Close ×
This Edition Contains
October 2021
October 2021
Easy Tomato Soup
Easy Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Carrot Coconut Soup
Carrot Coconut Soup
A Beginner's Guide to Pumping Iron
A Beginner's Guide to Pumping Iron
Grandmillennial Style
Grandmillennial Style
$500 and Less- Home Improvements
$500 and Less- Home Improvements
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Mousse
Gluten- Free Berry Cheesecake
Gluten- Free Berry Cheesecake
It's Time for a Beercation
It's Time for a Beercation
OPEN
$500 and Less- Home Improvements

$500 and Less- Home Improvements

written by Anna Peterson

1. Install Window Boxes

Nothing makes a home more charming than a couple of window boxes on the front facade. They’re even cute from the inside, when you can look out and see all your lovely flowers! (And if they’re fake flowers, we certainly won’t tell.) You don’t even have to build them yourself — premade window boxes are available for you to buy and easily install.

2. Spruce Up Your Front Step

The front door is, by design, the first impression a guest will have of your home. Make it a good one with a few easy improvements. Install planters or other large decorations on your front step, add some better lighting and even update your house numbers. Additionally, a quick and easy way to add personality and curb appeal to any home is to paint the front door an unexpected color!

3. Paint!

It’s an obvious solution — you can shift the mood of a whole room with the addition of a homey new color or two. Try painting a room you spend a lot of time in, like a living room or master bedroom. And don’t worry if you don’t have the time or resources to paint the whole room — there’s still a simple little trick you can try to brighten up your home. Try painting any wood-toned baseboards or molding you have a bright, clean white — it’ll open up the space in no time!

4. Invest in New Textiles

Okay, so maybe this one falls under the purview of decoration more than home improvement, but switching out the textiles in your home is a quick and easy way to bolster the mood. Try some cozy new throw blankets, fluffy new towels, and plump new throw pillows. Change up a whole room’s look with new curtains, and, best of all, replace that icky shower curtain.


5. Get Those Carpets Clean

Your carpets really take a beating — especially if you’ve got little ones or pets! However, getting them looking as fresh as the day they were installed is easier than you might think. You can rent a carpet shampooing machine from most any hardware store for less than $50 a day, and even better, having your carpets professionally cleaned usually only comes out to a couple of hundred dollars. And having clean carpets isn’t just a cosmetic matter — getting rid of all that dust and dirt can do wonders for your health!

6. Change Your Hardware

It’s the little things in a home that are often overlooked, like drawer pulls, cabinet handles, doorknobs, and light switch plates. But with a little effort, you can make these homeware nobodies into the star of the show! Look around a bit — eclectic and exciting hardware is everywhere these days, so you’re sure to find some pieces that will accentuate your decorating scheme!

7. Replace Your Showerhead

It’s an absurdly simple tip, but it can make all the difference to your bath time experience. Minerals and other gunk can build up inside your showerhead, making it less efficient over time and cutting away at your precious water pressure. If giving your showerhead a thorough cleaning with vinegar still doesn’t help, it might be time for a new one. Just make sure you’re getting the right type for your home’s shower. Make every day a spa day!

8. Entryway Storage Solutions

You’ve seen them in magazines — and in the homes of your stylish friends! An installed “drop zone” at the entryway of a home turns a messy foyer into a polished, streamlined focal point. Install cabinets, hooks, and nooks for shoes to reclaim that space and give your entryway a homey feel. It’s especially useful if you have little ones who tend to toss down their school things.

9. Install Open Kitchen Shelving

If you have a bare wall in your kitchen, it can be a little hard to figure out what to do with it. One solution is to mount some open shelves — it’s as easy as sticking up a couple of finished boards! Open shelving makes for a clean, modern look that helps you make the best use of your space, and the open storage will transform ordinary kitchenware into a homey accent for your decor.

10. Add a Backsplash

It’s a simple, easy way to transform your kitchen, and add a whole lot of visual interest in the process! Plus, adding a backsplash over your kitchen sink can help to keep your walls from getting water damaged — a win-win! There are plenty of options for quickly mounting a backsplash, and plenty of patterns and designs to choose from. And, most importantly, it’s easy enough to do yourself.


Get DIY-ing!

Improving your home doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, nor does it have to be prohibitively expensive. Adding a few new touches to your place is something that can take as much investment as you want it to, and it’s definitely possible to do it yourself. Onward, weekend warriors, to glory!