12 Best Home Improvement Tweaks I Love Doing at Home Without Spending a Cent

1.  Light bulb moment.  Change light bulbs of existing lighting fixtures.  There's daylight, warm white, cool white, and even blue or red!  Since I have a mix of white and yellow bulbs at home, I can interchange them to change the mood of an area.  I often change my dining room bulbs to warm white during the holiday season and revert to daylight for the rest of the year since this is where we do a lot of crafts and work.

2.  Pillows and plushies.  Changing throw pillow cases isn't enough for me.  I also change their shape size, and layout.  I even sometimes add in stuffed toys to the mix since we're so fond (and have a lot) of them.  My throw pillows are actually one size (20"x20") only except for 2 (24"x24").  Fiber fill can be stuffed and pushed in to follow the shape and fit into smaller pillowcases.     

3. Linen.  I love linen!  We have a huge collection of linen and comforters.  Since beds usually occupy a big portion of a room, a new set of linen creates a different mood or feel.  During the summer,  I like using bright florals, holidays I go for red, plain whites for a hotel feel, toile de jouy when I'm missing Paris, etc.  It also helps that our rooms have pretty much neutral colors that I can throw in any kind of linen I want to.  I rarely buy sets because I'd like to mix and match.  Try making different combinations with your existing linen and see the difference ;)  

4. Fabrics. I have a lot of fabrics at home, some for work, future personal use, excess from projects, etc.  I love playing with fabrics every so often when I don't have the exact linen, table cloth, or pillow covers I want.  I also use flat sheet linen sometimes.  Oooh, this gives me an idea for a post - 12 DIY projects I love doing to fabric, something like that. 

5. Layout.  This is my ultimate favorite that I even do this to places we check-in.  Not just hotels or resorts, but even my hospital rooms during my chemo, haha!  Friends and family who frequent the house are often surprised that I changed the layout again, and again, and again.  I believe that it changes the energy flow in the house, sometimes influenced by the annual Feng Shui readings for my sign.  I also do this to highlight some areas or pieces of furniture that don't get used often.  it surely feels like a new house every time I do this!   

6. Repurpose.  I have this huge clear glass cylindrical vase that has evolved through the years.  It started out as an aquarium, turned flower vase, turned display/storage for that big box of coffee creamer that I bought.  It now holds some of our junk food.  Repurposing furniture and accessories is like having totally new items at home.  Coffee table turned side table, end table turned coffee table, mug turned pen holder, etc.     

7. Scents.  Whether it's the floor cleaner, lysol, air freshener, humidifier, baked goodies, fried fish, or candles,  each scent defines the mood of our home.  I already have all these different scents and just rotate or apply to different parts of the house.  Sometimes I even spray my cologne or perfume around the house because I just can't get enough of the scent.  Some time last year I used peppermint on my humidifier to deter pests.  Guests kept on commenting that our home smells like a spa...which I'm really not a fan of.  I'd rather keep that scent at the spa where it belongs.  What I love to do is prep my coffee using my moka pot.  Once it starts to boil, the house smells of coffee.  Now, that's one aroma I love :)  

8. Plants/flowers.  I've become my lola, taking home flowers/centerpieces from events and weddings.  I've become my father, taking home plants I see from parking lots and public spaces, haha!  For quick fixes at home, I will either go to my parents' house or ask permission from my neighbor to get some leaves/stems from their plants that I'll put in a vase with water.  There are specific plants used as indoor decor.  You're in luck if you have those in your backyard.  Unfortunately for me, I have to get creative and make do with the plants my neighbors have ;)       

9.  Hide / Unhide.  I have a lot of cabinets and some shelves.  The few display areas I have at home get some touch ups with items hidden in my cabinets from time to time.  Our books are hidden in one cabinet while some of my favorites are displayed or placed in areas where I do my reading.  Whenever this current stash piles up, it's time to get them out of sight.  This item on the list goes with changing the layout.  There are some pieces of furniture that are kept out of the limelight...in  a corner, covered or not.  I swear, the contents of our house haven't changed much in the past few years and yet I often get asked, "bagong bili?",  then I explain which part of the house it came from or how it was used in the past.  

10.  Change habits.  You can actually do this without lifting a finger or doing anything on this list.  Instead of doing our crafts on the dining table, we moved to the guest room.  Instead of eating at the dining area, we eat at the bar.  Instead of working on the bed,  I work on the dresser.  It's nice to change and discover different areas of the house for different purposes.  Upon doing this, I found out which areas of the house have good natural lighting, is most quiet, wifi is weak, has a constant light breeze, etc.         

11. Up, Down, Turn it Around.  This is about moving things ever so slightly.  It can be as simple as the way I fold my blankets, prop up pillows, or rotate the picture frame.  One thing I did this year was roll up all the roman shades in our bedroom and whoa!  Blinding light!  I was transported back to the time we moved in to our new home.  It also felt like I was in a different room because I can see the view outside.  On the other hand, I pulled down the blinds in another room because I wanted to enjoy the prints of the fabric I used.  I store unused towels on a shelf on top of the water closet.  They used to be folded, in 2 piles.  Now, I roll them and piled like a pyramid.  It's sometimes the little things that make an aesthetic difference ;)       

   

12. Swap.  I often do this with my parents and our other home.  Just recently, I swapped my coffee table with their console table.  Now I have a console table that I'll be using as a buffet table at parties ;)  These swaps can be temporary or permanent, depending on the need.  I also think this is the best way to keep sentimental or valuable items without eating up space in our home.