7 Fast Easy Ways to Update Your Home on a Budget

Money is tight but the house is looking a little shabby. What can you do to give your home a style boost on very little cash.

Thought it might seem impossible there are little things that you can easily do that will freshen up your home while you are saving cash to make those big changes.

It is best never to let your home get too much into disrepair because little jobs can turn into huge problems.

So grab a list and walk though your home to see where you can use these great easy ideas.

1. You know it and I know it, that a cluttered home is a messing looking home and can hid even the best features. It should go without saying but to start this off right you need to give your home a good cleaning and de-cluttering. This is the time that you rent the carpet cleaner, do the windows and recycle all those magazines that have been piling up beside the living room couch.

Get rid of the depressing half dead house plants and remove the out of seasonal decorations.

You can't see what you got if it is hiding under a mess. This is also the time you do all those little repairs that can make your home look shabby. Fix the screen door, patch any holes in walls and do any other small jobs that you have been putting off.

After doing all this you will fall in love with your home again as you will be able to see the potential.

2. Re-think how you are going to use each room. Just because you have always used it as a dining room doesn't mean it has to stay your dining room. Has it just ended up being a table where you dump everything and only use twice a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas?

Does that home office that you have in the basement never get used because it is too dark down there? Have you always wanted to make the back porch into a little eating area?

Think about how you really live in your home and if there is any part of it you would like to re-purpose. You don't need to change the whole room, you might just want to have part of the room as your study, library or some other use.

3. Make a style board for each room. This is what designers do so they know that the room will look like and can show their clients. A style board is a great way to get your ideas all in one place, just grab a sheet of Bristol Board and glue onto it ideas of what furniture you would like, paint chips, fabric and any other ideas.

Go on line and look, look. look! There is so many great ideas for you to get inspiration from. Cut out pictures from magazines, advertising, newspapers and any other source.

4. Pull out all your accessories,photographs and pillows and strip the room down to the basics. You might decide to use them again in the exact same place or might you might think of new and exciting ideas to replace them and have them in other rooms.

Group what you have in similar colors. You might be surprised that you have a full collection of blue and white ware that you could display in the dining room or that you have a fabulous array of wooden objects you never thought of putting together.

5.Color- The easiest, easiest way to change a look of a room is to paint it. Paint is cheap (always check out the mis-colors at the paint store, it might have exactly what you are looking for) and painting is relatively fast as well.

Almost any surface can be painted these days with the different types of paint that are out there. Everything from wall tiles to wicker.

The walls might be fine but maybe it is your furniture that needs a coat of paint. One of the easiest ways to freshen up a room is just to paint all the mis-matched wood furniture one color.

If you are cautious then that color could be white or black, but if you have a wild streak then think about painting that banged up old piano of your turquoise!

6.. Re-arrange your furniture - You have heard of the concept of shopping your closet, meaning looking at clothes in different combinations, now shop your home.

That little desk that is sitting in the basement might be ideal as a bedside table in the master bedroom.

Could a un-used dresser be used as storage some where else in the house? Think about using different combinations and breaking up sets. If you don't like it, it hasn't cost you a dime.

7.Lighting- Changing out a light fixture can really update a room. If you have never done this before then ask the advice of someone who has.

Remember to turn the lights off at the breaker and follow all safety regulations. A shabby light fixture can really pull down a small room like a hallway or a bathroom.

Easy ways to update and give your home a fresh look.

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