Diy man cave bar ideas on a budget

Budget Man Cave Ideas. Ideas to help you create the best, most affordable, and entertaining man cave

Why Get a Man Cave?

Every man needs a place they can call their sanctuary. What better way to have your own space and oasis than to set up a budget-friendly and totally customized man cave?

The man cave is the quintessential part of any home, and it’s a place to gather, unwind, listen to your favorite music, even have a drink or two and get away from the world (for a while at least). If you’re looking for cheap budget man cave ideas, read on below to get inspired!

1. Inset Bar

Nothing can help you unwind during the day more than a cold drink. The good news is, having a man cave bar in your home might even be good for your health! In fact, studies have shown that moderate drinking can have health benefits like reducing the risk of heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks! For men, this means being able to have a 12 ounce beer, a 5 oz. cup of wine, or a 1.5 oz serving of your favorite 80 proof spirit.

Having your own bar installed doesn’t have to be a big, expensive project. Instead of installing a full-service bar and countertop, you can save money on labor and renovations by using a simple, cheap bar cart paired with a small seating area and bar stools. You can even add a DIY mixing station using a cheap cocktail set, your favorite mixed drink recipe books, and even a bucket of ice on hand. Using these cheap man cave ideas will allow you to spend more on the most important part of the bar…the liquor!

2. Have a Wine Cave

If you prefer drinking just wine, there’s nothing wrong with that either. To set up a cheap wine-inspired man cave bar, start off by buying a used wine rack or even a fridge to store your wine. Storing wine improperly, either upright or somewhere with low humidity, might allow air to seep into your wine and ruin that precious bottle you’ve been saving up.

Besides the wine rack or wine fridge, feel free to add some man cave decor dedicated to wine, such as corkscrew boards, a picture collage of wine to hang on the wall, or even old pictures of you and the wife going wine tasting!

3. Make a Music Room

Enough about wine and drinking. If you’d prefer to lay off the liquor, one of the most awesome man cave ideas is to turn your den into a music room! Your music room can help you sit back and listen to your favorite tunes without disturbing the family, and also allow you to record music or jam out in peace.

For an easy DIY project, invest in some budget-friendly sound-proofing panels you can set up behind your den’s door, along the walls, or even inside a dedicated recording booth such as a small closet. This will allow you to record and get better audio quality, while also minimizing noise in the rest of the home.

4. Use a Man Cave as Storage for Instruments

You can also use your music room to store your instruments like guitars, keyboards, and recording equipment. It’s best to have the proper storage materials on hand, as not properly storing your instruments can lead to irreparable damage. Guitar wall mounts are cheap investments that can not only properly store your guitars and protect them from damage, but also function as wall decor. These wall mounts can be easily installed to hold a variety of instruments. Just make sure you only use one guitar per wall mount and follow the weight restrictions.

5. Set up a Sports Display

If you’re a die-hard basketball, baseball, or other sports fan, there’s no better way to decorate your man cave than with a sports display! If you have vintage or old baseball bats, helmets, your favorite team jerseys, and anything in between, these can all be displayed tastefully through shelving, display cases, and shadow boxes.

For other sports-related cheap man cave ideas, display your favorite team posters, college team memorabilia, or even use your old sports jerseys as decor.

6. Install Surround-Sound

While watching your favorite sports games, scary movies, or favorite shows, you’ll want to have the best surround-sound to immerse you fully into the experience! Home theater systems are not only affordable, but also easy to install and even wireless! Don’t skimp on the surround sound, and use it to entertain you and your buddies during a movie or game night!

7. Make a Gaming Nook

Speaking of games, if you prefer to play video games during your down time, set up a gaming nook in your man cave! You can set up a gaming system using your favorite gaming PC or the latest Playstation or XBox system. Combine this with a side table or cabinet with all your favorite games, ergonomic furniture such as gaming chairs, or man cave decor dedicated to your favorite video games.

For an awesome man cave inspired by video games, you can also set up a display case dedicated to collectible video game figurines. Not only do these look great, but they’re also valuable and can earn you money over time.

8. Get a Cheap Pool Table

Playing pool is a great pastime, but did you know it’s also associated with higher incomes? It’s true! A 2013 study showed that households that play pool regularly were associated with higher incomes, and the median age of billiard fans was 18 to 44!

There’s no better way to show off your sophisticated side than with a pool table set up in your man cave. Getting a cheap pool table is perhaps one of the most awesome man cave ideas out there, and there are cheap billiards tables you can buy on the web or through yard sales.

Check out places such as Facebook Market Place, Offer up, and Craigslist! If you do plan to install a billiard table, make sure you have the manpower to move it, or hire a moving company to help you.

9. Arcade Machines Galore

Arcade Machines are the definition of nostalgia, with most 80’s, 90’s, even 2000’s babies remembering playing them in their childhood. Arcade machines are also highly sought and valuable, with the arcade gaming market set to grow over 1.6 billion dollars now until 2025!

To help you earn money in the long run and set up a man cave, invest in some arcade machines that can help you think back to your childhood, unwind, and look awesome in your den.

10. Cheap Games that are Still Fun

Arcade machines can be pricey, so if you want a budget man cave, look for a dartboard, board games, and even cheap side tables you can use to play cards with your buddies! A dartboard is relatively inexpensive and can provide hours of fun (especially paired with your favorite drinking game). So can board games and card games, which are also budget friendly yet classic! For a more sophisticated man cave, use a chessboard as a display piece.

11. Have a Popcorn Machine

No movie night in your man cave is complete without popcorn. For a quirky, retro, or movie man cave theme, a popcorn machine can be the perfect compliment! Best of all, popcorn machines are relatively inexpensive and can save you a trip to the kitchen during your movie nights. They come in a variety of sizes, and can even fit on your countertop or a side table. Pair it with a mini fridge to store cold soda pop (or beer) and you’re on your way to bliss!

12. Set up a Meditation Area

With daily life being incredibly stressful, sometimes you want a place to meditate, do Tai Chi or Yoga, or simply just unwind. Setting up a meditation area can help improve your health by lowering anxiety, stress levels, even helping treat irritable bowel syndrome.

Some meditation cave ideas include adding some indoor water fountains, setting up a side table with incense or your favorite oil diffusers, candles, and a cheap yoga mat you can use to exercise on. You can also use a surround-sound system to play guided audio meditations.

13. Opt for Comfortable Seating

If you spend hours on end in your man cave, you should invest in comfortable furniture that can give you maximum support and help you relax tense muscles. Some comfortable seating you can put in your man cave includes ergonomic office chairs, sectional couches or loveseats for you and the wife, and recliners that can give you maximum comfort while still looking stylish.

You can even match the color and material of your furniture to your man cave themes, such as velvety suede or luxurious dark leather for a darker themed man cave, or a sleek couch for a modern man cave.

14. Use Space-Saving Furniture

Although your man cave can be a place of comfort and relaxation, it can quickly get dirty and cluttered if you overload it with furniture and decor. Experts say that a cluttered environment can increase stress and anxiety levels and even affect memory and brain function. This is the total opposite of what you want your man cave to do for you.

To prevent a cluttered mess, use space-saving furniture that incorporates storage. These can be couches that have storage underneath, storage benches, or ottomans that work as extra seating for the guys and storage areas. A DIY project that can save you money can be to make your own storage table or bench, which is easy with just a quick trip to the hardware store and some spare fabric and cushions.

15. Install Cool Lighting

Neon lights and a cool neon sign can all work great for a retro or futuristic-cave theme! You can also purchase other lights, such as string lights that are cheap, versatile, lightweight, and easy to install if you don’t want a huge neon sign.

Whether you opt for string lights, install a color-changing light bulb, or decide to insert a dimmer in your space, make sure the lighting coincides with the feel of your man cave. Dim light can create a relaxing atmosphere for a sophisticated man cave, while colored lights are great for gaming rooms.

16. Set Up a Library

Having a home library in your man cave can help you relax, strengthen your memory and cognitive functioning, give you a space to finish important projects and catch up on some reading, and add an air of sophistication to your man cave.

To set up a library, invest in your favorite encyclopedias, set up some shelves or even purchase an antique cabinet and display all your favorite books. Armoires can be easily found through online markets and second-hand thrift stores if you’re on a budget. For rare books, it’s best to store these separately with minimal lighting, either in a separate cabinet or another storage area that allows them to be preserved thoroughly.

17. Paint it Yourself

If you have the extra time and energy, you can paint your man cave yourself and make it all the more unique to you! Opt for warm colors if you want a more relaxing environment, or use bold colors like red and black for inviting guests over and adding a modern “wow” factor.

Certain colors can even affect your mood, such as navy blue which has been shown to be the most calming color in the world! If you don’t want to paint your entire man cave and only want to add splashes of color, save money by purchasing sample cans of paint at your hardware store. These are cheaper and can be used to paint smaller designs or to touch-up areas, you might have missed.

18. Nostalgia Through Posters

From your favorite movie posters to posters of your favorite 80’s metal hairband, posters can take us back through time and look awesome in a man cave. If you don’t have money to spend on posters, a cheap man cave idea is to print out your own posters by visiting your local printing store.

Staples, Office Depot, or your local printers can produce high-quality, glossy, or matte-finished posters you can then hang on your wall for as little as one dollar per print!

19. Buy a Ping Pong Table

Nothing says game night and man cave quite like a ping pong table does. These tables are the perfect way to entertain your buddies, and are also relatively inexpensive and fun! Best of all, they can easily come apart and be stored for later parties.

20. Invest in a Record Player

Do you have old vinyl records collecting dust in crates? Instead of throwing them away, buy a record player that allows you to reminisce and listen to the old records you had as a kid!

Record players are a great addition to a music-themed man cave, and they come in a variety of colors to compliment your den. You can also pair them with modern blue-tooth speakers to get the best sound quality, even if your vinyl records are on the older side.