Clean Up 

A great place to start improving your home and your life without actually spending any money at all is decluttering your home. Clutter and holding onto a lot of things actually negatively impacts our quality of life tremendously, and it makes being organized really hard and generally makes life a lot more stressful. Imagine always spending hours searching for things, and not finding what you need because there’s so much clutter…this doesn’t have to be your daily life. You can very easily solve your chaos and make your home better without even adding anything to it. 

So how do you actually declutter? It really starts with a good old purge and very intentionally getting rid of things you’re not going to use or wear. We tend to be attached to possessions that are no longer serving a purpose in our lives, so we really have to get honest. It’s important to note that the things we really love and treasure often get drowned up by the clutter, and for us to value them more, we really have to make it easier to find them. Separate your stuff into 3 piles - what you want to keep, what you want to dispose of and what you want to donate. Anything that you do want to keep but don't have the space for at the moment, you can put it into a storage unit. Companies such as Distinct Storage, or others similar to them in your area, can be highly beneficial in this regard. Decluttering can be scary but it’s a very powerful process. You’ll find that having less stuff makes it easier to choose what to wear, it’s easier to decorate and it’s easier to just enjoy the possessions that you love.

If you love making your home look great, you might also have a keen interest in taking on your own home improvement projects. Whether it’s installing new floating shelves in your bathroom, creating your own accent wall or putting in a new light fixture, DIYs allow us to add a personal touch to our homes, but it’s important to distinguish between what we can do ourselves and what we really need to call a professional for. On the one hand, you can do simple building and decor projects if you have the skills. But larger projects like roof repair and installing window slides require expert knowledge; go here to learn more.  For example, you might be able to paint your own walls, but if you wanted to repair or upgrade a bigger aspect of your home, that is not a DIY project. If for example, your roof needs attention you wouldn’t try to do that yourself - you would have to get in touch with trustworthy and reliable residential and commercial roofing contractors who truly know what they are doing. The roof of a property is such an important part of the structural integrity of the entire structure - making it a DIY would be a big mistake. 

Planning and Budgeting 

A home improvement project is only as good as the plan behind it. The worst thing you would want to do is go into a project without really thinking it through and only to end up realizing that it’s more expensive or that it will take a lot more time. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to set this in motion because it gives you a few months to do your research, consult with contractors, get your budget pinned down and then come up with a realistic timeline. Never try to rush a home renovation project. If you really want it to add value to your home it has to be done right, and that takes time and careful planning. There are many resources you can tap into that allow you to actually get ahead of planning, make sure you choose the right professionals and make sure you end up with a result you love. 

Making your home a better place to live will always be a worthwhile exercise and there are many ways to do it. The key is to start with a real plan and to even consider some of the low hanging fruit projects that will improve your home without spending a whole lot of money. This will make your life better.