Updating your home on a regular basis is more than a good idea, it’s essential for making sure you don’t freeze your home in time. Not all home upgrades need to cost a fortune to make an impact. Below are some cheap home upgrades that you can use to give your home a much needed update!
You don’t need to do all of these updates. That would be crazy; like something I would do (LOL). My husband get’s so upset that I have to warn him like three times before I start changing
anything. I will drop into dinner conversations, “This is the next room I will will be changing.” “I’m thinking that needs to be updated.” “That’s looking a little worn.”
After the third warning he starts to understand that it’s happening. SOON.
I can’t always afford new furniture, but I can always get a new area rug thanks to Rugs.com which has nice rugs at a great price. I wrote a post about them explaining that my rugs are disposable to me. My family is hard on rugs. But for $40 for a 5×7 area rug we can afford to change them out even if you just want an update. Shop Over 500,000 Rugs in Stock at Rugs.com!
Let’s get to the list!
Cheap Home Upgrades:
Create an Accent Wall – This is something I’ve done in my living room. All the walls were a peanut shell brown which got a little boring after a while so I painted the focal wall with a copper metallic paint. I love it! You can make this change even if you live in an apartment thanks to new products like peel and stick wallpaper. I wish this had been available when I got my first apartment. I would have had this everywhere! Or how about a 3D art wall? The possibilities are mind blowing!
Add USB outlets – This is a simple way to free up your outlets and update you home. It’s not hard to install these outlets. Watch my tutorial video if you’re worried you can’t do it and you’ll see how easy it is. It frees up your outlet from having to have chargers in them all the time. Maybe that’s just my house because everyone has 3 devices that constantly need charging.
Paint Your Counter Tops – What did I just say? Don’t panic! They make counter top paint specially formulated to stand up to normal counter top use. The reviews I’ve been reading on this product have been great. I have some damage to my kitchen counter tops that I plan to try this out on. A friend of mine used it to paint an avocado green counter in the powder room of her new house until she could afford to replace it. Let me clue you in to a little savings . . . I sometimes see this paint on the oops paint shelves in my local store so keep your eyes open. You might find the perfect shade and pay a lot less.
Update Light Fixtures – When I say this people automatically think I mean ripping down a light fixture and putting up a new one. Nope. This can be as simple as changing a lamp shade or getting new globes. I see chandeliers all the time where the arms are just basic metal but the globes are dated. Globes are are a cheap way to update your light fixture. When my mother-in-law was selling her house for a quick update we removed the globes painted the chandelier, and put fancy bulbs in. It looked so much better than what was in there and she didn’t have to spend a lot of money on an expensive new light fixture for a new owner.
Re-glaze you Tub/ Sinks – $300 to$400 to have this done professionally but you can pick up a kit that covers 100 square feet for less than $30. I wish I had known this in my previous home there was a pedestal sink that was adorable but the old owner was an at home hair dyer who spilled hair dye in the sink and didn’t clean it up until after it left a red stain in the bowl. I replaced the sink which cost me hundreds of dollars. Wish I had covered it instead because the pedestal sink was cute!
New Faucets – Okay I’m not great a plumbing but thanks to the shark bite fittings I used in my basement I don’t have to be! These fittings make it super simple to update your faucets yourself, which is great because faucets can be expensive even without the added expense of a plumber. If you watch the sales, check discount hardware stores, and shop the clearance isles I’m sure you can save some money on this update. Changing a bathroom faucet from a chrome to a brushed nickle can change update the look of your bathroom.
Paint Your Cabinets (Yes, even Laminate) – You can buy fancy cabinet paints if you want but you don’t have to. You can use regular paint as long as your prep your surfaces correctly. Even a laminate cabinet can be painted. You can read my post on painting laminate here!
New Screen Door – This is a great way to update the look of the front your house. For a couple hundred you can upgrade from a builder to screen door to something loaded with style. For me I like the the full screen doors so I can take advantage of the air flow when our summer days allow.
Change Your Color Scheme – This is one of those updates I do a lot because I’m easily bored with color. Most people have neutral colors on their walls and accent color in their pillows and accessories. I think every once in awhile you need to change up your color scheme. You can get a set of 20×20 pillow covers to update your existing couch pillows for $16 for a set of 2. That’s a really inexpensive update. Or you can splurge a little and get fancy embroidered covers for $30!
New Curtains – These can get expensive if you let it, but if you’re like me an haunt places like thrifts stores you can find new in package curtains for $6 a panel! Of course there are always upscale discount places like Tuesday Morning that let you update curtains for a decent price. Or you can always make your own from a canvas drop cloth like I did in my dinning room (get the seamless drop cloths. I didn’t and I regret it). Just get curtain clips for a super easy no sew curtain!
New Bathroom Flooring – The bathroom is usually the smallest room in the house so replacing the floor in this room is less expensive than any other room. The new floating floors make it easy
to update this room yourself in a weekend. Check Lumber Liquidators for great sale prices on Spill proof, pet friendly, style savvy. Waterproof & water-resistant flooring up to 25% off!
Get A new Shower Curtain – Your shower curtain is essentially an accent wall in your bathroom so why not have fun with it! Make it a giant art installation. Make it a barn wood wall. It’s fast way to give your bathroom a new look with every little money.
Move Your Art – This costs you nothing but time. Have you ever considered just taking a painting from one room and moving it to a different room? Or simply moving it to a different wall in the
same room? You can do this with your home accents too. Shop your house and shake these up by trying them in a new spot. It can freshen up your house to your eyes.
Tile Your Back-splash – Back splashes are not hard or expensive to put up. Even if you live in an apartment you can tile your back splash thanks to removable peel and stick tiles! These are a great option too if you’re like me and like to change things a lot. This year I might want subway peel and stick tile and next year I might want peel and stick wood planks. You just never know.
New Handles Everywhere – This is one of my favorite transformations. It’s hard to believe cabinet handle or drawer pull can make a significant difference but it does. Change them in the kitchen. Chang them in your bathroom. Update your desk drawers. Anywhere and everywhere there’s a handle update it! You can buy a 5 pack of handles for $13 and a 10 pack of pulls for $12, so it’s a cost effect update for sure! Just make sure you buy pulls that line up with the existing holes on your cabinets so you don’t have to re-drill and fill holes.
Make your Recessed Lights Pendant Lights – My kitchen is all recessed light so I added one of these converters to the light over my sink and I love it. It changed the look of my kitchen in minutes. I am constantly changing the globe so my kitchen keeps getting a new look. I buy fun globes and shades at the thrift store for a few dollars and change them up whenever I feel like it.
Like Brand New!
Whew! If you’ve made it through all those updates then you’re house is feeling brand new already! There are so many more home updates you can try from painting your furniture to moving furniture to create a new floor plan.
Have fun with your home updates! Don’t get stuck in time, or worse stuck with the previous owners style. Make a few changes here and there over time and your home will feel like brand new in no time.
Comment below to let me know your favorite inexpensive home update. Don’t forget to sign up for my email list:
