Savvy mum completely overhauls her garden under lockdown and it cost just £200
- Janine Byron spent just £200 transforming her garden
- She bought supplies from car boot sales and B&M
- The project was an ideal distraction during lockdown
If you’re spending more time than ever in your garden and wishing you could overhaul it on a budget, take inspiration from this creative mum.
Janine Byrom, 38, a mum of three and business owner from Atherton, managed to revamp her garden under lockdown for just £200 - and the transformation is incredible.
Janine told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I was unfortunately left in a bad place after my husband left early last year.
“Our garden was overgrown and not kid-friendly. I had always wanted a lovely garden that we could enjoy as a family but had little knowledge of how and where to start.
"I joined a few gardening pages on Facebook and took inspiration from people creating smaller gardens on a budget.
"I’ve always loved pretty shabby chic inspired things and had collected many things before lockdown as I gathered my ideas.
"Lockdown really pushed me to do something. The garden was overgrown with weeds and nettles and the kids just had a large trampoline that was taking up so much space!
"With their permission I dismantled the trampoline and set to work on the garden. I did get quotes from gardeners but as a single mum on a very low budget I just couldn’t afford what they were asking.
"I was undeterred and decided to just get stuck in. I borrowed gardening tools from a neighbour and dug up the weeds and levelled the soil.
"I managed to get hold of some fake turf during my weekly shop to B&M - I always shop there for the kids' snacks and crafting supplies so I added a few bits to my trolley during my essential visit.
"I followed the instructions and laid the turf. Already the garden was beginning to take shape!
"I recycled and upcycled where I could. I even transformed an old sideboard that I was planning to tip into a seating area by covering it with a waterproof tablecloth and outdoor cushions.
"I ordered my fence paint online and spent a day repainting the fence - this took me a couple of days but it was oh so worth it and the garden really did look 100% better.
"I had a trellis to attach to my shed which I added more fake flowers to, and I filled flower pots with fake flowers until I could get to a garden centre. Friends and neighbours also brought me plants and little bits they weren’t using.
"I had some old china and attached plates to my shed via some strong adhesive strips and I added garden solar lights too.
"The kids' bench I already had from a previous car boot find that I managed to snap up for a fiver so I just painted that with some paint I had previously used on my front door.
"I’m still going to add to the garden as and when I can get more plants and so on, but the difference this extra space has made is unbelievable! My daughter's birthday was during lockdown and I managed to do her a little BBQ and paddling pool which she loved!"
The project has proved the perfect distraction during the pandemic, and Janine is extra pleased that she managed to stick to her tight budget.
Janine carefully selected each item, spending £50 on turf, £8 on a picket fence, £20 on fence paint, £28 on cushions, £18 on paint for her bench, £12 on the fake trellis, £8 on the fake flowers, £16 on floral wreaths and around £40 on other bits and bobs.
"The project has helped so much during this difficult time,” she adds. "It’s been so good mentally to focus on something to do and I can quite honestly say that if it wasn’t for lockdown I wouldn’t have had the kick up the bum to do it!
"I’m really proud of our garden and never believed I could achieve so much on a £200 budget!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “The fact we’re all stuck at home with glorious weather means as a nation, we’ve been spending more time than ever outside!
“This means you, like Janine, might have been itching to transform your garden. Well, this transformation is great news - it just shows that with some savvy buys, you need not spend a fortune on changing the look of your garden, but that it really can be done on a budget!"
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