Five budget tips on how to make your house a home

Candice Weber, the presenter of kykNET’s reality home series, 'Nes op sy bes', shares five tips on how you can make your house a home while on a budget.


Making your house a home is not always an easy task, especially when you are on a budget. Still, kykNET’s Nes op sy bes helps South African families to make their homes look lavish and luxurious without spending a cent.

Nes op sy bes presenter, Candice Weber, finds items in the featured families’ homes that they never use, sell it to Cash Converters and uses the profits to buy new, more functional items that make their houses home. At the same time, her professional organising team, MK Method, organises another space in the house, keeping viewers interested with some handy home décor tips.

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Bring the outdoors into your home

“Plants also liven up a place and create a sense of natural beauty,” says Candice. She suggests getting larger plants at a nursery as they tend to be more affordable there, where more expensive and statement plants like orchids are often more affordable when you buy them at general stores like Checkers, Woolworths or Spar.

“Don’t be afraid to experiment with an arrangement of fake flowers in a vase either,” she says.

These might work out cheaper in the long run and you can mix and match the flowers and arrangements according to your own style, instead of buying a new bunch of flowers every second week.

Nes Op Sy Bes presenter, Candice Weber
‘Nes Op Sy Bes’ presenter, Candice Weber. Picture: Supplied

Have a buying plan

According to Candice, one of the biggest secrets of making your house a home on a budget is to have a clear plan before you go shopping.

“Do some research beforehand on any specials available and compare prices before you spend. Get inspiration from magazines and shop the look rather than the exact items.”

She says by knowing exactly what you are looking for, you will feel less tempted to spend your money on unnecessary items, and your home will have the look you had originally planned.

Less is more with decor

It is true that less is often more. She suggests that you get into a habit of decluttering and keeping only the items that work as feature pieces for a clean and sophisticated look.

ALSO READ: Decluttering and simplifying from expert Jackie Raubenheimer

“If you’re not sure which items should stay or how to style existing and new items together, always consider the rule of three,” she says.

“There should be three different décor items grouped together to create a harmonious look.”

She then uses the example of a coffee table, suggesting that you place a candle, a flower arrangement and some books or magazines together.

“To create a holistic, tidy look, arrange these on a round or square tray.”

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