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8 Inexpensive Ideas to Spruce Up Your Home

8 Inexpensive Ideas to Spruce Up Your Home

Sprucing up your home doesn't necessarily mean spending an exorbitant amount of money to remodel the kitchen or bathroom. There are many small steps which can be taken to revitalize a living space with minimal effort and only a few hundred dollars in expense. With creativity and dedication, you can turn a drab environment into a fresh new place where you enjoy spending time. The following are some inexpensive ideas which will hopefully get you started on making your home interesting again.

1. Accessorize

Kitschy items are found all the time on sites like Craigslist and at garage sales and flea markets. Accessorizing doesn't mean throwing a Big Mouth Billy Bass talking fish on a wall and calling it a day. Throw pillows, candles and other decorative items can make a room interesting instead of just functional.

2. Add Plants

Many rooms in a home have a sterile feeling even when it's bright and airy. This is normally because there's a lack of plant life. There is something about a ficus or a fern or some other form of green which brings life into a space. Fortunately, there are plants for every personality from those who like to garden to those who want to take a more hands off approach.

3. Paint It

Painting a wall or a room is the single most effective way to spruce up your environment with little effort and minimal cost. A gallon of paint normally runs $18-$25 and can easily paint 2 to 3 walls in any room. Consider purchasing a smaller pint-size bold color for accent walls to really make a dramatic difference.

4. Refinish Furniture

For those of us which are more hands-on and enjoy building or creating our own possessions, then refinishing furniture can spruce up your home for the price of some fabric, matting, sandpaper, paint or stain. While often a labor of love the end result can make older furniture feel brand-new again.

5. Clean Windows

As people who wear glasses know, your perspective on the world changes when you can see the world clearly. While probably the most arduous and boring suggestion on the list, cleaning all the windows in your home can make a significant difference in how you view your living space.

6. De-clutter

Over the years, we as consumers tend to acquire numerous items from the smallest trinket to the largest sofa. While it's difficult to have more than one or two sofas in a room, trinkets, tchotchkes and miscellaneous odds and ends seem to wind up everywhere. Take a weekend or two to go through everything and donate or sell what you don't recognize, don't use or don't want.

7. Replace Hardware

If you're in an older home or in your current residence for more than 10 years, it may be time to update or replace the existing hardware. Door handles get scuffed and faucets become worn over time. While not exactly inexpensive, it may be worthwhile to replace certain pieces of hardware especially if you're looking to sell your home anytime soon.

8. Reorganize Closets

Reorganizing the closet is the least exciting thing most people do but it is necessary to eliminate clutter, find donations for charitable giving and make room for new purchases. The best thing to do is empty a closet completely and then start from scratch putting in only what you really want or need.