There are few things more important to the comfort, warmth, and safety of your home than your lighting. If yours currently isn’t doing the trick, then you might want to look at replacing, upgrading, or adding to your existing light fixtures. However, it can be expensive if you don’t put some limits on your budget.
For that reason, we’re going to look at a host of budget-friendly strategies and lighting options that can help you achieve the results you want without breaking the bank, whether it’s helping your spaces feel cozy, improving their sense of space, or bringing some modern convenience.
Switch Out For LED Bulbs
The vast majority of bulbs used across homes nowadays are already LED bulbs, but if you have any lingering incandescent options in the home, then you should switch out for these more energy-efficient options as soon as you can. LED bulbs consume way less energy than other kinds, and now come in a wide range of color temperatures to help you establish the mood and look that you want for your room. For instance, people tend to want warmer colors in their living rooms, which use a lower color temperature than the cool white LEDs that are more often used in the kitchen.
Use Plug-In Wall Sconces
If you’re looking to add more layers to the lighting in a given room and to help increase their ambiance, then you might want to add additional lighting fixtures, such as wall sconces. You can work with an electrician to wire entirely new sconces directly to the wall, but there are also plug-in wall sconces that don’t require hardwiring of any kind. You can simply mount these options on the wall and plug them into any available outlet socket that you have. There are all kinds of different sconce designs you can choose from to better fit the style of your home, too.
Consider LED Strip Lights
Whether you’re looking for a little additional lighting with a more modern flavor than a sconce, or you want to improve the task lighting in workspaces like the kitchen, then LED strip lights might be just what you need. Installing adhesive LED strip lights under your kitchen cabinets allows you to add functional lighting that allows you to better see where you’re working, whether during food prep or cleaning. It’s a lot cheaper than installing in-set under-lighting for these spaces, too.
Let More Natural Light In
You might not need a brand new fixture to improve the lighting in your home, not when you have the best of them all: the sun’s natural light. There are a lot of ways that you can cheaply increase the natural light in your home, from rearranging the furniture to better allow the sunlight to flow through it or using light-colored and sheer curtains that can replace those that might be heavier, darker, and thus more likely to block the light from the outdoors. Cleaning your windows regularly is also important to ensure that you’re getting the most natural light into the home.
Use Mason Jars For Outdoor Lights
If you’re looking to establish some mood lighting for the outdoors, whether it’s for your al fresco dining space or you simply want to entertain friends and family for longer, then mason jars could be the perfect rustic and charming addition. You can fill these jars with either battery-operated fairy lights or solar-powered options to create a nice, warm glow. Mason jar lights are perfect for the outdoors and are very easy to DIY. You can hang them from hooks, put them on tables, or line them up along the path, depending on what you need the lighting for. Exterior lighting is always a good idea, improving not just the usability of outdoor spaces, but the safety, as well, by highlighting steps and path edges.
Add Some Ambience With String Lights
If you’re looking for a way of adding ambiance to any space that’s both affordable and versatile, then you should start by looking at string lights. These lights can be used either indoors or outdoors to great effect. Inside, they can be draped along walls, wrapped around bed frames, and hung from the ceiling. Outdoors, they can travel alongside patio railings, hang from balconies, and add some gorgeous mood lighting to your garden.
Choose A Wholesale Supplier
If you have any fixtures that you’re looking to install, then where you source them can have a major impact on your lighting budget. Whether you’re looking to upgrade multiple fixtures or just want the best deal on one, choosing a wholesale electrical supplier that also sells to consumers might be your best bet. These stores often provide significant discounts compared to retail outlets, but most of them are predominantly available online, so you have to know where to look for them. The savings they offer tend to get even better for larger projects that require multiple upgrades at once.
Use Solar Powered Outdoor Lights
Budget-friendly lighting isn’t just about getting the options that are cheapest to buy for the home. It’s also about how you save money over time, as well. To that end, solar-powered lights can help you save significantly on your energy bills. Aside from being much more eco-friendly, they are also renewable. They charge during the day using the sunlight and then automatically light up at night. Aside from reducing their costs to operate, this also means that they don’t need any electrical wiring at all. Of course, they’re best used in areas that get plenty of sunlight during the day.
Try A Smart Bulb
Installing a smart bulb is, admittedly, going to cost more than installing the average light. However, they’re not too expensive and, once installed, they can connect to your home Wi-Fi, allowing you to connect with them through a smartphone app or a smart home device, including speakers like Alexa and Echo. Smart bulbs allow you to adjust brightness, change colors, and even set schedules. This way, you can make sure that they’re not using energy when they don’t need to.
Be Sure To Check Out Thrift Stores
If you’re looking for specific aesthetic fixtures, such as lamps, pendant lights, and chandeliers, then it’s always a good idea to check out your local thrift store. While they might occasionally have a few signs of previous ownership, they’re always going to be a fraction of the price that you would pay if you bought them new. With a little upcycling, you might even be able to help them look brand new, making them stunning additions to the home. Thrifting is also considerably more eco-friendly than buying brand new.
Use Reflective Surfaces To Brighten Up Rooms
If your main aim is to help existing rooms look a little brighter, then you might not necessarily need new fixtures. Instead, you can maximize the reach and impact of your existing lighting by incorporating more reflective surfaces. The simplest solution is to add mirrors that can help bounce light around the room, but metallic accents and glass furniture can help with this as well. You want to make sure that reflective surfaces are placed strategically across major sources of light to get the most impact out of them.
Which of the strategies above you want to use is largely going to depend on what, exactly, you want from your lighting setup. These tips can help you save money, whatever you’re aiming for, not just by reducing your initial costs, but by providing long-term savings, too.
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