You want to make sure that your home is a joyful looking place to come into during holiday season.
The weather is still good for you to be able to do lots of work inside and outside so if your home is looking a little shabby then now is the time to spruce it up.
Even the smallest fixes can make a big difference and often these are the quickest to do.
Make up a list of fix ups you can afford and would like to accomplish and then block off time in your calendar to get it done. If money is tight you do have some options instead of doing a full out fix.
If you want to spruce up the front of your home the easiest way to do it is to paint your front door. It doesn't take that much paint or that much time. Imagine how stunning a Christmas wreath would look on a red door. You want to feel good walking up to your house and you want your guest to look forward to coming into your home.
Just cutting back overgrown bushes and removing anything unsightly from around the front of the home will be a big improvement. Cleaning up any cobwebs outside and clean the glass in the outside lights. We all have little chores that we tend to put off that make a big difference on how our homes look.
On the inside before you think you need to repaint see if just washing the walls and doing some paint touch ups will get you through, if the walls are in really bad shape then maybe only one coat of paint will be necessary instead of two if you stay with the same color.
Before paying full price for any supplies check out the
If your wood furniture is looking a little dull then think about painting a few pieces to give them new life or you can read how antique dealers make furniture look great in Cheaters Guide in Making Old Furniture Look Good Again.
If you are missing a few pieces of furniture then keep an eye out at the local thrift shops. Again Kijiji and Craigslist can be great sources for finding new furniture at amazing prices.
Thrift stores often have new upholstery fabric at a fraction of the cost the owners originally paid. See if you can find something you love to re-upholster seat cushions and to make pillows from.
You can rent carpet cleaners and upholstery cleaners but they are very popular the closer it gets to Thanksgiving and Christmas so if you are planning to do this make sure you can book the cleaner in advance so you get the date you want or try doing it mid week when there is less demand for them.
You need to have a plan and a cut off date. If you have not started any of your home improvement projects by a date you have chosen then don't do them. There is nothing worse than frantically trying to paint a room or fix a wall the day before Christmas. If you don't get everything done as you had hoped you can always just dim the lights and put out plenty of candles.
Want to see all of 99 Days to Christmas that has been posted so far? Go here.
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