Creating a Futuristic Home on a Budget

One of the best things about having a home is you get to make it your own. From paint colors to furniture to room designs and layouts, you have a chance to put your unique stamp on everything in your home.

Keep in mind that making your home your own is a continuous project. So, upgrades and renovations will be constant too. The concern with this is cost. Making changes to your home can be expensive, especially when you’re going for a futuristic look that incorporates advanced technology.

The good news is that you can still elevate your home with high-tech tools even if you’re on a budget. Let’s look at various spaces and how you can make tech upgrades that don’t break the bank. 

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most popular spaces in a home. Aside from cooking and eating meals with family and friends, many intimate and memorable moments happen in the kitchen, like a child taking their first steps or doing a passion project with your spouse.

Incorporating higher-end tech into the kitchen is on the radar of many homeowners, considering how much happens in this space. Replacing old appliances with smart appliances is a great first step to take in this regard.

Granted, smart appliances will cost more than the alternatives. For example, as of this writing, Best Buy has a stainless steel LG Side-by-Side Smart Refrigerator with Craft Ice and InstaView listed at $1,799. Their Samsung Top Freezer Refrigerator with All-Around Cooling is priced at $699.

The great thing about smart appliances is that most have energy consumption and monitoring features that ensure you aren’t using unnecessary power. So, you’ll save money on your energy bill over time, which makes up for the upfront costs.

The best way to approach replacing old kitchen appliances with smart alternatives is one by one. You first need to determine which appliances you want to replace. Next, prioritize them by importance. After that, consider your budget and what can be done right away with it.

Then, choose the first appliance you want to replace and start researching smart alternatives. You can start with small kitchen appliances like your blender or toaster, and then move to bigger appliances like your refrigerator and oven. Or, you can look into smart kitchen appliance bundles, where you can get a group of smart appliances for a fixed price.

Be sure to see your choices in person before making a final decision. Purchase a warranty with each smart appliance as well to ensure maintenance and repair costs don’t get out of hand.

Living Room

The living room is another space in your home frequented by you and your family. Game nights, homework time, movie nights, and lounging are constant in the living room. That’s if it’s a comfortable, welcoming space for these activities.

Two huge factors in creating this atmosphere in the living room are temperature and lighting. There’s nothing like cozying up on the couch to binge-watch your favorite show in a warm, low-lit room. That’s where smart lighting and a smart thermostat come in.

Both can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your living room. Smart lighting can start with the simple gesture of replacing all of your light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives. Smart lightbulbs can cost you anywhere from $15 to upwards of $100, depending on the brand and features you’re looking for.

Regarding smart thermostats, installation can run you anywhere from $50 to $500. What you spend also depends on the brand you use and the features you want.

For example, the Amazon Smart thermostat sits at $65 and provides all the core functions of a smart thermostat. But the Google Nest Learning Smart Wifi Thermostat costs $250, with advanced features like self-programming and HVAC compatibility.

There’s a smart lighting system and smart thermostat available for every budget. Define your budget, understand your needs, and do thorough research on options that fit both.

Office

The number of people who work from home regularly has grown tremendously over the last few years. Because of this, designing a functional home office that supports remote work has become a priority for many.

Aside from the tech tools you need to complete work, like a good laptop and up-to-date software, what’s another fundamental tech-related feature you need to maintain a solid home office?

If you answered high-speed internet, we agree with you. You can’t really get anything done as a remote worker without a strong internet connection. Having a good internet connection in your home, generally, is critical for many of the activities you do, like streaming a movie or scrolling through social media.

Surprisingly, high-speed internet doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. You can save on home internet with a bit of intention and creativity.

For instance, you could buy your own router instead of renting one from your internet service provider. You could use a mobile hotspot instead of an in-home internet system. Take a look at your internet usage over a few months and explore a cheaper plan based on these numbers. You could also bundle your internet with other services like your phone or TV to save.

A stable and speedy internet connection for your futuristic office can be budget-friendly.

Bedroom

SWNS Digital analyzed recent research on how long Americans spend in bed throughout their lives; 36 years was the number. 36 years. Also, we spend an average of 11 hours a day in our beds, seven hours sleeping and the other four just relaxing and watching TV.

With this data in mind, it’s safe to say your bedroom is at the top of the list of the most important spaces to focus on when making upgrades. You need a place to relax and reset.

More importantly, you need a comfortable place to sleep. If you can’t get a good night’s rest every night, it can lead to:

• Premature aging of your skin
• Increased stress and burnout
• A negative impact on cognitive function
• Decay and other dental issues due to dry mouth
• Worsened symptoms for various mental health conditions

A modern bedroom that supports a good night’s sleep needs advanced tech updates like a smart bed.

A smart bed can regulate your body with sensors. Depending on what it learns about how you move throughout the night, your body’s temperature, breathing, and heart rate, it’ll give you suggestions on how to set your bed up to better support you during sleep.

A smart bed ranges in price. For example, a basic Sleep Number Smart Bed starts at $1,449. But if you want something that comes with an adjustable base and advanced features, like a Monica Multifunctional Smart Bed, it’ll cost you $4,399, mattress not included.

Purchasing something like this starts with establishing your budget. You may find that you need to save for a big purchase like this and that’s OK. Take the time you need to save and then take even more time to find the right option.

Creating a futuristic home may not seem like it’s possible on a budget. But it absolutely is. Use the advice above to begin updating rooms in your home with modern technology without breaking the bank.