While everyone wants their home to look beautiful and be a comfortable place for them to gather with the ones they love, most people don’t love the idea of having to spend a lot of money in order to make this possible. However, if you didn’t purchase a home that you loved everything about from the get-go, you likely have a few home improvement projects in mind that you’re going to want to accomplish. So to help you create the home of your dreams without spending more money than you want, here are three tips for saving money on home improvement projects.

Create A Realistic Budget

Before you can know if you’re spending too much money on a home improvement project, you first have to have a budget set up so you can measure your finances against something. If you aren’t sure how much your project is likely to cost you, Mint.com shares that some of the most common home improvement projects, like kitchen renovations or bathroom remodels, can cost anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000. Once you have this range in mind, you can then decide on your own budget and pick materials and contractors that will help you stay within whatever budget you’re comfortable with. Just make sure the scope of your project is going to be possible with the budget you’ve set for yourself, or you could find that your home improvement project becomes too much of a financial hassle.

Do All That You Can On Your Own

To trim down your budget and help you save a lot of money, you might want to consider doing as much of the work as you can on your own. However, if you aren’t particularly handy, you may feel like this idea won’t actually save you much money. But according to Mandi Johnson, a contributor to ABeautifulMess.com, even just doing some of the demolition yourself and preparing the rooms for a real contractor to come in and do the work can save you a lot of money. Especially when you consider that you’re going to be paying people by the hour to work on your project, doing three or four hours worth of demo yourself can save you a lot.

Search For Gently Used Items

When it comes time to furnish your newly remodeled room, you might find that your budget is quick to get blown out of the water. But one way you can guard against this, according to Rachel Broughman, a contributor to Family Handyman, is to get gently used items rather than brand new items. Especially for things like kitchen appliances, if the majority of the item isn’t going to be seen on all sides, there’s no harm in getting something that has a scratch or dent that you won’t even see but that will help to save you a lot of money.

If you’re planning a home improvement project, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can save money on your remodel or renovation.