When You Don't Want to Spend [Much] Money on Your House...

...but you DO want it to look awesome.
Or, at least... BETTER... than it did before. ;)

We moved into this house in mid-April, and it needed a LOT of work. The first month or two, we spent somewhere in the $2000 range, doing some remodeling and updating work (think: floors, drywall, painting). Since then, though, we've been trying to stay within a much smaller budgeted amount per month.

So while it would be NICE to just snap our fingers (written another way: spend a bunch of money) and renovate the entire house until it was "perfect," we are having to restrain ourselves and do a little bit of fixing up here, and a little bit there.

In the mean time...

I thought of some ways we've improved our living space, without breaking our bank account. :)

First off, we cleaned everything. This house hadn't been lived in for a year, and even when it WAS occupied, it wasn't well-taken care of. So... it needed cleaned--and badly. But beyond that, I'd just say: KEEP it clean!! Even a yellowed, out-dated floor can look WAY better if it's swept and washed.



Secondly, we organized our STUFF. So here's something that came to me in the middle of the night (more like, while I was cleaning up the living room): I think a HUGE way to keep a house looking decent (besides keeping it clean, and not having too MUCH stuff) is that EVERYTHING has a designated place. Because when there are toys in the bathroom, food on the couches, cleaning supplies in the oven (you get the idea), a room can look pretty bad, really fast.

So give everything a home, whether it be a box or basket, or shelf, or drawer!

A house that's "picked up" (or organized, in some fashion) goes a loooong way.

Thirdly, we did a lot of painting. You can paint walls, furniture, cabinets, concrete floors, paneling... We're talking only the cost of primer and paint--and if you use the same color on both a few walls AND cabinets (in different rooms, preferably), then you're fixing up TWO spots, for the price of ONE gallon of paint!

Lastly, we've purchased small, less-than-twenty-dollar items that will brighten our home. I love pillows, rugs, candles, curtains, flowers... I've laid several rugs on our "old" floors now, and it REALLY disguises the fact that our floors needs changed!

Happy renovating!