Sweat Equity

I am the type of person that loves change. When things are the same for too long I become very anxious. So one day, a few weeks ago, I sat on my living room couch perusing homes and decor on Pinterest and my antsy side kicked in. Within a matter of hours I had dragged the children to Lowe's with a frugal game plan to transform our living room and entryway. That evening, my husband would come home to pieces of the wall torn down, the chair rail removed and spackle adorning our walls.

A few years back we purchased a foreclosed home at a great price. While it has needed quite a bit of work, some planned and some unexpected, my husband and I pride ourselves on doing it all without hiring a professional. We have save thousands of dollars in renovation costs by applying a little "sweat equity." Though we are far from experts, with proper research and practice we are turning our house into a home without breaking the bank.

One of the most frugal things you can do to improve your home is redo the walls. That can be as simple as throwing up some new paint or, as in our case, as complex as plastering, priming and painting. Either way, it can transform the look of your home.

But this means nothing if you do not get up and do it. So often I hear people discuss ideas of renovating and redecorating their homes but they never do anything about it. They dwell on it for months or years. While I am a believer in taking your time in order to score the best deals, you have to have a firm plan and you must begin implementing it.

So think of a project you have been dreaming of tackling, consider your most frugal options, get motivated and get to it! No excuses. No procrastinating. Just completing a project yourself and enjoying the sweat equity.