£50 Home Improvement Challenge // Before & After With MoneySupermarket

Before

After

Lamp £20 Argos

Light Bulbs £1.75 eBay

Ampersand £6 Wilkinson

x2 Striped Tumblers £4.50 Wilkinson

Notebook £1.25 Wilkinson

x2 RIBBA Shelves £11 Ikea

White/Black Frames  £4.45 Ikea

Organiser Boxes £1.60 Ikea

Total: £50.55 

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to take part in a MoneySupermarket challenge by MoneySupermarket, with an idea to demonstrate that it doesn't cost a fortune to give an area of your home a bit of an overhaul and transform it into a nicer place to be. I chose my desk area, as I've been avoiding it for months. After years of study and rushing around, its a bit of a mess. The first 'before' picture is probably complimentary, as it has actually been worse. Random bits and bobs seem to have accumulated and papers piled up as I told myself I had nowhere else to put them yet but would 'sort them out at a later date.' Yeah, right. 

So, armed with a £50 budget, I planned a few changes, and made my way to a few bargain shops. Lamps can be so expensive, and although I'd love an ornate gothic lamp, I opted for a subtle touch of colour and moved our old boring lamp downstairs. I then headed to Wilkinson for a few novelties, and although its not a shop I visit often, they have some genuinely nice pieces in their home section. I can imagine this ampersand would've cost twice the price in Next, and I love the simplicity. My favourites though, are the striped tumblers from the bathroom section, I really am a freak for stripes. 
I added to the monochrome look with a notebook, to keep all my blogging notes in, and picked up some cheap magazine files from Ikea to keep my 'random bits of paper' in. They're categorised vaguely into, 'Important stuff to sort,' 'University stuff to file,' and 'I'm not sure I can throw this away yet.' Mhm! 

And finally, the picture shelves, to tie everything up nicely. Before, I had a random collection of images stuck to the wall to cover up the mess behind it, but I much prefer this neater way of presenting my favourite pictures, and it was so cheap to put together. Dad popping over to put the shelves up, was free, thanks Pa! 

All in all, I've got an actual atmosphere and more importantly my space back, to tap away on my laptop. I'm sat here now with a candle burning and an urge to make cupcakes. Mmm, how homely! 

What do you think?

S xx