Since the end of July, we have been working around the house one day a week, on my husband’s day off, to try to spruce things up. We’ve lived here for eight years and have never had to do any serious repairs or remodeling, which is a huge blessing. But eight years and three growing children later, the house is sorely in need of some assistance.
While it would have been wonderful to hire someone to do a complete overhaul of the house (hey, let’s add on to it, too, since we’re dreaming!), there was no way we could afford that. So we thought we would go the frugal route. (Was there any doubt?)
We decided that the cheapest and most aesthetic way to get a new look around the house is to paint. In this case, we’re painting it ourselves. But it’s a long, drawn out process, since we have only one day per week to devote to it.
We started with the closets. I know. That’s a weird place to start. But we figured that if we royally messed things up, no one would notice if it were in the closet. Plus, we have learned a lot along the way. So, for about $25-$35 per room (maybe a little more for the larger rooms), we’re getting the inside of the house painted, even if there’s some serious sweat equity and lots of sore muscles involved. 
Side note: we got ALL the closets done with the same gallon of paint!
Besides the new look, we’re also cleaning and decluttering as we go. In fact, I’ve been listing items we no longer use, on Amazon.com, and I have to tell you how exciting it is that they’ve been selling! My goal is to have our emergency fund (Baby Step #1, for you Dave Ramsey fans) completely funded through my Amazon sales. And I’m already 75% there!
Do you have tips for decorating on a dime? Feel free to share!
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