The state of the UK economy has all of us watching our money. Many of us are looking for bargains in the supermarket, turning off lights and heating to save on energy bills and avoiding making changes to our homes because of the cost.

Doing a little home improvement is something which most of us will only do when it becomes a necessity. Home improvement was the catchword of the early 2000s. These days we prefer to keep our money in the bank (or under the mattress!)

So what do you do if your kitchen really needs improving and you simply cannot justify the expenditure required for a full makeover? The answer to that is simple: replace your kitchen doors only and save a fortune. You will get a new looking kitchen and it will cost a fraction of what you might expect.

It is a DIY job

Hiring a tradesman to fit your kitchen professionally can double the cost of your kitchen makeover. However installing replacement kitchen doors is a simple job which any homeowner can do themselves. It just takes a screwdriver and some basic skills. Even if you choose to ask a professional to help you, it will still be cheaper because the job can be done in less than two days.

It is not only a tradesman who will need to be employed, but an electrician, a plumber and a tiler. If you stick with your previous kitchen design, you can avoid using the services of any of these people.

Save money by reusing the rest of your kitchen

There is much more to your kitchen than just the door fronts. When you choose to use replacement kitchen doors you are saving and reusing the carcasses, the tiles, the flooring, the sink, the appliances and the worktop. Take a guess at how much all of that might cost you to replace? It would certainly be in excess of £1000 – probably much more.

You won't need a skip

This may seem like an insignificant cost, but hiring a skip can run to a few hundred pounds depending on the size you need. If you are having your kitchen completely replaced, you are having to pay for the privilege of having it taken away. If you are simply replacing the kitchen cabinet doors, you can easily fit them into the back of the car and take them to the nearest recycling centre.

You won't need to spend money on expert advice

If you decide to use a kitchen design company, they may offer their interior designer for free. But you know that the cost of that visit is added back into your final quote. Having an expert tell you what the layout of your new kitchen will be could cost you more money. By installing your kitchen cabinet doors yourself and staying with the current layout of your kitchen, there is no need to employ a designer and you will be sticking with what you know and are used to.

You are dealing with an honest supplier

It is so hard to tell if you are getting a good deal when you buy your kitchen through a large retailer. They build the cost of their retail environment into the price you pay for your kitchen and their installers. That includes their fancy website, the lighting, the staff and their premises.

An online kitchen cupboard supplier runs a small business from a small base. There may be a showroom, but the overheads are kept to a minimum. You can be sure that you are saving money because that is how their business model is set up. When you deal with a business owner direct you know that their reputation rests on your being happy.

That is certainly reassuring.