**More pics to follow shortly.  Thanks for your patience.

Every now and then all home owners are looking for a face lift for their dwelling, without breaking the bank, so I’ve compiled my personal list of frugal home remodel ideas.

Let me say that I used to only consider solid wood options, but over time I’ve found that it’s just not practical, since options aren’t readily avalable or affordable. Having said that you’ll probably have the best luck at garage sales, thrift stores and swap meets and moreover laminate isn’t all bad and there are a lot of great options, like at Ikea.

One great option is changing the paint color to a room can be just the pick up a space needs, however I like to keep the walls white and infuse color and texture in my accessories. On that note, I like unique accessories, as such I usually use shells, stones and other pieces from trips I’ve taken. You’ll also see this in the memory frames I’ve compiled, as well as the decor in our guest room shown here. I’ve also chosen to use an old bedroom drawer of my husband’s that I repurposed for storage and the upside is that it didn’t cost a cent, other than some paint and upgraded hardware (cost: < $10).

Some other Frugal Home Remodel Ideas, include:

-Buying a new shower curtain and exchange items from other rooms. I did this today and dyed an existing throw rug and it looks great.

-Making an extra room into a multi purpose room. I did this to my husband’s office/studio, as you’ll see in the pics herein. We put an inexpensive futon in, so it makes for a great sitting area or a quick place to crash in a pinch and we placed a throw rug on top to add some character.

Kitchens and bathrooms are quite often the most expensive ventures you’ll make, if you wish to do a complete remodel visit Ikea Kitchen Secrets; you’ll find a lot of help for a lot less than your normal remodel. However, I have a few Frugal Home Remodel Ideas to suggest.  For example, floors can be quite expensive, but I have used and love Traffic Master Lino Tiles (see pic <insert>).  The next step up is ceramic or stone tile, which will take more time and money, but it will definitely increase the value and appearance of your space.  You can visit your local Lowe’s, Home Depot or other hardware stores for advice and their personal expertise, but the key is not to be affraid.

Other do it yourself projects include refinishing cabinets on your own, either with stain or paint and upgrading the hardware will often improve the appearance of just about any piece, quickly and with little money, as you saw in the pics of the bedroom dresser in our guest room. 

Hopefully, this has been of some help, but please let me know if you have any questions regarding this post or if there’s a certain subject that you’d like highlighted and I’ll do the research and post it to http://help.loreals.com

My Girl’s Guide to Car and Home Repair is based on several personal experiences where repair men attempt to take advantage of me, since I’m a woman.  Read on and be sure to add your feedback, comments or suggestions.

Rule one is to have some basic knowledge on these things, so for starters most new cars today need oil changes less frequently than before. For example, did you know that newer Honda Civics only require a change approximately every 8000 miles, if in doubt you can consult your owner’s manual.

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