Blogs | Makeover Tool | Share Slow-Cooker Recipes | Subscribe
Links We Love
  • Oatmeal with blueberries
    Kitchen Daily: 7 Hot, Homemade Breakfast Cereals
  • Woman sleeping in bed
    Stylelist Home: 7 Helpful Tips for Buying a Mattress
  • Winter gear
    ThirdAge: 5 Ways to Make the Most of the Winter
|
Real Simple | Life Made Easier, Every Day
       
make us your homepage
  • Food & Recipes
    • Browse All
    • Enhanced Recipe Search
    • Recipe Collections & Favorites
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping & Storing
    • Tools & Products
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Guide to Ingredients
    • Share Your Slow-Cooker Recipes
  • Home & Organizing
    • Browse All
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Home Improvement
    • Gardening
    • Green Living
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Decorating With Color
  • Beauty & Fashion
    • Browse All
    • Clothing
    • Shoes & Accessories
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Makeovers & Tips
    • Clothing Care
    • New! Beauty Makeover Tool
  • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Browse All
    • Holidays
    • Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Entertaining
    • Gifts
    • 50+ Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts
    • Digital Holiday Cards
  • Health
    • Browse All
    • Nutrition & Diet
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Mind & Mood
    • First Aid & Health Basics
    • Preventative Health
    • Stay Healthy on the Go
  • Work & Life
    • Browse All
    • Money
    • Family
    • Life Strategies
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Etiquette
    • Entertainment
    • Saving and Budgeting Basics
  • Magazine & More
    • Browse All
    • Inside the Magazine
    • Inside the Website
    • Newsletters
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Books & Back Issues
    • Simply Stated Blogs
    • Subscribe
    • Give a Gift Subscription
    • Enjoy Real Simple on Your Tablet

Saving and Budgeting Basics 

  • PRINT
  • SAVE
  • COMMENT
  • SHARE:
  •      
  • Pin It
Doodle of a paint brushAlanna CavanaghPage 3 of 7

Money-Saving Secrets From the Pros

Home Decorating & Renovations

  • Buy designer. Select a high-quality paint marketed under a decor-focused brand name like Ralph Lauren (sold at the Home Depot) or Benjamin Moore's Pottery Barn line, suggests Elizabeth Franklin, founder and chief executive officer of the Franklin Report, an online guide to home-renovation and maintenance-service providers. These manufacturers employ designers to select the color ranges and schemes for the rooms in the brochures. Consider it off-the-shelf decorator advice.
  • Cut out pictures. Frame pages from an art or architecture book. (Samflax.com has some inexpensive frame options.) "Anything looks like artwork under glass," says Franklin.
  • Think opposites. Upgrade air conditioners in winter and heating units in summer. "You'll be robbed if you wait until it's hot to call the air-conditioner guy," she says.
  • Consolidate home-renovation projects. Don't do just the bathroom if you plan to make over the kitchen and the bedrooms in the near future. "The bigger the project, the lower the margin the contractor has to make money off it," says Franklin.
Next: Entertaining at Home
Skip to Daily Finds slides.
Doodle of a purse
Doodle of tickets
Doodle of a paint brush
Doodle of champagne flute
Doodle of a checkbook

Most Popular Galleries

  • Ketchup bottle as batter dispenser

      50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things

  • Real Simple March 2002

      16 Before-and-After Room Makeovers

  • Heart to Heart Bow Tie

      Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

  • Verso Design Silmu Tablemat

      7 Decorative Trivets

  • Cheese Souffle

      Easy Recipes for Two

Hot Topic

What do you think about this article? Share your own solutions and ideas

View Earlier Comments
Advertisement

What's Hot

Halibut With Citrusy Tomatoes and Capers

5 Cool-Weather Dinners

Warm up with these quick, healthy, delicious dinner ideas.

  • How to Host a Swap Party
  • Stylelist Home: 10 Smart Organizing Ideas
Computer deskNew on the Web
Erin and Courtney Henderson: Top 10 Aphrodisiac Foods To Eat This Valentine's Day
...
from Kitchen Daily on Huffingtonpost
Liberalizing 'morning-after' pill availability sends dangerous message
A former Texas high school coach and teacher has been charged with allegedly gi...
from FOXNews.com
Nuclear Power Plant Project Wins Federal Approval; First New Reactors Since 1978
  The nation's first new nuclear power plant in a generation won ...
from ThirdAge
Living Together: Balancing His-and-Hers Style
It's a classic design dilemma -- a couple is ready to make a house a home, only ...
from Stylelist Home
Personal Finance Advice From a Billionaire
Of all the people to take advice from, perhaps we might be able to learn a thing...
from SavvySugar
Modern Mexico (10 photos)
The problem with themed design is that it can so easily tip over into kitschy. ...
from Houzz
Real Simple Newsletters To receive any of these free e-mails, check the boxes below and enter the required information.
  • Weekly Tips Newsletter
  • Daily Finds
  • Daily Thought
  • Wedding Newsletter
  • Daily Recipe Newsletter
  • Ask Real Simple
  • Keep It Together Checklist
Work & Life:
  • Money | 
  • Family | 
  • Life Strategies | 
  • Technology | 
  • Travel | 
  • Etiquette | 
  • Entertainment | 
  • Pet Help | 
  • Best Time-Saving Ideas | 
  • How to Keep in Touch | 
  • Destination Ideas | 
  • Saving and Budgeting Basics | 
  • Weekend Getaway Guide | 
  • The Get It Together Plan | 
  • Smart Shopping 101 | 
  • Modern Manners | 
  • Smart Tips for Busy Moms  | 
  • Ideas for Family Fun | 
  • Find the Best Everyday Value


More from RealSimple.com:
  • Food & Recipes | 
  • Home & Organizing | 
  • Beauty & Fashion | 
  • Health | 
  • Holidays & Entertaining | 
  • Magazine & More
  • Real Simple Magazine:
  • Subscribe | 
  • Give a Gift Subscription | 
  • Tablet Edition
  • On The Go: 
  • Get Ideas Daily | 
  • Become a Fan on Facebook | 
  • Follow Real Simple on Twitter | 
  • Real Simple Mobile Apps
  • Contact Us | 
  • Customer Service | 
  • Privacy Policy | 
  • Terms of Service | 
  • Print Media Kit | 
  • Digital Media Kit | 
  • Real Simple Rewards | 
  • Site Map
  • Ad Choices
Copyright © 2012 Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Network