We turned to a few of our favorite experts to ask for their top suggestions on budget-friendly home updates. Whichever update you choose, one thing’s for sure: making a few small changes can lead to some major aesthetic improvements. “A statement wall can be the perfect way to spruce up a bedroom, living room, kitchen, or dining room,” Drew Scott of Lone Fox Home says. “You can opt for a playful pattern or pop of color with paint, as that can always be easily changed—many people tend to think paint is a permanent decision. Redoing a wall is also a fun weekend activity to do by yourself, with friends, or with family.” Best of all, with so many removable peel-and-stick wallpaper options, this tip works for renters and homeowners alike. “If you are looking for an extremely budget-friendly option, switch up your home decor,” Scott tells us. “Remove all the decor from every room, place everything on a table so you can see each piece, and restyle room by room. This will keep things feeling fresh for $0, and you’ll be surprised how much these simple swaps will refresh your home.” Scott notes that he often scores vases at thrift stores, later thrift-flipping and spray painting them to match his home’s aesthetic. “Honestly, no one can tell a difference between a $500 vase and a $2 vase, so it’s really how the room looks in the end,” he says. “Houseplants can make a home feel more tranquil,” Leung says. But, buying plants can get pricey, so Leung gave us a few tips for cutting costs—you just need to know where to look, and what to look for. “Facebook Marketplace is a great option to find budget-friendly plants to decorate your home, as oftentimes, people are rehoming plants they no longer need, so they can be half the cost of what you’d pay at a nursery,” Leung says. She also listed a few plant options that tend to stay on the side of affordability. “The snake plant is a very budget-friendly plant—you can get them for as cheap as $5,” she notes. “The ZZ plant is also a great, inexpensive plant option.” “You can find a terracotta planter from budget stores like Dollar General for $1,” Leung says. “Snake and ZZ plants do well in dry soils, and terracotta is known to absorb water fast, so these plants work perfectly placed in terracotta planters.”
