Smart Decorating with 10 Year Old PaintOut of money and couldn't get a job, I decided to rent out my spare bedroom. The walls were riddled with nail holes and it hadn't been painted in 12 years.
Replacing Old Toilet with New Low-Flow ToiletThe toilet that was in our house when we moved in was always a little grungy. We wanted to replace it but didn't have the money or the gumption after we first purchased the house.
Take Better Care of Your PossessionsMy husband is a professional appraiser and furniture restorer. I am often in his workshop while he is working to repair a piece of what was once lovely furniture.
Painting Formica CountertopsMy home was a mecca of ugly and strangely colored laminate countertops; hunter green, brown, navy blue, beige, etc.. I set out to paint them to improve their look, thinking "they can't get any worse, can they?" Paint was my frugal friend.
Frugal Ways to Update FurnitureI have gone garage saling for many years, but recently two other friends and I often go together. We give each other advice on items the other one is looking to buy and ideas about how to use different items that can be re-purposed.
Low-Cost Living Room/Home OfficeSo often, I see decorating shows or articles which say they are low-cost, but then I see that they have spent thousands of dollars on one ROOM! One night, just for fun, as I sat in my cozy living room, I thought about where our living room furniture came from and how much each piece cost.
Renovating A Small Home In Alaska (Part 2)I renovated this little Quonset Hut over a Square over a Trailer in the Fall and Winter of 2000 in Fairbanks, AK. The first part of the work was to get the kitchen, bathroom and work space done. Now I will fill you in on the rest of the house.
Landscaping To Sell Your HomeIn the current housing market, homeowners need every advantage they can get when selling their home. Making time to enhance your curb appeal is not only smart, it's an absolute must when competing for potential buyers.
Storm Proof Your HomeMany of us are wondering if there's something we can do to better protect our homes from devastating storms. The first step is to listen to authorities and evacuate dangerous areas before the storms arrive. Homes can be replaced; families cannot.
How to Install a Dimmer SwitchInstalling a dimmer switch is a quick and easy way to add more control over the lighting in a room.
A Clean Sweep: Everyone Needs a...For most people, scheduling a chimney cleaning isn't an essential phone call. Yet for everyone who has any type of furnace or heating stove, it is a safety measure that can't be overlooked.
Be Prepared For Winter WeatherHere are some things I learned from the Missouri ice storm of 2007 and recent blizzards:
Things to Consider Before Building A FenceBuilding a fence is a long-term investment, so it's important to choose a material and design style that enhances your home and garden. It's also important to be realistic about future repair costs and how much regular maintenance you're willing to take on.
Buying, Storing, and Burning FirewoodWhen the weather turns cold, fireplaces and wood burning stoves are a great way to provide our homes with an additional source of heat and a warm and cozy atmosphere. Before you buy your supply firewood for the upcoming season, here are a few things to consider.
Top Ten Secrets of a HandymanI convinced my husband, who runs his own home repair and maintenance business, to give me his "top ten" repairs that homeowners can do themselves and his secrets for making them easy.
Prepping for WinterFor those who live in a nice warm climate that doesn't shift for the seasons, the coming of winter brings significantly fewer chores. However, those who live in changing climates can save some money by completing a few pre-winter chores.
Color Primer: Choosing Colors For Home DecorChoosing the perfect color for that room can be a tough decision but I am here give you some tips on how to pick the color that will be perfect for you and your personality.
Thrifty Ways For Small SpacesAs everybody longs for a calming haven that encourages relaxation, having a small bedroom is not a hindrance for such desire. Of course, tearing down your walls and expanding your room is not frugal in any way, so listed below are some tips that you can do without spending that much money.
Smart and Thrifty Curb Appeal IdeasWith Memorial Day behind us, the unofficial start of summer is here. If the increased time you've been spending outdoors has made you notice some of the unsightly features of your home's exterior, then set aside time to increase your home's curb appeal.
Make It Almost New AgainThere are antique collectors and there are those who just enjoys incorporating the old piece into today's world. These are the people who can snatch up great bargains that the others have left behind. If you're not afraid of refinishing, repairing, or re-purposing battered antiques, then you have a gold mine awaiting you at the next swap meet.
Renovation Return ValuesReal estate sales might not be the most popular form of revenue this year, but it does feel good to know that some renovation costs are recovered during the resale of a home.
Energy Saving Tips for Using DehumidifiersIf left untreated, too much moisture indoors can lead to a host of issues, the least of which is the growth of mold and mildew. Dehumidifiers work by removing excess moisture in the air. Here are some tips for getting the most energy savings and efficiency out of your dehumidifier.
Removing Texture From a CeilingBack in the fifties and sixties it was really popular to put a texture on ceilings called a popcorn ceiling. One of the remodeling shows I am a big fan of, gave instructions on how to remove this bumpy, ugly, hard to patch popcorn ceiling.
Budget Kitchen RemodelThis budget remodel was the first project I have ever taken on and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Using the tips I've found here, for just under $2,000 I have a marvelous fashionable new kitchen.
Arranging Wall Picture GroupingsWhen I moved into my home 2 years ago, I started each day by facing a large blank wall. The wall was in my bathroom and faced my glass enclosed shower. Fortunately, thrift store "art" came to my rescue!
Saving Money On Home MaintenanceFirst time home buyers are often surprised by the many expenses required for the maintenance of your home. Furnace and duct cleaning, carpet and floor care, cleaning gutters, the list goes on and on.
Home Improvement: Surprising Places for...When shopping for larger home improvement items, price outside the box. While the do-it-yourself option seems to be the most frugal, that's not always the case. Expecting to find the best deal at a large home improvement store rather than a specialized dealer is also a false assumption.
Thrifty Ways to Clean Up and Repair Your Patio...Before you stow away your patio furniture for the winter, take some time this fall to clean it up and make any necessary repairs. Check out how using these everyday household products can make this sometimes unpleasant task easier and more economical.
The Retro Has Got to GoSet the scene: your new home is beautiful. The kitchen's been remodeled, the living space is newly carpeted, and the bathroom has pristine green and pink tile. Green and pink tile? Yes, welcome to the bygone era of seashell colored bathrooms.
Cleaning Rain Gutters and DownspoutsFor many homeowners, cleaning out and inspecting gutters and downspouts is an unpleasant, yet unavoidable, chore that has to be done at least once or twice a year.
Non-Permanent Ugly Counter Fix with Contact PaperFor all of you who have orange and olive counters, gold fleck Formica or turquoise and pink tile counters! Be they in a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room, this is a cheap way to disguise the ugly while being durable, cleanable and replaceable!
Quick Tips Worth RememberingI don't know about you but I am always looking for little tips that will make my life easier. Here is a quick list that can be printed off and stuck in one of your cookbooks for future reference.
Firewood Buying and Storing TipsIt's always best to shop for firewood before you need it. Sometimes you can find great deals in the spring and summer, before people are thinking about cool weather and warming their home.
Fast Heating Fuel SavingsA winter storm is quickly approaching and you listen to the roar of the furnace as it works to heat your home. With every cold snap you count pennies burning away in your home's heating system.
Solutions for Slippery SidewalksWinter weather can quickly make sidewalks and footpaths difficult and dangerous for pedestrians to navigate. Over the years, several effective and economical deicing products have been developed to give us a safer foothold.
Is the Appliance Upgrade Worth It?We often hear that it pays to upgrade to new appliances. New appliances are more energy efficient; therefore, they save money. However, when a new refrigerator can cost anywhere from $600 on up, how much energy is being saved to justify this expense?
Do-It-Yourself with Lowe's on-lineHome improvement projects can break a budget. However, thanks to many on-line services, the average homeowner can tackle many of these projects alone. A cornucopia of knowledge can be found at Lowe's on-line site.
Decorating With FeathersReady to Be a Little Wild In Your Decorating? The secret to good decorating is to be bold and creative without ever being tasteless. Here's an idea which is unique enough to get attention.
Think Heating Not Cooling in the Summer MonthsHeating a home can be a pricey task. With oil costs on the constant rise, a home heating bill can often be exorbitant. Yet, there are some ways to reduce the cost and now is the time to do it.
Save Energy While Keeping Your CoolDuring the dog days of summer, we expend considerable amounts of energy (and dollars) trying to keep our homes cool. Here are 12 no-cost or low-cost ways to save energy while keeping cool this summer.
Cheap Ways to Beat the HeatThere are plenty of ways to keep cool during the summer months, but how many cost efficient ways are there? Try some ways to cool your temperatures and your budget as well.
A Beautiful Unique Kitchen MakeoverAfter sanding, priming, painting and adding antique silverware to my twenty year old, dark, dull and just plain outdated kitchen cabinets, putting in new counter tops, new appliances and painting the walls, I now have a beautiful, unique kitchen that I am proud to say was done by ME!
Save Energy by Winterizing WindowsWindows can account for as much as 35 to 40 percent of a home's heat loss. With heating costs on the rise, that can translate into significant dollars. New windows are not in everyone's budget, so if you are looking to increase the energy efficiency of existing windows, here are some simple tips for sizable energy savings.
A Creative PatioDid you move into a house with an empty back yard? What you need is a nice deck or patio to enjoy the out-of-doors. Of the many choices is a wooden deck, a concrete slab, a fieldstone floor with planters or a multi-level redwood deck with benches...
Mums and Fall DecoratingMums can be very easy to work with, and fall pumpkins make fun accessories for mums. The easiest thing to do is to create an arrangement of fresh flowers, place them in a jar of water, and place this jar inside the pumpkin...
Tips to Lower Your Heating BillFall is a great time for a home-energy audit, and there are a surprising number of ways to save energy in your home without investing a major amount of money-or even time.
Closet ConversionNeed to tuck your television or computer into a nook so that you have more floor space in a bedroom? This simple closet conversion is inexpensive, functional, and just plain cute.
Creative Decorating Ideas Using Old WindowsHave you ever wished you had a great view right outside your bedroom window but all you see when you wake up in the morning is the wall of the next-door neighbor's house? Well then follow these easy steps to create your own window with a great view.
Energy Checklist For HomesThere are many features about a home that make a difference in the amount of energy needed for heating, cooling and lighting. Thus, these features can have a major impact on the amount of money you devote to maintaining the winter and summer comfort of occupants.
Septic System FailureA septic system should effectively accept liquid wastes from your house and prevent biological and nutrient contaminants from getting into your well or nearby lakes and streams. Any time these things do not happen, the system is failing.
Radon in the HomeRadon (Rn) is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. Radon is produced when trace amounts of uranium and radium in the soil or rocks decay.
How To Paint Your Own Artwork - And Save Money.Everyone wants to save money. Don't you? Well, painting your own, color matched art can be a lot easier than you might think!
Decorating With NatureI stuck the leaves and a few flowers from weeds on the tape. When it began to drag the ground I went inside and fixed it to my storm door glass. So when I look out this winter, there is some greenery when everything else is covered with snow!
