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50 Man Cave Ideas on a Budget
By Jack Hansen | Ideas
The time is finally here.
You spent the last 5, 10, 15, hell maybe even 20+ years wanting your own man cave. You’ve finally been able to carve out a spot in your home that you can call your own fortress of solitude.
A place where alcohol is a form of currency, having a Kegerator is practical, seeing a talking black bass on the wall isn’t out of the ordinary, and swearing is just a passing phrase.
It doesn’t matter if that spot is a garage, shed, basement, or even an old bedroom that your kid used to live in. What matters is that you finally have a place to call your own and now you need to make it into the most testosterone filled area on your property.
However, there’s one small problem…
You’re on a budget.
But never fear, that’s what this article is going to help you with. We understand that not every guy out there is able to afford a pinball machine for their man cave, so what we’ve done is created a list of 50 man cave ideas on a budget.
Some of this stuff is for the DIY (Do it Yourself) folks, some of this stuff is just low priced, but everything here has one thing in common and that is that every single man on earth would be lucky to have these items in their man cave.
Alright, enough talking. Let’s do this.
We weren't sure what item to start with on our list, but then we saw this video and realized that nothing tops bacon. It may seem weird, it may even seem a little gross to some, but these candles are the perfect aroma for your man cave.
Let's think about it, are you looking to have your buddies come into your man cave to smell the scent of pumpkin spice? Hell no. You want them to walk into your man cave and smell excellence, and all you need to make that happen is a few pounds of bacon, candle holders, and candle wick.
Have you ever purchased the jersey of your local sports team and then the name on the back is a guy who ends up getting traded? Or worse, the guy ends up being a total bust. (Ryan Leaf, anyone?) Well good news, now you don't have have to toss those jerseys in the garbage or use them as kindling.
Instead, take some time to turn those jerseys into pillows for your man cave with these DIY directions. All that you'll need is a jersey that you regretfully purchased and pillow stuffing.
Obviously, this is for your man cave guests because a manly man like yourself would never use a tissue. Let's be honest, a pink or purple tissue box isn't necessarily a bad ass thing, but a tissue box that looks like shotgun shells? Hell yes, and you can grab this gem here.
What's cooler than having a GIGANTIC bean bag to chill on while lounging in the man cave? That question is rhetorical, the answer is practically nothing.
This bad boy isn't all too difficult to make and you can find the full instructions on this page. All you need to make it happen is bean bag stuffing and the fabric which you can find at a local craft store. If you want to avoid making one of these monstrosities yourself, you can also purchase one but it isn't cheap.
What says MAN more than a clock made of a chrome hubcap paired with a wrench and screwdriver?
One of the cooler items we found that's perfect for a man cave and for any guy out there who spends a lot of time in the garage. Available here on Amazon.
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Sometimes guys wonder what they should do with the walls of their man cave. It's easy to buy items to spruce things up, but the walls can be pretty boring.
Unless your wall is a chalk board that is...
Just beware of your buddies, there's always going to be that one guy who thinks it's a good idea to draw a huge dick on the wall.
A pretty cool idea and very affordable. The full tutorial can be found here. The chalkboard paint is available here and I'm going to assume you already have paint brushes/rollers.
The man of steel has a place in every man cave out there. In fact, it could be argued that he's the ultimate man. Or, some may even call him a super man.
Whoa. Do you see what just happened there?
"A super man". BRILLIANT!
Anyway, this sign is legit because it's die cut and measures 11.75" by 9". If you want it, you can get it here.
These LED lights are pretty bad ass and very affordable. The cool thing is, it isn't just for Star Wars fans, oh no. These things are available for a bunch of different iconic characters.
Simple, but cool nonetheless. Having a nice cold beer on a pallet coaster screams "I'm a man, I don't need those decorative coasters!" Plus, it's just one of those things that people are going to look at and complement you on how cool they are. Perfect for any man cave and available here.
Speaking of pallets, why not make a rustic table out of them? Pallets are usually free to get your hands on and once you have them, all you need are some tools to cut them and put them together.
We're under the assumption that you already have the tools needed to get this done, just take the time to put this table together and enjoy the amazement of your bros. "Is that made from a fu*king pallet?!?!?"
Okay, they aren't ACTUALLY 12 gauge shotgun shells, but if you pair these bad boys with the shotgun shells tissue box, you've got a winning combo. These will give a nice touch to any boring cabinets you have in your man cave and make them a little more manly. Available here on Amazon.
How cool is this fuc*ing thing? A light bulb that also doubles as a speaker?
YES SIR, where do I sign up?
This gadget works by letting you control the music through a bluetooth speaker connection. So, if you have a smart phone and any music player like iTunes, Spotify, or Pandora, you can easily sync it all up wirelessly.
Perfect for the guy who needs some music in the man cave but doesn't want to wake up the entire house. Get this bad boy on Amazon.
We're not going to lie...this rug is pretty sweet. However, it also looks like it's quite a pain in the ass to put together. If you want to spend the time to make it, then by all means check out this tutorial.
If you'd just rather get a rug handed to you (lazy ass) then you can check out the rugs here on Amazon. The cost is going to depend on who your favorite team is, but they have options for everyone.
If your man cave has a bar, or anything resembling a bar (perhaps a few cases of Bud Light stacked on top of each other in a corner) then you can get this simple LED sign.
Sure, there are other options out there that are more extravagant and have much more detail, but sometimes you just want a simple bar sign that gets straight to the point.
If that's you, this LED bar sign is your ticket to happiness.
We get it, not every man cave is going to be large enough to have one of these things. But if you can have one, why the hell wouldn't you want it?
Imagine grabbing a cold beer, turning on the big screen, and chilling out on an indoor hammock.
Careful to make sure it has the support it needs. You should be attaching it directly to a stud (a stud in the wall, not yourself, stupid) is ideal. Full instructions can be found here.
How do you make a door handle manly? You change it to a cast iron gun of course! This beauty is a great way to make the right first impression of your man cave.
Gone are the days of a boring round knob, now every person who walks into your man cave will feel like they have a concealed carry license.
There is one small issue with this thing though.....no lock. But it's fine, if you want to use a deadbolt to keep the unmanly ones out, then we recommend this one as it matches pretty well.
The gun door handle can be found by clicking here.
Simply put, this is one of the more funny things we were able to find in our pursuit of budget items for a man cave.
Do we really need to say more about the sign?
The innuendo is pretty strongly worded and it's just.....awesome. Great for a man cave or for a garage. You can find the sign here.
Having a dart board is an (almost) necessity for a man cave. Let's be honest, throwing sharp shit at a target and watching it stick brings out our inner Deadpool and make us feel good.
But all too often, those darts that miss end up putting an incredibly annoying hole in the wall that you won't ever want to fix. Introducing, the DIY cork dartboard cabinet.
This sucker will absorb the blow from your most misguided darts and look good while doing it. The only issue with this project is that you'll need to collect a shit ton of corks, which means you'll be drunk from slamming wine for the next 6 months. If you're not feeling that, you could just buy the corks and spare your liver.
The instructions to create the cabinet can be found here.
What man cave would be complete without a touch of the three stooges? Whether you like Moe, Larry, or Curly is irrelevant, what matters is that these manly titans dawn the walls of your man cave in some way or another.
This sign is good for the golfer who's also a stooges fan, which should be every single one of you. Grab the sign by clicking here.
One word: Gambling
Okay, so you can't run a full casino from your man cave, we get it. It's illegal and frankly, if you have shit luck someone could take your house.
However, that shouldn't stop you from partaking in a little gambling for fun and what better way to do it with this mini roulette wheel? This thing is awesome just for decoration, but it also functions if you decide to use it.
Oh and while we're on the subject of gambling, you may want to consider the Blackjack table or the Slot Machine as well.
You can find the roulette wheel by clicking on this link.
Okay so the inspiration from this one comes from this post which mentions the idea of using screws to create your house address numbers.
And after seeing it, we thought that was a cool idea.....but what is stopping you from making a sign in the man cave from screws directly? Or better yet, making screw art that will boggle people's minds.
A lack of artistic talent? Yes, for most of us that is the barrier and it's noted.
But, screws are cheap and with some inspiration and know-how you could make some really cool signs. Here's a YouTube video that shows some of the process, but unfortunately there isn't a lot of directions out there for doing this stuff.
As a man, it's likely that in the last month or two you've almost broke the pipes with a huge dump. We're not talking about the dumps that are easy to flush after you slam a burrito from your local burrito joint, oh no.
We're talking about the type of dump that takes a part of your soul with every agonizing push to freedom.
That's where the "Redneck Plunger", or as we have decided to call it "The Man's Plunger" comes in. Sure, it's a bit of a gag gift, but it's going to have other men envious about the tool you use to unclog your toilet.....and what other product could do that? Get the man's plunger here.
There are three things that are annoying about getting drunk off of liquor.
Let's go ahead and get rid of 33% of the annoying crap by getting this sweet liquor dispenser. It's pretty simple to use and works flawlessly. This one is perfect for the guy who prefers a gin and tonic or rum and coke over stale beer that's been sitting in a kegerator for the last month. You can grab it by clicking here.
Purchasing an Ottoman for your man cave can be a pretty expensive thing to do. Sometimes you're looking at $200, $300, even $500 to get one when you purchase a couch. But you know what's a better alternative?
Creating one out of an old tire, some wood, and rope.
It was a bit surprising to us at how good this thing looks when he's all done with it in the video, but it just goes to show that if you're patient you'll be able to save a ton of cash for your man cave.
For this one you'll need a hot glue gun if you don't have one already as well as a ton of rope in whatever color you think will look good.
Shotgun shells have made a few appearances in our list already, but this is a good way to get a manly light pull that is guaranteed to be unique to your man cave.
Think about it, how many guys even think about making their light pulls manly? Because we pay attention to every detail we did, you're welcome. Get these by clicking here.
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Practically every guy that has a man cave knows that Sunday is the day for football. But what about all of the other days during the week? Or worst off, what about when football season is over and you're forced to watch curling or the WNBA?
Okay, maybe you don't watch either of those, but the point is that if you're a die hard fan of your home team you want to show your allegiance year round and these Stainless Steel coasters are a great way to do it. Available for every team and they come in a set of four, click here to get yours.
Every guy out there has his favorite beer. It doesn't matter if it's a thick and dark Guinness, or an alcoholic piss-tasting monstrosity like Milwaukee's best, the point is that we all have our preferred beer.
So what if we told you that you would be able to take the beer bottle of your favorite brand and transform it into an every day drinking glass for your man cave?
Would your southern soldier stand at attention?
If so, you're a pretty weird guy!
But if you're a normal dude who just thinks it would be cool to drink from a glass made from your favorite beer bottle, then check out the video. Oh, and here is some yarn that you can get if you need it.
If you've ever been watching Star Wars and thought to yourself, "You know, I bet a light saber would be a really nice light to have in my man cave" then boy are you going to be pumped with this one!
Truth be told, some geniuses out there made this thing and thought it was a cool kids toy, but f*ck those guys.
There's nothing wrong with a guy wanting his man cave to glow the color of a red lightsaber when hes relaxing. You can get it here.
Okay, we promise that this is the last Shotgun shell accessory we're going to mention. But seriously, can you blame us for mentioning shotguns over and over? Have you ever shot one of those things? It's like shooting a damn cannon.
Anyway, these bad boys look pretty sleek and if you're into the gun thing, will go with your man cave theme pretty well. You can grab them here.
Incredibly unique and definitely one of those things that people will comment on when they see them. The process is pretty simple....
Okay, easy on the surface but there is a little more to it. This page here will give you a breakdown of the process you should go through, but it's definitely a cool idea for the guy who wants to spend the time to make them.
Did you know that according to some sources, William Wallace actually skinned one of his enemies and kept his skin as a trophy?
Are we suggesting that we do the same? Absolutely not.
But, it's in a man's DNA to want to have a keep sake for things that he has conquered and this bottle opener let's you keep the cap of every bottle of beer that ever crossed you.
The premise is simple. Put a bottle opener with an incredibly strong magnet near ir and it'll collect all of your bottle caps. To make this happen you need a neodymium magnet and a good looking bottle opener along with somewhere to hang the thing. Once you have those supplies, check out the directions here.
This one is an oldie but a goodie. Take a book that you have and hollow it out to make a secret compartment.
Truth is, this sounds much easier than it actually is and if you want to do this right, there is a technique shown in the video above that will help. You really don't need much more than an old book, contact cement, and an X-Acto knife to do this one.
The NFL and man caves just seem to go together. There's something about 250+ pound freaks of nature smashing each other that gets the testosterone pumping. So celebrate the aura of manliness that the NFL exudes by getting an NFL man cave banner.
Not only does this sucker proudly proclaim that it's your man cave, but it also pledges your allegiance to the team of your choice. You can get the banner for any NFL team and it's available here.
Before we even get into explaining this one, how awesome is the cover for the video above? Just some bro slamming a beer while wearing a Tommy Bahama shirt and a sweet hat ready to slam any hint of estrogen that comes his way.
Okay sorry, that image is just distracting.
Anyway, to do this one you can use reclaimed wood or even pallets. You'll also need a hinge for the door, some hardware to use as handles, and a cooler that will fit.
They have this thing as an outdoor cooler box, but why the hell can't it be used inside too? We see no reason why not, make it happen cap'n.
When you have to buy shelves for a man cave, it can quickly become a pretty expensive project. So instead of buying it, let's make that shit out of some pipes!
But take notice, even the creator of the DIY project said that it was not only challenging, but very time consuming. With that being said, this tutorial has an excellent list of exactly what you'll need to make it happen.
A pretty cool way to make your alcohol bottles live forever is to turn them into things. Sometimes they became a shooting target, other times they become a piggy bank, but this time we want to turn your old bottle of JD into a lamp.
There's a full tutorial here explaining how to do it, and one of the best shortcuts we can offer you is the electric wiring bottle kit on Amazon. This will make the whole thing much easier so you don't need to go to the hardware store and chase down a bunch of little components.
Most guys that have man caves like guns. Okay, some of you don't and we get it, but how cool would it be to have a hidden AR-15 behind a painting ready to use at any time?
Overkill? Possibly. But who the fu*k cares, this is pretty awesome.
The instructions can be found here and you really don't need much to make this happen. Just a sizeable picture frame, two wall mounts, two brackets, and the tools to put it all together.
Whether you're hanging your jacket, a hat, or 20 lbs of beef jerky, having a few hooks in your man cave is a necessity. After all, the point of your man cave is to hang out with your buddies and showcase your manliness, so you have to have a place near the entrance where they can hang their jackets.
These wrench wall hooks are a pretty sweet touch to a man cave or even a garage if you want to use them there as well.
And if the wrenches aren't your thing, check out the hammer wall hooks or the pistol wall hooks instead.
This one is one of the cooler ideas on this post and you need white paint, dark paint, a whole lot of masking tape, a few paint markers, an 18" ruler, and various paint brushes.
It's also helpful if you have a projector, but if not you could technically rent/borrow one or do it without. This one is going to take you a LONG time to complete, but once it's done it is a pretty awesome project and one that all of your buddies will envy in your man cave.
Why just throw paper and other items away when you can throw up a fade away three pointer at the buzzer like MJ?
Sure, you could have a simple trash can in your man cave that no one sees personality in, or you could have the type of trash can that begs for a 360 dunk. The choice is clear, get your basketball trash can here.
This video doesn't exactly give DIY instructions to make a secret hidden room door, but we feel that the reaction of the video from those shooting it shows just how cool guys will think this feature is for your man cave.
Obviously this is a decent sized project and may cost a little more than the other stuff on this page, but it's likely you could save quite a bit of money with reclaimed wood if you can get your hands on it. Here are some full instructions to show you how to make this happen as well as a full material list.
A kegerator is a staple in any man cave. Why just have a six pack when you can have a pony keg ready to go at any point in time?
Now, buying a kegerator can be pretty costly, so taking a fridge and making it into a kegerator is a great alternative. These instructions explain exactly what you need to do.
Men get hungry. When they do, don't you want to have a nice way to make food within the confines of your man cave without leaving?
Of course you do, and this bad boy is the answer.
Make hot dogs in a few minutes with very little mess and let the smell of awesomeness waft into the air. Get the hot dog toaster here.
These DIY beer coasters are pretty cool and very simple to make. All you need is cardboard cut to size and clear lacquer to make it happen.
A quick and simple DIY project that'll give you unique beer coasters in no time, highly recommended if you're simply using a Maxim or Playboy magazine as your current coaster. You can find the full instructions here.
Sometimes a guy just needs a place to hide stuff in his man cave. Though the "safe" is rather small, it could easily hide the keys to a larger safe you have or any other item that's small that you don't want someone to find.
Simple to install and looks just like the real thing. The only issue is that it obviously doesn't work, but outsiders won't know that. You can get it here.
Pizza is a main stay in every man cave out there. There's something about the cheesy goodness that it offers with a cold pop or beer that makes it the type of thing every man cave needs.
Plus, again, it means you won't have to leave while you're watching the big game or destroying your friends in a game of cards. This one is an absolute necessity for every guy and it's available here.
For the skateboarders out there, or even the guy that just thinks random shit is cool, this skateboard light is one for the ages.
Guaranteed to get people talking once they see it, you can find the full directions here. This is the type of thing that would even make Tony Hawk jealous.
Odds are that you've played corn hole at one point. And no, we're not talking about prison corn hole.......we're talking about the corn hole you play with a beer in one hand outdoors at a barbecue or while tailgating.
Well, what's stopping you from making mini corn hole boards to put into your man cave? Sometimes your man cave isn't big enough, and you can't throw an arc like you would outside, but this is still a solid idea for anyone that's got the space.
You can spend your time making the corn hole boards as shown in the video and then you'll still need the bags. You can make those yourself, or simply purchase them and avoid the hassle.
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One of the more annoying things about smart phones is that they require a special type of plug to charge or a connection to a computer. This becomes even more irritating when you have a full outlet and you have to unplug to get it charged.
With this sucker, that's no longer going to be a problem. Not only an outlet, but also a USB charger. Get it by clicking here.
We started this post with bacon, so you can bet your ass that we wanted to finish with bacon. But not only bacon, but bacon in duct tape form.
Long story short, shit happens and things break. Whether it be a chair, a shelf, or some kind of fantasy football trophy, there's a good chance that something is going to break in your man cave at some time.
So, how do you fix it? Simple. Bacon duct tape and you can find it here.
So there you have it. Our extensive list of man cave ideas on a budget that should inspire you to create an amazing room to call your own.
Each of these items isn't going to be for everyone, but if you are able to get a handful of them you're going to have more testosterone than 99% of your counterparts.
Now get to work, you have a man cave to build.
