I posted about my new home a couple of weeks after moving in and it looked a bit bare then. I had started to put my stamp on the house but I think it looks a lot better now. You can take a look and compare for yourself here.


I bought Martyn this print because we visited Tintern on his birthday and we're both huge train geeks. We had bare walls in our bedroom for months so I was glad to see this go up and add a bit of colour. The bedding was a ASDA £6 sale bargain, Martyn loves the Alps and we are going on holiday there in June so I couldn't leave it in store. I know it's not Christmas anymore but it's still ski season so it's staying on a bit longer.



It's hard to jazz up a bathroom but I found this glass bottle in a charity shop and we bought the picture whilst on holiday in Dorset last year to add some interest.


I'm a bit of a magpie so my room is fast becoming full of junk and nick nacks. My brother brought this frame back from his trip to Florida (can't believe he went to the Wizarding World without me) and I've picked up some cheap and cheerful bedside tables and bookcases from Ikea.


Some more George bedding in my room, isn't it cute?! You really need to check out their bedding because it's usually only about £12 and they always have something I like. If you're looking to make your halls of residence room a bit more pleasant or want to impress some guests using your spare room for next to nothing then bedding some budget bedding is the way to go.


I moved the old record play in my room because Martyn treated himself to a fancy new one for Christmas. He can listen to punk downstairs and I can blast Morrissey and 60s girl bands upstairs.


I bought this pink glass dressing table set from a charity shop, lego librarian is obviously drunk and has fallen over. I've got a few dressing table sets but only one dressing table, I'll have to rotate them. I just can't leave them in the charity shop for 3-4 quid.



I think the biggest improvement since I last posted  about the house has been in the kitchen. The tiles used to be brown but I forked out £50 for some white tile paint and it's really made a huge impact on the kitchen. I also painted the little cupboard white and added some eBay handles to the doors to give it a new lease of life.
There are a few more things I want to change like the strip blinds that are in some rooms which are a bit dated now but I'm trying to hold back on spending more money and put it into my house deposit and renovation fund. Most of the houses I've looked at in my budget would eventually need a new kitchen, bathroom, contemporary blinds and new flooring. I'm having to weigh things up because I'm going to be in this house for a couple of years whilst saving so I want it to be comfortable but I also want my own place to be kitted out with the best.


This hanging frame was a Wilkinsons bargain, it was about £6 and was the perfect place for me to hang my Budapest holiday photos.


The pride and joy in my kitchen is my new KitchenAid. Is it weird that I clean it more than anything else in the house? I don't like it to gather any dust. She's a beaut!


So there you have it, a closer look at my house and all my little knick-knacks. How have you made rented accommodation feel more like home? Any tips for budgeting and saving for a house?