Mum Of 2 Saves £3500 On New Kitchen With Savvy Negotiating Skills

• Alija, 43, wanted a new kitchen as she was using bedroom drawers as worktops
• She had a tight budget so shopped around and found the cheapest supplier online
• By negotiating smartly she was able to save £3500 on her final product
• She saved more by painting and affixing the units herself
• By using laminate flooring as worktops she cut her costs further

Many of us are easily put off the idea of getting a new kitchen fitted, as it can costs thousands to get the job done properly. If we’re not lucky enough to have a carpenter or DIY whizz amongst our family or friends, we can end up sticking with the units we’ve got - even if they don’t look good and don’t function in the way we want.

However, one mum of 2 from Oldham, Manchester decided it was time to fix her kitchen - especially as she was using a bedroom drawer set for her kettle and toaster. Alija Sarac-Ashworth, a 43 year old caseworker with two kids aged 14 and 4, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I needed a new kitchen but I was on a very tight budget, so I scoured the internet looking for affordable but solid wood units.

‘At the time my Auntie was doing her kitchen and said she wanted stand-alone units instead of fitted MDF, so it got me thinking. I decided to make the project work around my budget and started out seeking professional quotes. I sent out pictures of the units and waited to hear back but I got no response - except for one who said he outright didn’t want the job!

‘I continued my search and found the best value for money at an affordable price online. A company called Furniture Nation, a small family-run business in the Midlands, said they would deliver to Manchester for £75 no matter how large or small the items were. It was the best deal I had found so I began negotiating with them.

‘There were a lot of emails back and forth to the supplier where I gave them the measurements and described how I wanted it. I kept chopping and changing the design so it would fit my budget. From what I had seen online doing my research, a full kitchen would be £10k and a half-kitchen - what I wanted - would be £5k, which was much more than I wanted to pay.

‘Eventually I did a deal with the supplier where I got a double cupboard, single cupboard and drawer/cupboard unit. They sent me a design and a quote, but I cut back certain features so I could save money. For example, I didn’t get an end unit, nor did I go for the wall-hung cupboards. I knew I wanted shelves above my units for storage but I decided to come up with another solution for these.

‘I ended up paying £1500 for the units and delivery, which considering it could easily have cost me £5000 if I’d purchased a complete setup, I’m quite proud that I saved £3500. I decided to do the painting myself once the units arrived as it was much cheaper to spend £50 on paint than to order the units pre-painted or get a professional painter in.

‘Completing the paint job did take me a few weeks as I was working around my full time job and my children - if I was doing it again I would take a week off work to complete this project properly. I used special paint so the knots wouldn’t leak and I waited for each undercoat to dry before applying the next coat. I used special paint for the undercoats, then special furniture paint so the cupboards could withstand heavy use, cooking fat, spills, greasy fingers and so on.

‘While I did the paint work I emailed local tradespeople to ask if they’d be available to fit the units to the wall, but I kept getting knock-backs or silence from them. I concluded that I’d better fix them myself! I watched YouTube videos on how to scribe the wooden units to an uneven wall and floor using clamps, shimmies, sandpaper and a jigsaw.

‘I was very pleased with the result and the next step was getting the shelves sorted. I went to my local timber yard for a thick length of pine and some brackets, saving up the money before placing my order. A lovely couple delivered them and after affixing them, the job was nearly finished.

‘The final step was getting worktops sorted. I had no money to get these so I decided I’d just use plywood until I’d saved enough. Then I remembered I had leftover laminate flooring from a previous job, and it’s waterproof so it would work well for my new units. I basically laid flooring planks on the plywood to create a worktop and now I have a smart set of blue kitchen units with wooden shelving to match.

‘Even though I was basically forced to do the job myself as I kept getting knocked back by local tradesmen, I’m very happy with the finished result and I learned a lot during the process.’

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Alija has done a great job at transforming her kitchen workspace. Now she’s got plenty of room and the area is much more functional than it was before. I always recommend negotiating with sellers to get a better deal, and impressively Alija has saved £1000s by ensuring she only got the exact units she needed. Nice work!’

Save More With These Discount Codes

• JustPark Promo Codes
• Winfields Outdoors Voucher Codes
• Bathstore Discount Codes

• What is a house survey?
• What is Right to Buy? Own your Council Home
• What is the Help to Buy Scheme and How Do I Apply?