The best advice almost always comes from people who are in the same boat as you. Right now, many of our editors and readers are looking for ways to create and maintain a healthy home without spending a lot, so we asked Apartment Therapy readers to share their tips for home improvement on a shoestring. We received a ton of great responses. In case you missed the post or you didn't have time to read through all the comments, we've rounded up a few of the best pieces of advice for how to do more with less...
Deep Clean: Cleaning and polishing the windows, light fixtures, the walls (if they're painted), baseboards, moldings and switch and outlet covers can make a big difference. It can be surprising how dingy these things can get. - slowdown
Declutter: I LOVE the way my place looks when I get rid of stuff, not bring more in. - inkstainedwriter
Rearrange: I declutter as much as possible, re-arrange, and then I generally tidy. - Cashew
Paint: I can't say enough about a new paint job. Hands down the most effective way to make a major change at a minor cost. - moderngal
Decorate Seasonally: I have wooden floors, so once it warms up in late spring I roll up the area rugs, put them away, and go bare for the summer. In the fall I put them down again and they look new again and make the place feel cozy. - MansardRoof
Clean Your Windows: I just washed the windows, inside and out—made a world of difference! - tsteele
Take on a DIY Project: Today I discovered that re-grouting is not as hard as I thought it would be and makes a HUGE difference in a tiny bathroom. Just did a small section, but very excited to keep working on it. - home body
Entertain: I go down to the local flower shop and spend about a half hour talking to the owner, picking out flowers, and pretending like I know something about plants. Then I go home and put them all over the house and have friends over for a dinner party. I usually end the night thinking, "wow. I am so lucky to live here." - tabithacat
Rethink Your Home: You have all reminded me that it's less about what you have and more about how you look after it/respect it/think about it. - eastedan
For more great advice, check out the original post
here.
Photo: Amy's Vintage Modern Nest
I have two different sets of pillow covers for the throw pillows in the living room. I switch between them when I want a change!
http://thebluepearlgirl.blogspot.com
view EWood's profile
I love this advice... sometimes I feel so lost about how improoving home!
view Nikukyu's profile
Buy a pair of lamps at Goodwill, paint them and add jazzy fabric to the shades. There are tons of tutorials out there for this project. A nice pair of lamps is like a nice pair of earrings.
view ModHomeEcTeacher's profile
Most of these are not no-cost ideas. Entertaining, DIY projects, seasonal decorating, painting--all require money. Good ideas and they can be done for relatively little money, but not for nothing.
view kelleyk's profile
Living in a rental, I feel very limited with my decorating options. But during my weekend cleaning ritual, I rolled up my rugs and put them in storage. Such a big result from a small idea! I forget how good plain wood floors look sometimes...
Thanks for the great suggestions!
view Gilliebean11's profile
Yes, many of these ideas cost a bit of money, but nothing compared to the products and ideas usually discussed on sites like AT. I'm not really into $700 chairs, or antique dining sets, or whatever, so ideas like this, which are practical and down to earth, are very nice. Nothing really new, but sometimes it's good to have a reminder of what you can do with just a bit of money.
view kls987's profile
We rearrange the cats- you know, move them to different pieces of furniture or change their position. I think they sometimes wake up and move themselves, but they spend so much time sleeping they are like furry throw pillows themselves.
Perhaps I'm late to this party- but I change my couch into its summer slipcover. It's a big cozy microfiber that is too hot in the summer, so we got (with coupons and last year) a duck cotton slipcover. This year, I found a tablecloth and napkins that are going to become the ottoman slipcover and throw pillow cases. 25$ cost, which is a few lattes out.
For home improvement/deep cleaning- it's a $30 investment, but if you have pets, you should consider the special pet brushes for your vacuum. (We have the Bissel pet brushes). They have a rubbery top that grabs the pet fur. Helps keep the house much cleaner.
view Rev. Bee T.'s profile