7 Tips to Update a Kitchen on a Budget

Updating a kitchen on a budget is not just possible—it’s practical and rewarding. As one of the most frequently used spaces in your home, your kitchen deserves functionality and style without costing a fortune. A few smart changes can completely transform your kitchen, making it more efficient and modern, while also helping you save money with a well-planned budget kitchen upgrade.

Renovating doesn’t have to break the bank. Over the years, I’ve worked with countless customers at Ross’s Discount Home Centre to help them achieve stunning kitchen transformations, even on the tightest of budgets. From affordable materials to clever design strategies, I’ve seen how small updates can create a big impact without overspending.

Today, I’ll share seven effective tips to help you update your kitchen on a budget. Whether it’s choosing cheap yet high-quality cabinetry or finding stylish, cost-effective fixtures, these ideas will empower you to transform your kitchen while saving money. Trust me—your dream kitchen is well within reach!

1. Determine your budget

Before you start planning a kitchen renovation, you must first determine your budget. There’s no point looking for kitchen products only to find that you can’t afford them. Remember, an upgrade is different from a complete rebuild. A rebuild will always be expensive, but a budget kitchen renovation is always possible.

In order to determine your budget, you should consider your life stage and current financial situation, as well as your reason for renovation. For instance, if you are upgrading to increase the sale value of your property, you can spend more on your renovation. Experts suggest you invest only 2% of your property value into a new kitchen. So, if your home is worth $800,000, then your budget would be $16,000.

Alternatively, determine how much you can afford and work backwards from there.

2. Distinguish your wants from your needs

I’ve met many customers who want the best kitchen, but they really don’t need it. If you’re looking to update your kitchen on a budget, you must be sensible with your needs. Distinguish your wants from your needs and soon you’ll begin to see the renovation fall within your budget.

So, instead of thinking about what will look good in your kitchen, begin by listing your essentials first. This will include appliances, benchtops, cabinets, lighting, and floors. Also, within each category, separate your needs from your wants.

Don’t choose high-end kitchen products when mid-range products will offer similar performance at much cheaper rates. To view affordable mid-range kitchen products, visit Ross’s Discount Home Centre. We stock everything, ranging from sinks, benchtops, appliances, cabinets, tapware, and everything else that you may need for a budget kitchen upgrade.

3. Consider the extent to which you can DIY

You may be thinking, “I’m not great with DIY projects?” But before you rule out a budget DIY kitchen upgrade, let me tell you that everyone has a DIY flair. You just need to determine the extent to which you can DIY.

Now, I’m suggesting that you take up only some of the renovation work yourself. It is a massive project; some things are best left to professionals. However, you’ll save a lot of money if you can do certain parts yourself.

Some areas you can consider doing yourself include demolition work, painting, assembling basic furniture, and installing shelves. There are plenty of guides on the internet where you’ll find useful DIY instructions to help you out. Moreover, if you choose our kitchen cabinets, they arrive preassembled. So you’ll be more than equipped to fix them in place.

4. Reuse existing fixtures and fittings

One easy and effective way to update a kitchen on a budget is by reusing your existing fixtures and fittings. You can also add a new touch to fittings and fixtures that may be in bad shape but are not unusable.

I highly recommend you consider this rather than purchasing every fitting again—unless, of course, they are from the ’70s! Not only will you save a lot of time and money, but you will also have fewer headaches to deal with.

Check your kitchen cabinets and if you find that they are in usable shape, you can simply change the cupboards and drawers. Also, if your benchtop is looking shabby but isn’t broken, you can just resurface it with faux laminate. There are plenty of products on the market that will help you remodel your fittings and fixtures.

5. Consider installing a flatpack or pre-assembled kitchen

To create a budget-friendly kitchen, consider flatpack and pre-assembled cabinets.

Flatpack cabinets are often chosen for DIY kitchen projects due to their lower initial price. Purchased as separate components, they’re assembled on-site, which can save some money upfront. However, flatpacks require significant time and patience for proper assembly, and errors can lead to alignment or stability issues. While these options are widely available, many flatpacks lack the durability and ease of installation that come with pre-assembled cabinets.

Pre-assembled cabinets—available at Ross’s Discount Home Centre—are designed for simplicity and speed, making them ideal for those looking to transform their kitchen on a budget. Arriving fully constructed, these cabinets require no assembly, saving you hours of labour. By choosing Ross’s, you can save thousands by buying kitchen cabinets online. Our cabinets are crafted with durable, moisture-resistant materials and a high-end finish that adds value and longevity to your kitchen.

If you want the convenience of professional-quality cabinets without breaking the bank, our pre-assembled kitchen cabinets offer the best solution—saving you time, effort, and thousands in the process.

6. Create a feature wall

Feature walls are an excellent choice for budget kitchen upgrades. They are a cheap, quick, and easy solution to freshen a kitchen without splurging on redecorating. Feature walls can also help highlight dining areas in a kitchen, separating them from the rest of the room.

When it comes to building feature walls, you can choose wallpapers or feature tiles. Either way, you’ll save time, energy, and a lot of money by not going with additional cabinetry to fill the void.

For the best feature tiles in Perth, look no further than our store at Ross’s Discount Home Centre. We offer an extensive range of high-quality feature tiles at very reasonable prices for you to choose from. In particular, I’d like to recommend our Grenier Mix, Richmond, and Brickbold Ocre feature tiles. These are hot favourites that are trending with our customers this month.

7. Research your own materials and products

The best way to approach a kitchen upgrade on a budget is by doing some research and buying your own materials and products. If you leave everything in the hands of your architect, designer, or contractor, take it from me—you’ll end up spending a lot more. On the other hand, by buying your own supplies, you can upgrade your kitchen at a fraction of the cost.

To find kitchen products at the best prices, browse online shopping sites. You’ll also find nifty ideas on sites like Pinterest, Houzz, Gumtree, and, of course, Google!

Alternatively, you can skip researching and turn to us, Ross’s Discount Home Centre. We offer a full range of high-quality kitchen products at incredibly affordable prices. From kitchen sinks to benchtops, tiles, kitchen cabinets, appliances, tapware, and everything in between, you’ll find it all at our store. Moreover, when you purchase from us, you can take advantage of our $50 delivery across Perth Metro and our 14-day money-back guarantee.

By choosing to buy kitchen products from us, you will certainly manage a budget kitchen upgrade, regardless of how small your budget is.

Conclusion:

There are several ways to approach a kitchen upgrade on a budget. First of all, determine your budget and distinguish your needs from your wants. Next, consider the extent to which you can manage your renovation DIY. Also, instead of going for a complete renovation, check to see if reusing existing fixtures and fittings is possible. Choose to install preassembled kitchens instead of custom kitchen cabinets. Finally, do some research and buy your own supplies. By following these tips, you will certainly manage to upgrade your kitchen within a tight budget. If you want to do more than a budget upgrade, don’t miss our article, How to Renovate a Kitchen on a Budget.

When it comes to buying the best kitchen products at affordable prices, consider us at Ross’s Discount Home Centre. You’ll find everything you need (and more) for your budget kitchen upgrade. We only stock superior-grade products and offer them at really competitive prices. Moreover, our warehouse is always chock full of stock, so you can rest assured that products will be available.

Browse through our online store or visit our showroom in Guildford today!