10 DIY Home Improvements that Won't Break the Bank

Do it Yourself TV, the Gods of home make overs. They all seem to be aiming at increasing your sales potential with a modest investment. So who says that investment should be for the next guy. Why not do it just for you and your family, it will feel like you moved into a whole new place and you didn't even pack.

Here's ten tips on how you can benefit from watching all that HGTV has to offer. Surprisingly a lot of what they say makes sense, even if you don't want to sell.
Following the premise of shows like Trading Spaces and Sell This House, you can do an Extreme Make Over for only $2,000.

1. Do away with the excess STUFF. This won't cost you anything, actually it can make you some money. With the old saying, If you haven't used it in a year, you probably won't ever use it. Get serious, and get going, from top to bottom clean out the junk. Garage sale, Goodwill, or the Dump, what ever works, just reduce the stuff. $0

2. Take a serious look at your house from the street, what does the passing public see? Is the shrubbery neat and manicured, is the lawn edged along the driveway, and sidewalk? How about the mulch around the plants in front. Colored mulch will dress up those perennials and perk up the look of your yard. Yes, it's hard work, but it won't cost you hardly at all, mulch is real cheap. Mulch- $20

3. Without doing a complete paint job, what can you do to spruce up the front of the house. Paint the front door, a nice accent color that will make it pop out. Paint the window trim on the front windows, maybe some shutters to accent the windows. Paint-$20 Shutters-$50

4. Lets go inside, starting with the living room, you say those heavy drapes have been there since the late 70's. Grandma drapes for sure. Take them down and while their down buy a couple gallons of paint and give the room a whole new look. Now buy a nice set of shear panels and some fabric that goes good with your sofa or the painting from Aunt Esmeralda and make a set of drapes that hang nice when open. Window space is valuable space, don't hide it. Paint-$40 Shears and Fabric $50