushions and macramé lights herself.
"I made the pink and grey cushions and I made the macramé lights using solar bulbs from B&M - they were three for £5. I learnt basic macramé knots off YouTube," she said.
"The hanging chair came about because I’ve always wanted one. However, my space is far too small for an egg chair and I couldn’t afford most of them.
"When I started doing macramé I came across a chair which I thought would be perfect for my garden and go well with the macramé pieces I made. I found the chair itself on Amazon for £36.99 and the stand on eBay for £79.99, so all in all it was £116.98.
"My partner Tom built the pallet furniture using a DIY tutorial on YouTube and he and my brother Jay built the pergola."
The total cost of the project was under £250.
"All in all the pallet furniture, pergola and decorations cost just under £250 and the project was completed over the space of a year or so," Rachel said.
"I’ve also added a mirror wall and decked wall. With the decked wall, my brother was redoing a client's decking and the boards were just going to waste so I asked if I could have them and she kindly agreed.
"‘I bought the little herb boxes, the white herb trays and the large glass jars from Poundland. The solar lights were from Home Bargains for a fiver and the ivy came from B&M for £1.99 each.
‘The other feature I’m proud of is the mirror wall. I decided to add some mirrors to my wall to try and make the space feel bigger and improve the aesthetic. I found the mirrors in B&M for £6.99 each.
"I love coming out here when I can’t sleep. It's so peaceful, especially at night."
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