How I Afford My DIY Projects

One of the most commonly asked questions I get is: how do you afford to do all of these DIYs? DIY can be expensive, but it's usually less expensive than hiring it out to someone else. Here are some of my favorite tips for doing DIY on a budget.

How I Afford My DIY Projects | Reuse Supplies

One of the biggest ways I have found that saves money is reusing items. This means I save paint, change old furniture so it fits my needs better and save/repurpose things after I demo. For example, I took out a closed-in workbench in my parents' garage, and used a lot of the wood to build the bases and frames for my mobile workbench build. To build the rest, I used old cabinets and old sets of drawers I acquired for free from family. I have found great affordable pieces at secondhand stores, on Facebook marketplace or even on the side of the road that I repurpose for my needs as well.

Another example is from when redid my dad's closet to make it a little bit more functional for him. When we were done, I ended up with four sets of drawers. Instead of getting rid of those drawers, I bought some pieces of melamine and built two drawer towers of four drawers. This was SO much more affordable than buying two sets of new drawers.

Similarly, when we demoed my grandparents' closets to create a large different closet for their space. We had a giant tower of shelves and drawers left over. Instead of getting rid of them, I kept them and used them in my upstairs bathroom to create more storage in that space. A lot of times people take items like the drawers we took out of the closet and donate them to secondhand stores. Keep an eye out for these at your local thrift store or Facebook marketplace that you can use in a future project.

I also try to use as much scrap wood as possible for new projects. When we installed the new closet in my grandparents' space, there was a lot of scrap wood left over. I held onto it and eventually used only that scrap wood to build the bookshelves in my daughter's bedroom. While all of the wood was initially purchased for my grandparents' closet, I used the rest of it to do an a completely separate project.

How I Afford My DIY Projects | Re-Purpose Old Furniture

I reuse old furniture in the same way. I got so much backlash on the internet when I redid my grandparents' dressers to fit the style and aesthetic of my home. I knew I didn't want to get rid of the dressers and I needed furniture in the space. Logically, I did the more sustainable option and repurposed them. It would've been SO much more expensive to get rid of them and get something new rather than painting them to fit my needs.

When we were in our very first apartment, with almost zero money, I saved my grandfather's old desk that was completely destroyed and was on its way to the dump. I took it apart and used the top for a kitchen table and used the two side pieces as end tables. Those end tables have gone through multiple transformations depending on our needs. They've been desks, they've been two end tables, and they have been nightstands. At this point, I think I've redone them four times, but again, I am saving money by just buying paint and sanding these down and reusing them.

You're probably thinking that I've shared how to afford some of the materials, but I have not shared how to do projects without buying a ton of expensive tools. I’ve discovered that tools come in a wide variety of price ranges, and you really don't have to buy the most expensive ones to get the job done. Some of the tools I own are some of the least expensive tools. Start with a few basic, inexpensive tools and go from there. However, if cost is still an issue, you have a couple of options. In some places, local libraries actually have tool libraries where you can check out tools and use them. Also, most big box stores allow you to rent tools per hour/day for a small fee. The moral of the story is you CAN do DIY projects on a budget with some planning, creativity and time. Hopefully this was helps and I can't wait to see what you create on a budget too!