What are you doing with your stimulus check? A lot of people are tapping into some inexpensive home improvement ideas to invest that money wisely. There are thousands of home improvement ideas that are inexpensive, easy to manage, and that can deliver a huge impact.
You do not have to be a professional to get professional-like results. Many remodeling shows on TV can walk you right through the process. Of course, finding some inexpensive home improvement ideas online and the step by step directions to carry them out is also an easy way to spend less and do more.
Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas for Inside Your Home
One of the least inexpensive home improvement ideas there are is to paint the ceiling, walls, and trim in your home. A fresh coat of paint adds an entirely new vibe to any room. Paint is a great way to brighten up a room.
You can typically paint an entire room for less than $200, sometimes less if the room is on the small side. Paint is the backbone of any décor. It can easily set the mood that you want for your space and help to anchor your room style.
With that stay at home order in place in many states, people have plenty of time on their hands, which makes it a perfect time to get some interior painting done. Professional painters share the following tips for painting the interior of your home:
- Invest in good tools. Investing in good brushes, roller handles, and roller sleeves will make the job easier and give you professional results. Investing in the right equipment from the start will ensure that you will have it on hand for the next room. A good cutting brush should also be on your list of materials.
- Learn all you can about the type of paint finishes. Paint is largely available in a few different finishes including semi-gloss, high-gloss, satin, flat, and eggshell. Each finish gives you a different result. Semi-gloss finishes are a great option for kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and any room where you want to be able to clean the walls. Flat paint is usually reserved for the ceiling. Using the right paint for the job is vital to the results.
- Taping everything off will make the job easier. It can be hard to get clean crisp lines without using painters tape. The experts recommend that you tape off the areas that you do not want to get paint on.
- The experts agree that you should start at the top and work your way down. In other words, if you plan on painting the ceiling, do that first. As a side note you should know that there is no rule that says you have to paint the ceiling. You can just paint the walls and the trim, but it is easier if you paint the whole room including the ceiling at the same time.
If you have the time sprucing up the house with a fresh coat of paint is one of the great inexpensive home improvement ideas.
Make the project easy but tackling your paint projects room by room, and before you know it the whole house will be done. Enlist the help of other family members that are home. The job will move quicker and the workload will be easier with extra hands-on board.
Maybe painting is just not your thing. How are your appliances doing? If your washing machine works when it wants, why not consider replacing it with your stimulus check? If you are a little too frugal to plunk down a wad of cash on a new machine, consider calling in an expert to get it fixed.
Paying someone else to manage your appliance repair can get your machine back in great shape and can be very affordable. If you are committed to DIY repairs, you can order the parts you need and follow a YouTube tutorial and do it yourself.
Take a look around the house and consider the things that you have been putting off fixing like that leaky faucet or running toilet. Residential plumbing services are considered essential services, which means you can get the repairs done that you need. Having that extra money (if it is extra for you) can mean getting your plumbing up to par and still having plenty of money leftover.
Have you been up on your roof lately? Missing any shingles? Shingle roof repair can be one of the great inexpensive home improvement ideas that help to protect your home. Missing shingles can be the first step in roof system failure. Investing in repairs can save you a boat load of cash down the road.
Not Necessarily Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas But Something You May Want
While it is a great idea to invest in the necessities like roof repair, it is also nice to invest your stimulus money into what makes your life more comfortable.
Lots of people are telecommuting and working from home. If you fall into this category, new home office furniture can make life more comfortable. People have had to move quickly to set up their home office and make do with the furniture they could wrangle up. Outfitting your workspace with furnishings that are comfortable and more office like will improve your productivity and make working from home easier.
Redecorating the living room by replacing all or some of the furniture is also a great way to improve your quality of life. While new furniture is not exactly a home improvement idea, it sure feels good when you like what you see in a space.
Make a Big Impact in the Kitchen With These Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas
You spend a lot of time in your kitchen, even more so now that you are home more. If you are tired of looking at a kitchen that just does not wow you, there are some simple inexpensive home improvement ideas that can easily elevate the appearance of your kitchen.
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that improving a kitchen means investing big bucks and a lot of work. Here are some inexpensive home improvement ideas that really pack some punch that require neither:
- Change out the hardware on your kitchen cabinets. You do not have to replace the cabinets in your kitchen if that is not in the budget right now, you can do little things to improve them. A quick coat of paint or a good cleaning and replacing the hardware will instantly update your cabinets. You can have like new cabinets for about a hundred dollars.
- Add a backsplash. A backsplash can be a great focal point in your kitchen. You can buy tiles that are crafted specifically for backsplashes that do not require cutting. Check out your local home improvement store for options.
- Change out the fixtures. A new faucet, maybe some new lighting can be all it takes to give your kitchen an updated feel.
If you are really feeling like you want to make some changes in the kitchen, consider new flooring. You can DIY tiles, linoleum, even engineered hardwood with the help of tutorials that you find online. Buying the flooring material yourself and installing it on your own will make it far more affordable.
Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas for the Bathroom
Upgrading your bathroom does not have to cost an arm and a leg. With a few simple changes, you can easily transform your bathroom. Consider installing new faucets for the tub, sinks, and a new shower head. It is easy and something you can do on your own.
Investing in water-conserving fixtures also has the added benefit of helping you to save on water usage. Other easy and inexpensive bathroom improvements include:
- Investing in organization. Baskets, over the tank shelving, and other organization tools can help you to keep the bathroom tidy while improving the look of the room. Other simple changes like adding a new toilet seat and new light switch plates add to the revamped look.
- Paint. Painting your bathroom will instantly upgrade the look. Clean the tile and grout while you are at it to get a fresh as spring look. A little elbow grease and some new paint will help you to fall back in love with your bathroom.
- Replace and repair grout, tile and caulking. Take a look around the bathroom for any caulking that needs to be replaced. Remove and replace any broken tiles.
A “new” bathroom look can come from simple cosmetic upgrades. Replace the shower curtain, add some new bath mats, and consider some new accessories. Simple changes can deliver a big impact in small rooms like bathrooms.
Let’s Move Outside
Spring is bursting at the seams across the country and there are tons of inexpensive home improvement ideas that will really add some wow factor to your outdoor spaces. Landscaping now will ensure that you can have the beautiful outdoor living spaces that you want for the summer.
Outdoor inexpensive home improvement ideas are really inexpensive. Simple additions like adding a fresh layer of colored mulch to your flower beds can pay off big time. A bag of mulch typically runs around $5 which makes it a very affordable addition to your landscaping.
Mulch not only adds some wow factor and allows the colors in your garden to really pop but it also holds moisture in for your plants, keeps down weeds, and can even keep the insect problem down. It is a really easy way to up your curb appeal.
Here are some other outside inexpensive home improvement ideas:
- Plant a “Victory Garden”. You do not need to have a sprawling estate to grow your own food. Victory Gardens started during WWII have regained some steam with the pandemic. Growing vegetables for your family is a great way to improve your outdoor spaces and get something valuable back.
- Add a paver patio. You can construct a paver patio over the course of a day or two and have a nice place to sit outdoors, cook out, or just relax.
- Pressure wash your deck, your house, and other exterior surfaces. You can rent a pressure washer from many home improvement chain stores (yes, they are still open) and give your exterior a face lift. Pressure washers are great for driveways, walkways, exterior siding, patios, fences and decks.
Look around the yard and get creative. Adding decorative fencing to separate different spaces can help to expand your outdoor living opportunities. Create a play space for the kids, a cooking and eating space, a space for the dog, a lounge space, even small backyards can become larger when you designate specific spaces.
Final Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas
Maybe you are just not the DIY type but you still want to make sure you get the most out of your stimulus check. There are purchases that you can make that will benefit your home and that will not require you to roll up your sleeves to high.
Here are some inexpensive home improvement ideas that do not require a lot of work:
- Invest in some new patio furniture. If you pay a landscaper or a neighborhood kid to manage your yard work, you still want to have a nice place to sit back and enjoy your yard. A new patio set is a great option.
- Consider a new entrance door. If your door is an eyesore maybe you should invest in a new one. It will ramp up your curb appeal and have the added benefit of keeping your family safe.
- Do you have a home alarm system? If you do not, you should. Invest in a home alarm system with your stimulus money and protect your home and enjoy the peace of mind that you are protected.
If you have already taken part in all of these ideas and you have nothing left to do, bank that money. Tuck it away into a savings account that you set up for your next vacation. If you have checked off all the inexpensive home improvement ideas, you definitely deserve a break.
