Do you want to make your house more beautiful without wrecking up your bank account? Or, maybe there is no bank account to wreck! But you still want your house to be beautiful! I’m so with you on that!
Don’t believe it when your brain says that you can’t afford to remodel right now!
I decided to sit down for awhile with my thinking cap on and see what kind of ideas I could come up with for zero budget and low budget home-improvements! Here are my thoughts!
10 Great No Cost, Low Cost Remodeling Ideas!
Sweat Equity is Sweet
1. Wash the house! – A clean house makes a big difference and the bigger the surface you clean, the bigger the difference it makes. You don’t even have to rent a pressure washer for this. You can wash the outside of your house down with a big scrub brush. It’s really not as bad as it sounds and the difference can be utterly dramatic! – cost… ZERO.
2. Wash the windows! – I know this is basic, but if you want Home Pride this is huge! Some Windex and paper towels will brighten things up more than you imagine before you start! – cost… $5.00 for Windex and paper towels.
3. Clean-Up the yard! – Without spending one dollar you can make your house feel infinitely better and totally change the way you feel about it by straightening up the yard. I’ve done this before with yards that resembled dirt lots more than anything else and the difference was still amazing. Don’t listen to those little mind tricks that tell you it isn’t worth it! It is! – cost … ZERO.
4. Wipe down the walls and trim! – Similar to the outside, the larger the surface, the greater the impact. Kim recently did this using the hot new product, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and it was amazing, easy, and fast! – cost… $5.00 or less
5. Fix some broken stuff! – Door-knobs, towel bars, mailboxes, screen doors…these things all get used and they get broken. Sometimes it’s just a matter of a few minutes time to fix them! It’s worth it. – cost… ZERO.
Make a Little Go A Long Way
6. Plant something! – You could do this for free if you can dig it somewhere else and replant it, but even if you have to run out and buy some new plants, flowers, bushes, or trees, the difference is dramatic and it lasts! – cost… varies, but can be less than $50.00 easily!
7. Paint something! – If you can be flexible with color, you can sometimes get a gallon of paint for just a couple of dollars when you can find color match mess-up’s at the paint store. You can paint one element such as the front door, or the mailbox, or a window box and make a great big impact! – cost… $10.00 or less!
8. Build something! – Speaking of window boxes, build one! I’m going to do this myself this spring. they add color, warmth, and life to the outside of your home and since the flowers can be seen from inside, you get double the impact! It’s easy and requires little time and money! – cost…$40.00 – $50.00
9. Change just one fixture! – Pick a fixture somewhere and replace it. If your goal is to spruce up the outside, do the porch light. If it’s the kitchen you want to liven up, change the sink faucet. Changing fixtures one-at-a-time will add-up over time! – cost…$20.00 – $100.00 (varies)
10. Build a Tiki-Bar! – Well, maybe this one doesn’t totally fit in this list, but it requires much fewer loaves of bread than a traditional fancy new-fangled outdoor kitchen. Cost… around $500.00 total! Go see my Tiki Bar.
I know that some of this is very basic stuff, but you know what…that’s exactly why they are such great ideas! Basic things are exactly the ones that our brains try and trick us into thinking won’t make a difference. Yet, when you’re done with one of these little tasks, you’ll have real Home Pride and that, my friend, can change your life!
You can do it!
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Now, lets hear your great low cost and no cost ideas in the comments!