Try before you buy

Adding some color to the walls is a trouble-free and inexpensive way to extend your home-improvement dollar. Dutch Boy offers affordable interior paint in a variety of colors with the average price per gallon starting around $16, depending upon the retailer.

To help you save even more time and money, rather than buying expensive and messy jars of test paint colors, consider turning to online sources before you launch into a painting project. An online color visualizer provides that extra boost of confidence when pulling paint colors together by showcasing photographs of how professionals combine colors on walls, trim and accent areas in various rooms. The visualizer allows you to manipulate wall, trim and accent colors in a variety of room settings. A simple click of a mouse lets you see first-hand how any room in your home might look with one or more colors.

Freshen up your décor

If your furniture is tired looking, or you need to match your new wall color with your current décor, you can lighten and brighten chairs, love seats and couches with the creative use of decorative throw pillows. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on new pieces of furniture, you can purchase a few pillows at your local home outlet store for less than $100 and strategically place them throughout the room.

For an even more dramatic look, use a luxurious pashmina shawl, wrap or scarf as a throw. A fashionable pashmina can be the perfect finishing touch for almost any décor.

To further accent your newly refreshed room, consider adding an area rug. Unlike wall-to-wall carpet, area rugs can bring colorful designs and patterns into your room without overwhelming it. Area rugs can be well used by the frugal decorator, as they're extremely versatile and can serve many purposes. For example, they can start off in the living room, move to the family room or bedroom, and eventually end up in an indoor/outdoor room.

Grow a worry-free garden

Fresh flowers are a great way to add life, and color, to any space. To give the interior of your home an even bigger boost, consider bringing in fresh-cut flowers from your yard and placing them in your home.

In order to stretch your home-improvement dollars even further, consider planting a vegetable garden. Not only will it add dimension to your yard, but you'll be able to harvest your own fresh vegetables for summer meals, saving you money at the grocery store.

If you have the time and know-how, can your vegetables for use in the winter months. It will help you keep your food costs down throughout the entire year, especially during the holiday season when budgets can be tight.

Be a savvy shopper

No matter what home-oriented projects you decide to undertake, be certain to check for specials or incentives. As the economy has slowed, several major retailers are offering special discounts to lure shoppers into spending again.

Remember, by strategically investing money into the look of your home, both inside and out, you can be sure to increase its value and your affection for it. But you don't need to spend a bundle to do it.

Courtesy of ARAcontent