Shopping for Cheap Home Makeovers You Can Do Yourself

You've just moved into a new home or you've been in your home for years. You look around and know that you really want a change. But with today's economy, what changes can you make that won't put you in debt or cost you a fortune?

There are several things you can do to change a room's look and feel that won't break your bank. We'll start first with the ones that cost us nothing.

1. Clean away the clutter

This sounds like a no-brainer but the affliction of pack-rat is with a lot of us. Just eliminating all that clutter can open up a room right away. Plus, if you hold a yard sale, you might just make a few bucks in the process. For tips on yard sales, check out, "How to Have a Perfect Yard Sale: De-cluttering your Home without going crazy"

2. Rearrange

Another simple and completely no cost change you can make is to rearrange your room. We get tied into a specific traffic pattern and rearranging can break that up and feel like a new room. Cost? Nothing. Plus, you get a little exercise in for your efforts. This is particularly good if you have wall-to-wall carpeting. We can keep a rug new longer if we are not walking the same path on it for years.

3. Paint

Painting is one of the ways to accomplish a dramatic change for very little money. Whether you simply change the basic color of the walls or you go for faux finishes, painting is something a homeowner can do that gets a lot of bang for the buck. Take a good picture of your current room from several angles. Then take that picture to the paint store with you to get ideas. When you purchase your paint, don't forget the primer. Using a primer first, can mean fewer headaches and fewer coats you'll need to do to get the job done right. Also plan to over-tape, not under-tape. When you tape off moldings, door jabs and window sills and ceiling lines, you can paint in much cleaner lines with fewer mistakes. The paint companies have also come out with free little booklets that have much more than the simple paint chips. The have decorator pamphlets that show a range of colors in a decorated room that shows trim, walls and ceilings and how they can be combined in a color scheme. The cable show, "Fresh Paint" on the DIY channel and on the web can give you some wonderful ideas.

4. Slipcovers

A slipcover can be a structured purchased addition, or it can be a flat sheet or a bedspread. Even those can be used to advantage. Go down to your local fabric store and check out their upholstery materials. They are generally wide widths and a very simple wide width fabric draped and tucked around and over a chair can look great. Experiment and see what works. A nice book to get your ideas going and help you along the way is, "Quick and Easy Slipcovers" by Cico

5. Window Treatments

There are numerous window treatments to change the look of a room. They can be dramatic too, such as the difference between windows with mini-blinds versus a window with sheer curtains. They give a room two totally different looks. Fabric stores often have no-sew directions and sometimes offer classes in making your own window treatments. You can also paint or collage the window glass itself for your own unique look. Your local craft store has paints specifically for glass, including etching liquid and stensils. Pick the treatment that matches your budget, or work on other things until you can afford the window treatment you wish to have. Light has such a dramatic impact on a room. How you let that light in makes an enormous difference. Need some ideas and a little help to get you started? There is a book I like, titled, "Window Treatments and Slipcovers for Dummies" by Wiley Publishers.

6. Pillows

Instead of looking for furniture of new paint for your wall, try shopping for pillows. Pillows for your furniture or floor can add splashes of color where painting, slipcovers or new curtains is not possible. They can really bring up a color accent you're looking for or draw two separate pieces together by balancing with identical pillows. They can also provide the finishing touches to a room that needs just a touch more. To save money, look for these in thrift stores and yard sales. People often get sick of their couch pillows. You can generally throw these in a washer or have them drycleaned for much less than purchasing new.

7. Wall and Room Art

This can be posters, pictures, shelves, mirrors, paintings and so much more. Collections can give you a lovely place to focus your eyes on. This can be something as simple as a wire mesh basket hung on the dressing room wall where you can hook your earring collection into or as dramatic as floor to ceiling shadow boxes. Look in thrift stores and yard sales for items that be used in unique ways to display your collections. These interesting aspects can really make your living areas pop. If you are not allowed to hang things on the wall, check out Crystal Ray's article, "Decorating Apartment Walls". She gives some nice ideas for those trouble areas. If you have a collection hidden away in a drawer, try to bring it out and display it. Want even more ideas? There is a very creative decorator, Michele Beschen, who had her own original show on the DIY channel. She also has her own website with some great ideas and directions for displaying your collections in your own original style, many with items you can find around your house.

8. Re-Mixing

Last, while you're looking at the thrift stores and yard sales, thing about furniture that can be painted or stripped and made into something useful for your home. Furniture can be taken apart, combined and restructured into something that fits your needs but is totally unique. Never take a piece of furniture at face value. Always think of what it can become...not what it currently is. One prime example comes from a small chapel who bought one of my old headboards in a yard sale for just a few dollars. It was turned into an altar backdrop and looked lovely there.

Have fun decorating. Be inventive and economical. It's possible to really change a room with a little creativity and a new eye for bargains.