Weekend Projects

This Weekend: Save Money, Have Fun & Learn How to Make Something From Scratch

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
updated Oct 4, 2023
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Lucy Hewett)

This will be one of our broadest Weekend Projects yet (and therefore will require a little brainstorming on your part before you can start) but it’s an important idea to tackle. Not only is this type of project fun (and the perfect thing to do on a particularly hot or rainy summer day), you can (perhaps most importantly) save money — for summer plans or things you want to add to home.

This Weekend’s Assignment:

Learn how to make something from scratch to save money in the future (and have fun!)

Is there anything you’ve been meaning to try and make at home yourself, instead of spending money on to buy from a store? From hummus to throw pillows to household cleaners and more, there are a lot of things around the house (and kitchen) that with a little bit of time and effort can be created with your own hands. Ideally, you want to focus on learning how to make something you already use a lot of (and spend money on). Spend this weekend:

1. Deciding on what you want to learn to make
2. Gathering the supplies (look around the house before you buy!)
3. Reading the instructions carefully and thoroughly before you begin
4. Allowing yourself time and room to mess up the first few attempts
5. Enjoying your finished result and the effort you gave!

(Image credit: Pablo Enriquez)

Something to think about: If you’ve got to go out and buy expensive equipment or materials to make your thing from scratch, you might reconsider choosing another item (or perhaps trying to find a how-to class so you can see if you like doing it before investing money). We’ve got some ideas to get your started with the links below:

Helpful posts:

Remember, as with all of our Weekend Projects, just do what you have the time and energy to do! You don’t have to master making something from scratch this weekend; just try and learn a new skill that can start you on the path. Something you can practice this summer and maybe even save a little money with.

AND WE WANT TO SEE YOUR WEEKEND WORK! Share your tips and photos of your Weekend Project work on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag
#ATweekendproject.


→ Find all of our Weekend Projects in one convenient place.