Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Home

We all can’t rush out and drop $5,000 on new furniture whenever we feel its time for a new look in our home. Those who can are lucky, but we all know you’re not really happy (just let the rest of us believe this). For the rest of us disposable income-deprived individuals there are things we can do to create new looks and freshen existing ones that won’t force a cancellation of a family vacation or put a dent in junior’s college fund. You’ll need to be a little flexible and creative to pull off some of these ideas and make them work, but hey, no pain, no gain, right?

"Think big," the saying goes. Well, not here. In fact, just the opposite should be our rally cry. How about, "think less big"? Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it? So, how do we put "think less big" into practice? Well, we do just that. If you want a new sofa, you settle for a chair or two. If you want a new coffee table, you may settle for some new side or end tables. You can still make an impact with furniture by choosing less expensive pieces to accompany your existing main pieces. If your sofa is battered and tattered and pretty much a repulsive eyesore, fear not, there may still be hope for it. This savior of the sofa is, of course, the slip cover. Slip covers have been vastly improved over the last few years to fit better and to look more natural. You may have to get one specially made if your sofa is an odd size, but this is still a cheaper way to go and it frees up money to be spent elsewhere.

Another option for making a big impact for little dough is looking into a new area rug. If you currently have wall-to-wall carpeting, tile or wood, a rug is a great way to break up that monotony. The right area rug can also pull colors out of your furniture and fixtures, changing the dynamic of a room drastically. If you have a standard rectangular coffee table, look into a round or oval rug to add some different lines to your room. Straight lines and sharp edges abound in most rooms, so throwing in a few curves is a great way to add a new dimension and add a little character at the same time.