Please name a very simple, inexpensive home improvement that changed your life for the better

[Anonymous]

Carpeted the basement. So much more inviting than the tile that was there.

[Anonymous]

Bought 2 50L touch trash bins for the kitchen, one for regular and the other for recyclables. Only have to empty them once a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trapped in a DCUM miserable, sexless marriage for the sake of the kids. DH died. Donated/sold all of his crap. House is so much easier and nicer to keep clean.

Just checking, ^^sarcasm, right?

No, DH's ashes are in the garbage, where he belongs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Shelves up the sides of my kids' long narrow closets, instead of across the back.

The closets hold so much more this way.

Can you post a pic of something similar? Thanks

I tried to find a pic online but no luck. I had no idea that this is such a novel concept

I will try to describe it:

We have lived in several houses where the kids' room closets are those long narrow ones with the bifold double doors. The closets are around 2 ft deep (or less) and about 6 ft long. There is usually a recess on either side of the door about 1 foot deep, give or take a few inches. We go to Home Depot and get 1x2s cut the depth of that recess for the shelf brackets, and wooden shelving cut the widthxdepth of the shelving, two-three shelves per side of the closet and two 1x2s per shelf. My husband screws the 1x2s on the front lip of the recess and the back wall of the closet, then screws a shelf to each pair of brackets. The bottom shelf is placed a few inches higher than one of those fold out cloth toy bins (like you put in the cubbies), the second shelf is placed high enough for the plastic toy bins to fit on shelf #1. When the kids get a little older and can reach higher, we add a third shelf.

This arrangement allows us to store most of their toys off to the sides of the closet and at a height accesible to them, and keeps the center of the closet clear for bigger toys and a cubby shelf.

I came up with the idea of mounting shelves up the side of the closet after getting frustrated about the wasted space back there after putting cubbies across the back of the closet.

Doing it this way really maximizes space in a narrow closet.

NP here. My last house had shelves like this. It was built in 1967 and I bought it in 1995. One of the two previous owners had done this. It looked similar to this (best picture is the AFTER photo at the end, but the full page might give you a better idea of what it looked like and how to do this yourself):
http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2012/10/guest-post-how-to-build-your-own-custom.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swapped out all of of the preexisting, white plastic switch plate covers and replaced all with oil rubbed bronze covers. Huge difference..

Ha-the very first thing we did when we bought our house was replace all the hideous brass switch plates and outlet covers with white ones! (Not plastic though, and the old ones were bright, shiny brass not oil rubbed.)

I second the Elfa comment. Our closet holds so much more now and it wasnt nearly as expensive as I thought.

[Anonymous]

Replaced a 15 year old toilet with a new one that actually flushes properly.
It was less expensive than I thought it would be. I think I actually spent more on plumbers over the years trying to get the old toilet to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Replaced a 15 year old toilet with a new one that actually flushes properly.
It was less expensive than I thought it would be. I think I actually spent more on plumbers over the years trying to get the old toilet to work.

Early low flush toilets are the worst!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swapped out all of of the preexisting, white plastic switch plate covers and replaced all with oil rubbed bronze covers. Huge difference..

Ha-the very first thing we did when we bought our house was replace all the hideous brass switch plates and outlet covers with white ones! (Not plastic though, and the old ones were bright, shiny brass not oil rubbed.)

I second the Elfa comment. Our closet holds so much more now and it wasnt nearly as expensive as I thought.

ORB is nasty, just nasty.

[Anonymous]

French doors with transom in row house. Tons more light.

[Anonymous]

Recessed lighting with dimmers in kitchen and hallway--has made a marked difference for our home because of our very shady lot with old trees.

[Anonymous]

painted the kitchen cabinets. holy moly.

[Anonymous]

In a small, narrow entry hallway - hung - on side of wall behind the door - hooks for kid jackets/backpacks at kid level, narrow shelf for sunglasses, etc with key hooks underneath, and hooks above to hang adult purses, bags, etc.

Helps so much with the clutter.

[Anonymous]

Good Celling fans

[Anonymous]

Put nice plantation shutters in several rooms. Wasn't exactly inexpensive, but it make my house look so much better and made me feel happier.

Painting the whole interior also made a huge improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ORB is nasty, just nasty.

Well, you are definitely NOT Sherry Petersik.