How to Make a Man Cave Cheaply

A man cave makes the perfect home hideaway for you and your buddies.
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A man cave is where husbands and male spouses retreat with their buddies to spend a little quality time watching sports, playing cards or just goofing off. It can be anything from a stylish lounge to an ode to your old college crash-pad and everything in between. If you’re going to build yourself a man cave, you want to do it right, but you also don’t want to break the bank in the process. The average cost of a man cave is somewhere in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, according to Money Crashers editor Andrew Schrage. But you can do it a lot cheaper by following a few simple steps.

Step 1

Decide on a theme for your man cave that is inspired by your personality and interests. For example, if you're a big football fan, you can dress it up in football paraphernalia.

Step 2

Accessorize the walls of your space affordably by buying some posters from online retailers such as eBay or Amazon. Posters can often be purchased for a few bucks. For other accessories, consider displaying some of your own items like sports trophies, your favorite team jerseys, and other memorabilia.

Step 3

Paint the walls of your man cave to transform the look quickly and affordably. Spending a little extra money to invest in quality brushes and a paint with a washable finish will save money in the long run and won’t require you repaint it as frequently.

Step 4

Shop around for bargains before buying your man cave’s centerpiece: a flat-screen television. Although an 80-inch display might break your budget, a 50-inch or 55-inch screen offers savings potential. “These have been on the market for some time, and prices have come down quite a bit in recent years,” Schrage says.

Step 5

Furnish your man cave with second-hand rather than new furniture. Check garage sales in your neighborhood and online via Freecycle, a website where people advertise items that they would like to give away for free. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get your furniture without spending a dime.

Step 6

Consider long-term costs if you plan to use a refrigerator in your man cave. You want to select one that’s large enough to contain an evening’s worth of food and beverages. However, you might want to stay away from a full-sized fridge, as the extra cost to buy and run it can be excessive. You can yield additional savings buying a used model on Craigslist or by visiting your local Sears Appliance Outlet store, which usually has heavily discounted prices on refurbished and "scratch-and-dent" appliances.

Step 7

Put a bar in your man cave on the cheap. Nextag offers some of the best prices, according to Schrage. “You should be able find a smaller bar for around $100,” he says. If you want a bigger bar for your money, you can build one yourself with a home bar kit from your local home improvement center.

Step 8

If you want to put gaming systems or a pool, foosball or ping-pong table in your man cave, shop around for used ones. These can often be found at secondhand stores, sports consignment shops, garage sales and classified ad websites.

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