18 Ways for Loving Your Home on a Budget

Don't you love watching the flip-it and home makeover shows? Do they make you want to redo your own home?
Check out this list of economical updating ideas.
Interior:

1. Change the cabinet hardware. Do this in the kitchen, the bathroom or anywhere you have knobs that are dull, outdated, or you 're just tired of. A great place to find them is Habitat for Humanity Restores, yardsales and flea markets.


2. Change your lampshades. Check out big box stores and start noticing lampshades you like at yardsales, even if you don't like the lamp they come with!


3. Paint interior brick. We painted the fireplace in our last house a dark forest green, almost black. When renovating homes we purchase, we paint fireplace brick (interior) to match the trim in the room. If your brick is blotched or discolored, this really gives a clean, new look to the room.


4. Paint pieces of furniture you don't like rather than replacing them. Change out the hardware to give them the new look you want.


5. Screw in hooks under hanging kitchen cabinets. Use the hooks to hold mugs, measuring cups or hand towels. Gives easy access and frees up interior cabinet space.


6. Add a shelf above a doorway. Paint it the color of the trim and use it to display knick-knacks.


7. Add chair railing to dining room, bedroom, living room, any room for extra detail. Paint the wall below 2 shades darker for added drama.


8. Change out window treatments. Natural blinds are easy to install, or buy a pair of panels and hang from a bar above the window. Find them inexpensively at big box stores or a home decor store.


9. Rehang pictures in different rooms. Hang groupings of different sizes, shapes, and styles. Add a shelf, mirror, or piece of dimensional art to create interest in the grouping.


10. Change out doorknobs, especially any that are tarnished or worn. How about glass knobs for bathrooms?


11. Replace switchplate covers. I found some great ones at a salvage store. Shop for unique covers at flea markets and yard sales.


12. Paint a portion of the kitchen wall with chalkboard paint for messages and lists. Nail a picture frame around it so it looks like the message board is hung on the wall.

Exterior

1. Install new house numbers. Always make sure your address is clearly marked so, if needed, emergency vehicles can find your house.
2. Buy a new mailbox or paint the one you have. Make sure the post is new or freshly painted as well.
3. Put out a new door mat.
4. Clean out gutters, rake the yard, sweep down cobwebs. Sometimes we forget to clean up the outside but the whole house feels better when the outside looks well kept.
5. Paint the front door & shutters.
6. Add some new plants or plant bulbs that promise new flowers in the spring.