Latest news with #budgetfriendly
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I gave my bed an £18 glow-up using an unexpected B&M buy – people say it looks like a whole new bed but £1.6k cheaper
BUYING a new bed is a huge expense that sends shivers down the spines of many. But rather than forking out thousands on a posh faux fur bed frame, a savvy woman from the UK has shared how she gave her old bed, which she has had for the last three years, a quick and easy glow up. 2 2 The DIY enthusiast and mother, who posts online under the username 'Cosy Home Life', used bargain and very unexpected buys from B&M to transform her bed frame, costing her less than £20 in total. Posting on social media, the cleaning fan gave her followers a close-up look at her bed frame before and after its transformation, leaving many gobsmacked. Prior to the DIY project, the woman's bed frame was grey and velvet. But thanks to two super soft throws, which are just £5 each from B&M, and a furry blanket, which costs only £8, this content creator was able to give her bed a fresh, neutral look. Using the blankets and throws, this influencer was able to cover her headboard and the base of her bed, making her very own DIY covers. Thrilled with her money-saving idea, this mother described her hack as ' budget friendly.' Showing off the finished bed, which not only looks incredibly expensive, but seriously luxurious too, the savvy saver beamed: 'Not perfect but a lot better than it was.' While you can buy a range of affordable bed frames from DUSK and Wayfair, a very similar style to this woman's finished project, is currently being sold at Debenhams. The HOB Furniture Luxury Sahara Bed looks strikingly similar to this DIY fan's, but was once priced at £3,300 and has now been reduced to £1,650. But rather than breaking the bank on the faux fur bed frame, this woman saved a jaw-dropping £1,632 thanks to her purse-friendly project. We're a family of 5 living in a one-bed flat - people think our situation is 'satire' but we can't afford anything else To finish off the bed and make sure the covers are secure, the mother later added: 'Got a stapler coming as well!!' The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ cosy_homelife, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 64,600 views. It turned out so much better than buying a whole new bed TikTok user It's also amassed 4,730 likes, 25 comments and 736 saves. Social media users were impressed with the 'gorgeous' and 'cute' bed makeover and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. One person said: 'Wow, looks amazing!' Another added: 'Looks lovely.' A third commented: 'I need to see how you do this.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I swear by a £12 buy from Dunelm to make your home look bigger – it's renter-friendly and my hack avoids a DIY disaster
A DIY enthusiast has shared a super simple and affordable trick to make any room in your home look bigger. So if you've got a small pad but are on a mission to give it a glow up, then you've come to the right place. 2 And don't worry if you don't own the property, as this handy hack is renter-friendly, with limited damage to walls. Posting on social media, a DIY guru who posts under the username 'Home Embrace', regularly shares tips and tricks to transform properties without having to break the bank. In one clip, the content creator explained how creating a DIY mirror wall will not only add style to a space, but will make it look bigger too. The DIY fan used a £12 Dunelm buy for this simple project, which was one of her first overhauls after moving into her home. Sharing her renovation idea, which gave her dining room an impressive overhaul whilst on a budget, the savvy woman uploaded her clip with the caption 'This was one of my first DIY projects when I moved in. Not only does it look great but it made the room [look] bigger.' The bargain hunter then acknowledged that her hack cost her just £60 in total, as she reflected: 'Now, my wall was looking really, really bland and it was time for an upgrade, so I got these over the door mirrors from Dunelm and also these command strips because these walls are freshly plastered, but this is also the perfect renter-friendly hack. 'Now, after everything was up, I absolutely loved it.' However, the young woman explained that you must follow her advice to avoid a DIY disaster, as she stressed: 'But, if you wanna know whether the command strips are actually strong enough for the hold - this fell down about a year later.' As a result, she added: 'The main tip here is that you need to leave the command strips up for 24 hours before putting the mirror on.' Showing off the finished result, the woman beamed: 'Once you do that, you'll find that it lasts and since then, I've had no issues.' I found a £150 mirror for £27 in HomeSense - it transformed my room (1) As well as her DIY mirror display, the woman also gave the wall a fresh lick of paint, using the shade Pale Olive in a matte finish from Homebase. What was once a plain white wall has since been totally transformed and we think it looks fabulous. DIY fans beam And it's clear that many others do too, as the TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ home_embrace, has quickly racked up 56,500 views. Not only this, but it's also amassed 827 likes, 24 comments and 466 saves. DIY fans were impressed with the straightforward and effective hack and many eagerly raced to the comments to share their thoughts. One person said: 'This is stunning.' Another added: 'I'm glad I found this today!'
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
7 clever tricks Primark does to keep you walking & buying more than you need – & how to avoid overspending
PRIMARK is famous for its budget-friendly fashion and beauty items, but it also employs some clever tactics to encourage you to spend more. Like many retailers, it uses subtle — and often unnoticed — strategies designed to get you to part with a bit more of your money than you intended. 4 Dr Jansson-Boyd, who is an associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: "As a store, Primark uses a high number of well-known marketing aspects that we know customers respond effectively to." Here are some little-known tricks Primark shoppers should know about… 1. CAFES FOR 'DWELL TIME' Primark serves over a million shoppers every day in more than 400 worldwide stores and racks up over £5billion in annual revenue. And experts claim they try to keep customers in store for as long as possible. Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary Primark: How Do They Do It? Consumer journalist Harry Wallop said: 'It's a phrase used in the retail industry 'dwell time'. 'You don't want people to just come in and buy an item and leave. 'You want someone to come in, look for the item, think 'that looks like a nice cafe. I'll stop there, I'll then buy something else'. 'On the way you spot another bit of homewares, it's only £5. 'If you can increase the dwell time you are onto a winning formula and you have justified the high expense of operating a high street store.' Spanning 160,000 square feet spread over five floors, the Birmingham store - their biggest worldwide - is certainly a destination in itself. It also boasts a hairdresser salon, nail bar, eyebrow grooming and a barber's. 2. NO-BRAINER PRICES While some people head in stores for the haul items, others go just for the store's 'basics'. psychologist Dr Amna Khana added: 'Primark's essential components of their products are generally built on basic, staple products that don't necessarily always change.' Retail consultant Nicole Higgins continued: 'Generally with clothing, 20 per cent of your range will make up 80 per cent of your sales. 'If you go into Primark's lingerie department, they will have hundreds of styles, lots and lots of different colours but probably the items that are making the most amount of money are the five-pack knickers, the basic T-shirt bras. 'They are the core bread-and-butter products.' 3. DELIBERATELY FOLDED ITEMS 4 In any Primark store, you will often see a fair amount of clothing items folded on shelves. While you may think this is done to save space, it's actually just another way to get shoppers to part with more cash. Dr Jansson-Boyd said: "When items are folded, shoppers can't fully see what it is until they go and pick it up and unfold it. "It is well-known that once consumers touch an item, they take on psychological ownership. "This increases the likelihood of purchase as they feel that the item belongs to them." 4. TILL TEMPTATION 4 If you're an avid Primark shopper, you'll know that you can often spend just as long waiting in the queue as you do browsing the store. But Dr Jansson-Boyd said the technique of "funnelling" people to line up along the tills gives shoppers more time to grab a last-minute item, such as socks, face wipes and shopper bags. She explained: "Along the funnel, there are various small bits and pieces that tend to have a broader appeal. "And as people get bored waiting, they often pick up additional items as they are readily there. "Some of those items are sweets – which people buy as an added treat for a job well done." 5. TRENDY DECOR Primark stores are lively, bright and feel quite youthful - and this is all intentional, Dr Jansson-Boyd said. "The stores use cues for their younger target markets. "This includes neon type signs and slogans on signage such as 'find your amazing'. "This suggests that you can be fabulous by buying something from Primark. "This is the type of messaging that Gen-Z responds effectively to." 6. NO CLOCKS OR WINDOWS 4 Ever find yourself losing track of time when you are browsing in Primark? It turns out that the lack of clocks or windows can be strategic in the retail world. Retail expert Burt Flickinger, told CNN: 'Windowless shopping creates an environment of consumption without distractions. 'When people have a sense of timelessness and comfort, families spend more because they can focus just on the stores and the mall experience.' 7. SOCIAL MEDIA GAME You may have been influenced to spend more at Primark before you even set foot in the shop, according to their own team. Finance director John Bason at Associated British Food, which owns Primark, told Drapers: 'One of the main areas where Primark has got stronger is driving our footfall through social media. 'On Instagram we're up to nearly 7 million followers, which allows for targeted marketing. 'A number of our collaborations have worked very well, including with [influencer] Alice Liveing, and we are working on future collections with others for this year.'
Entrepreneur
5 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Ditch Monthly Fees with 2TB of Lifetime Cloud Storage from Scramble
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. Whether you're managing a growing startup, freelancing across industries, or just trying to keep your digital life organized, reliable cloud storage is essential. But with rising subscription costs from major providers, many entrepreneurs are now looking for long-term, budget-friendly alternatives. Enter Scramble Cloud, a privacy-focused cloud storage platform offering 2TB of lifetime access for just $129.99 (reg. $172). That's a one-time payment for secure, high-capacity storage—no monthly fees, no recurring charges. For small-business owners and solopreneurs who are juggling client files, project archives, and marketing assets, cloud storage isn't just a convenience—it's a necessity. Scramble Cloud offers end-to-end encryption and cross-platform access via web, mobile, and desktop, making it easy to store, sync, and share files from anywhere. With 2TB of space, you can back up everything from contracts and financial records to high-resolution videos, design files, and product photos. It's also ideal for remote teams who need centralized access to shared assets without jumping into expensive enterprise-level subscriptions. Scramble Cloud puts privacy front and center, the company says. All files are encrypted during upload and while stored, and the company says it follows a strict zero-knowledge policy—meaning your data stays your data. For professionals who are working with sensitive client info or proprietary content, that extra layer of protection can be a major plus. The platform supports features such as file versioning, multi-device sync, and secure sharing links, giving users the tools needed to stay organized and collaborate effectively. And since it's a lifetime deal, it's especially attractive for those looking to reduce subscription fatigue while still maintaining reliable, secure access to their data. If you're building a business—or just want a smarter way to store your digital assets—this lifetime subscription is a practical investment. Don't wait to act on this offer. Grab 2TB of encrypted storage from Scramble Cloud for $129.99 while supplies still last. Scramble Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription (2TB) See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.
Independent Singapore
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
'First dates without first-class prices: What did you do besides eat and caffeinate?'
SINGAPORE: When one Redditor turned to the internet for advice on arranging a budget-friendly first date in Singapore, he probably wasn't thinking of cemetery strolls and animal healing to come up, but these were exactly what came up. In a post that rapidly collected responses, the user wrote: 'Besides eating and coffee, what's the most fun first date that you had in Singapore? Looking for activities that preferably won't cost money or cost very little, and can get to know each other better. I can think of park/beach walks, but the weather recently is so unpredictable, either super-hot or super heavy rain.' The platform community didn't fail to surprise. A combination of romance, comicality, wit, and pragmatism poured in, depicting an astonishingly delightful image of what dating can look like on a shoestring budget in the Lion City. Talking life among the dead? One of the most eyebrow-raising recommendations was dull yet extraordinarily poetic: 'Go cemetery to talk about life.' While not the average rom-com situation, there's something irrefutably profound about contemplating one's existence while sauntering among gravestones. Scary and unnerving? Maybe. But unforgettable? Definitely. See also Age matters during CNY Culture, air-con, and free admission For those who wish their dates to be slightly more conservative (and less eerie), museums were the top suggestion. 'A museum date? Like the National Gallery or National Museum, which should be free for locals.' It's a win-win — good conversation starters, a break from the heat, and zero entrance fee for Singaporeans. Additionally, you get to amaze your date with art evaluations, or at least, your best effort at one. More than just monkeys Another happy-go-lucky response came from a user who advocated for the Singapore Zoo as an entertaining and guaranteed choice: 'I like zoo! Because 1) Talk about animals, 2) Talk about anything, 3) Walk non-stop, 4) If hate each other, can just look at animals.' It's an unexpectedly strategic idea—sufficient walking, natural chat starters, and an elegant way to sidestep awkward stillness. Worst case, you bond over a shared love for alligators. A perspective on dating itself Some users reflected on the character of first dates in general. 'It's not about what you do on a date, it's about the person you are with. Even the most boring activities can be enjoyable.' This is a reminder that connection outdoes location and it hit a nerve with many. After all, the most fruitful first dates often depend less on the plan and more on the person one is with. Coffee, but make it strategic Nonetheless, the tried-and-tested coffee date got its portion of love, specifically from users who see it as both low on pressure and logistically shrewd. 'First date should always be over coffee, get to know a person first. If it's good, go out on park walks. If it's bad, you can 'escape' easy.' With Singapore's café culture booming, it's hard to go wrong with this scenario. Sunsets and snacks on rooftops Then, some provided full-on date schedules, like this picturesque recommendation: 'Buy a few snacks and drinks from 7-11… Go to Esplanade rooftop or Marina Barrage at blue hour (usually 6–7:30 p.m.)… Should be quiet and comfortable enough for conversations.' See also Ageless beauty: 80-year-old shines in Miss Universe pageant A sunset, a view, and a mini picnic—all for the of a price of a Slurpee and a pack of Pocky? That's dating done right. So, whether you're scheduling a first date or just attempting to revive an old spark but have no intention of emptying your wallet, Singaporeans know how to take advantage of their city. From graveyards to towering rooftops, the message is strong — great dates don't have to come with a fee, just a little imagination and the right company.
