#diyjuly with Bunnings!

In case you hadn't already heard, it's #diyjuly!

This D.I.Y. July, every Aussie's favourite Bunnings Warehouse are challenging you to create the best D.I.Y. project of 2023. And as part of this challenge, they're encouraging Aussies to use preloved items that they find at Salvos Stores in their projects!

New research by Bunnings has found that in 2023 most Australians (78%) are trying their hand at upcycling or D.I.Y. This represents a big jump since last year, when only 59% of us were taking on these kinds of projects. It makes sense that in the current climate, Aussies are looking for creative ways to save money without sacrificing the look and feel of their living space. According to Bunnings, over half of those who D.I.Y. are motivated by cost-effectiveness.

But as we know at Salvos Stores, there are lots of other benefits associated with upcycling preloved items instead of buying new - especially when it comes to sustainability. We've been encouraging our customers to thrift, revamp and reuse for a long time, so we were very excited by Bunnings' finding that many crafty Aussies care about sustainability as much as we do. 53% said that being sustainable is one of the key reasons that they took to the D.I.Y. trend! We also love that Bunnings is encouraging people to not just D.I.Y., but D.I.Y using secondhand items and materials that they find at Salvos. All D.I.Y projects are great, but they are made even better and more environmentally-friendly when they make use of items that might otherwise go to waste.

Salvos Stores Executive Director Matt Davis jumped at the chance to get involved in Bunnings' D.I.Y. challenge. “We know the majority of our customers (89%) believe we should try to recycle or upcycle our old clothes, homewares, and furniture more often", said Matt. "Shopping pre-loved presents the perfect opportunity to do that."

Bunnings has found that over a quarter of Aussies are already incorporating thrifted pieces into their D.I.Y. projects. We hope that the D.I.Y. July challenge encourages even more people to give this ago, and to see for themselves the potential to be found in preloved items. With a little creativity even the most unlikely item can be revamped and reimagined into something amazing!

If you'd like to participate in D.I.Y. July but need a bit of help, Bunnings have some great tips for how to get started. Searching for inspiration on Pinterest and TikTok and breaking down your project into manageable sections are just a few of their recommendations for doing D.I.Y. right. We might be biased, but we think that scouring your local Salvos for something to upcycle is also a great place to start!

To find out more about D.I.Y. July, find ideas, or enter your project into Bunnings' search for the best D.I.Ys of 2023, you can head to the Bunnings Website.

We'd like to thank Bunnings Warehouse for creating this great initiative and involving us in the fun! We can't wait to see what everyone comes up with and find out which projects are crowned the winners this year. Let's hope that we spot a few Salvos Stores pieces in the mix!