Bedrooms on a Budget

Kitting out a child’s bedroom can be extremely pricey, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re starting with a blank canvas or upgrading furniture as your child grows, these tips from Kate Duggan might help you to stick to your budget…

Look for quality furniture second-hand

If you want furniture to last, look for plain, solidly built furniture. We bought my daughter’s chest of drawers when she was a baby. It’s plain white, but we stuck some removable decals on to ‘prettify’ it. And, as it’s decent quality, it’s lasted well (she’s now eleven). It was second-hand and cost well under £50 – contrast this to the new chest of drawers bought subsequently at twice the price, but of nowhere near the same quality. So my top tip is, buy decent furniture second-hand rather than cheap furniture new. Solid pine furniture lasts for years and is easily available second-hand. You can paint it with chalk paint and update it in different colours as your child’s tastes change. I picked up an ugly (but well-built) bureau for £12 a couple of years ago. The result of some chalk paint and new handles is an attractive, unique piece of furniture that could be passed down to future generations. Facebook, eBay and Gumtree are good places to look for furniture, as are Freecycle and local charity warehouse stores. I’ve also picked up bargains at my local tip.

Look for customer returns

Prefer to buy new? Some stores offer customer To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

returns at a discounted price. Wayfair often sells returned furniture at 25% off, for example, and most items are in perfect condition. At www.nnwarehouse.uk, you’ll find furniture from children’s brand Noa & Nani at knock-down prices. In exchange for accepting a minor cosmetic imperfection (e.g. a small scratch or dent), you could save over 50% on the RRP. At the time of writing, a grey single bed is on sale at £39, rather than the usual £129. There’s also a bunk bed for £89, a wooden toy box for £20 and lots more.

Think of resale value

If you’re buying for the short term and don’t fancy a customer return, look for brands that you can easily sell on again. Ikea’s Kallax storage units, for example, seem to hold their value well and are robust enough to withstand a few knocks.

Decorating on the cheap

Pick up some wooden picture frames from a charity shop and paint them in different coordinating colours. If you’re decorating a baby or toddler’s bedroom, cut out an applique from an outgrown or stained Babygro or T-shirt. Once framed, it looks like a handmade (expensive) piece of art. You could also try sticking colourful buttons on some cardboard in the shape of your child’s initials and then framing it. Or just use pictures from a calendar or even a comic. You may have a limited budget, but with a bit of perseverance and imagination, you can give your child a room to be proud of.

This is a challenge created by the pandemic. You see every 4th week, at our lunchtime meeting we would run a raffle. The proceeds are put towards one of Rotary’s successful, long running projects to eradicate polio. The ‘End Polio Now’ campaign is not limited to the Biggleswade Club, it is a worldwide initiative, now supported by Bill and Melinda Gates, who triple donations made to eradicate polio around the world. There are now only two countries with polio, but we endeavour to eliminate it completely. Rotary is a global network of over 1800 clubs with 50,000 members, all making differences to communities at home and abroad. We carry out a range of projects aimed at improving and building community spirit at home and internationally. One of our projects in Biggleswade was to collect hand tools which were donated to ‘Tools for Self Reliance’. After being checked and made good these were sent to developing countries to start workshops to enable people to earn a living. We helped another charity to buy and equip a shipping container which will be taken to Africa to become a library. A more recent donation has been to Shelter Box, this assists rehousing people in disaster areas, such as the recent explosion in Beirut. The Covid Pandemic has not only altered the way we function but helped us focus on supporting local initiatives such as a local group which helped transport front line workers to hospitals and care homes along with supplies. Until lockdown socialising was an important aspect of the Club. We arrange outings to the theatre and have visited Henlow Greyhound Stadium, we organise fundraising events such as a Race Night. We visit other Rotary Clubs whilst away on holiday and have visited clubs in other parts of the UK and all over the world. Rotary runs competitions for young people such as Young Chef, Young Artist, Young Photographer and Youth Speaks to name a few. We run a Technology Tournament for local schools, we also help with mock interviews. Every year we organise a Fun Day in a local school and a Swimathon for local clubs to help raise funds for their own club and Rotary. Even though we are not able to meet physically at the moment we are meeting on Zoom every Tuesday at 12 noon. If you would like to join us please contact our Secretary, Helen on 01767 686106 for an invitation to a Zoom Meeting. David Woodhouse (President Biggleswade Rotary Club)