I have a serious need for change problem. Every six months or so, I absolutely need to make some sort of home update. Whether I get rid of knick knacks, paint picture frames a new color, or completely reorganize all of my furniture, it has to be a little different.

Unfortunately for me, the layout of my bedroom is pretty much set since it is so small, and Megan would kill me if I asked her to move her TV cords and rehang the floating shelves. So then I have to get money involved. Lately I have found that a few things have been really making me happy for very little money, however, so I wanted to let y’all in on some secrets. Check out this list of how to redecorate with inexpensive home updates (that are really easy too!).

1. PAINT

Paint will be your best friend because it is cheap and totally effective in transforming your space. Since I live in an apartment, I don’t actually paint my walls, but my picture frames, lamp bases, or just artwork can get a new coat! Lately everything has been getting a shiny shade of gold or white. As long as most of your other items are neutrals, a pop of color can also be the way to go! Recently I painted my IKEA lamps gold instead of black, and I love the result.

2. PILLOW CASES

You know all of those throw pillows you spent a ridiculous amount of money on? Don’t get rid of them when you are sick of the chevron pattern that seemed so trendy but now makes your home look like a college dorm room. Making new pillow cases is the easiest sewing project EVER! Check out my pillow case sewing tutorial to recover your pillows in a washable, removable covering that you can change time and time again. For more inspiration check out this DIY fur pillow and this gold painted pillow.

3. STORING/THROWING THINGS AWAY

The biggest mistake that I’ve seen when people decorate is that they want to show off all of their cute things. Yes, they are cute, but having them all on display makes things look messy. Pick the items that you absolutely love, and put them out on the shelf. Either store or get rid of the other items that don’t mean as much to you.

You should also hide away items like DVDs, spices, and appliances that you want to have on hand but end up looking cluttered when sitting out. A cute Kitchen Aid mixer out on the counter is pretty. The toaster, then entire pantry of spices, the knives, and the dirty drying towels are not. Throw them in a cabinet when they are not being used to reduce clutter or get a nice box to store them in.

4. GROUP ITEMS OF COLOR

This is a trick that I really like, but might not work if you have a library of books that need alphabetical organization to find. Since I just have a small shelf, I placed all of the books with the same color binding together in rainbow order and it made them look a lot more purposeful and less like a jumble of mismatched items.

5. REORGANIZING

Reorganizing is the best way to change your home without spending any money. My family would do this at least once a year (thank you growing up with architects as parents!). You can move furniture around a room, or completely change the purpose of each room. The best way to do this without moving all of your furniture multiple times is by making a to-scale floor plan and furniture from paper. This way, you can try things out before making the big push (literally). To make a to scale version of your room:

• Measure out your room and set a scale. If you room is 16′ x 12′ for instance, set 1 foot in real life = 1/2 inch on paper. This would give you an 8″ x 6″ rectangle on paper. Usually a 1/2″ – 1″ scale per foot works well, just make sure it will fit on your paper. Then draw your room with a pencil and a ruler.
• Next, measure your furniture and do the same, using the same scale as you used before. Cut out the furniture pieces and start arranging them. Make cutouts for all of the furniture that you have in the room, including rugs, so that you make sure to allocate space for all of it.
• Once you have everything in an order that you like, start moving the furniture around in your home! You can save the floor plan pieces in a plastic bag for later, just in case you decide you want to move things around again.

I am working on going through all of these steps. I’ve been going through bins of old things from my childhood and my scrapbooking supplies. They used to be so important but are now just taking up space! What are you favorite cheap redecorating tricks?