8 Home Improvement Tips That Save Money

If you're a homeowner, then you probably want to know what goes into making home improvements. Most of the time, it's hard to budget correctly for the improvements you wish to make. We've put together a few things to keep in mind the next time you want to improve your home without breaking the bank.

1) Stock Up When You See a Good Deal
When you find things on sale at a great price, buy them even if you do not need them for a home improvement project right away. You can create a nice stockpile of materials that you will eventually use. Just make sure that you are storing everything in a well protected area where it will not get damaged from moisture or other elements.

2) Work on One Part of Your Home at a Time
Try to just work on one part of your home instead of many parts at once. If you work on too much at once, then it's going to take you a lot longer than if you were to do one thing at a time and projects will take much longer than they should. Half-completed projects have a funny way of milking your time, energy, and most of all, your wallet.

3) Hit the Garage Sales and Flea Markets
Flea markets and garage sales are a great place to shop around for things that you need to improve your home. You never know what you will find at these sales. If you can put your creativity to work, you could score some great items and transform them into something completely different for your home. You could turn an old desk into a bathroom vanity or mason jars into new light fixtures. The sky is the limit when you allow your creativity to work for you.

4) Only Hire Contractors for Jobs You Can't Do
Avoid hiring contractors for jobs that you can do by yourself. Sure, it would be easier to hire a painter to come in and give the interior a fresh coat, but is it necessary? If you are capable of doing these types of tasks without hiring a professional you will save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on each home improvement job.

5) Use the Internet for Affordable Improvement Ideas 
There are lots of sites online like Facebook where people share frugal ways to improve your home. Sometimes these sites will help you find the best prices, but they will also give you some examples of some projects that have cost next to nothing to do. 
 
6) Start With The Most Important Areas
Improve the areas that you think are the most important first. Painting your home on the outside and working on the lawn are improvements that people are going to notice right away. The next place that's important would be the kitchen or bathroom. The living room is another one of those places that gets quite a bit of attention in the home. Any area that you spend a lot of time in would be the best place to start with so you can admire your new space quickly.

7) Don't Start Anything You Can't Afford to Finish
Don't start working on a project that you aren't going to be able to afford to finish. People will start to work on projects and find out when it's too late that they're not able to finish that project. When this happens to you, then you'll have a project that isn't finished which will make an area of your home look worse than it did before you started. Go to stores and see what materials you need and how much they are. Consider how much you may need to pay to a contractor to finish the job as well.

8) Shop Around for Contractors 
When you do need a contractor to help you with a project, speak with several of them first. This is so that you can ask them all some questions, like what their prices are and how long they're going to take getting your project done. Although it's tempting, it's never a good idea to just go with the first person you talk to without talking to others. Of course, if you know a contractor that comes with a great recommendation from someone you trust, that's probably your best bet.

Hopefully we've given you some ideas to make great improvements to your home without spending too much. While we're on the topic of saving money, don't forget to let our insurance agency help get you the best homeowners insurance at the lowest cost. Give us a call at (386) 218-4951 or request a quote today.