Small Frugal Changes for Your Home

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Frugal moms often feel the need for change at times. Change is healthy, and it keeps our lives fresh and well-balanced. But when you aspire to live a frugal life, it’s easy to believe that it’s not possible to make changes, especially around the house, because change costs money. You could be mistaken…

While most of us think that to change anything, requires a big change, you can actually make small changes that have just as good an effect. In fact, it’s actually the smaller touches that make the biggest difference in our lives. Here are a few little things you can do that can make a really big difference.

Buy a few simple photo frames. You can pick them up from any number of places. Dollar stores are havens for such things and you know you’re going to get a great price. Instead of filling your frames with potentially expensive artwork, however, take a look at what you already have around the house. A family post card, a child’s artwork, even a CD cover. Practically anything flat that will fit into a frame is ideal. You might even get creative and design your own artwork. The guarantee with that is you know for sure no one else will ever have the same artwork you do!

Flowers add a lovely touch to any room, but finding nice vases can be expensive, especially when the ones you’ve had for over twenty years are starting to look a little musty and yellow. Glass drink bottles (if you can find them) make wonderful, unique vases that are cheap and come with a free drink, so who could argue with that? They also have a nice quirky, eclectic feel to them.

Consider letting the kids paint their own bedrooms to make it more their own. With proper supervision, and lots of drop cloths, they could do hand or finger painting, or even design and create their own mural. If you feel confident enough, you might even let them paint a mural in a more prominent room, like the living room. Or buy some stencils they could use to paint designs on the wall. Stencils are fairly cheap.

Bare walls can be incredibly dull, so try hanging something such a group of your favorite plates, or wallpaper leftovers–even if it’s just one or two lengths–to add a bit of color and variety to your rooms. Create a traditional arrangement, or something more original and creative, whatever works best for you. It doesn’t just have to be wallpaper, either. Use felt, suede, faux leather, or the fabric you made your last dress from.

Cover your old fading sofa and chairs with slipcover sheets. The great thing about using sheets is that they can be washed easily and you can change them whenever you feel the need to create or change the mood or ambience in a room. Just buy a large flat sheet to fit, drape it over the furniture and tuck it in around the cushion.

Want a fancy new calendar to hang on the wall? Don’t buy an over-priced printed one. Make your own instead! There are plenty of places online where you can buy a plain, basic calendar. Then just fill each page with family photos for a calendar like none other.

If you have a fancy for some new decor for the end tables or fireplace mantle, but can’t afford to spend much, head out into the wild blue yonder and see what nature has to offer. Stones make attractive paper weights or book ends. Feathers or pressed flowers are great glued to cardstock for bookmarks. Cover them in clear self-adhesive paper if you like. Pine cones look terrific spray painted, especially at Christmas. Pebbles scattered across a table add interest and texture, while shells can be stuck to the side of a mirror to make it that little bit more interesting.

Changing your decor a bit may not seem like much, but even these little changes can give your room a fresh feel and lift your spirits immensely. Give them a try!

Tags: Being Frugal, frugal decorating, frugal living