Many people want to enhance their home but don’t have the resources for a full-scale or even minor remodel. It’s understandable, considering how expensive home improvements can get. Construction materials cost a lot, and if you factor in labor, one project can easily amount to thousands of dollars.

Just because you can’t do a costly remodel does not mean there’s no way to liven up your hope. In fact, there are plenty of budget-friendly home upgrades you can try now.

Check out these five low-cost updates to give your home a much-needed face-lift.

Increase Curb Appeal

Start with the entrance if you want to give your home a face-lift. It’s the first thing people see, and it dramatically affects people’s (including your own) perception of your house. If you’re going to sell your home in the future, increasing its curb appeal also raises the property’s value and attractiveness to buyers.

That said, you don’t need a new stone veneer or renovated porch, but you do need to a mowed and well-maintained lawn and a beautiful and fresh entrance. All these you can achieve by deep cleaning, repainting, and fixing a few things.

Mow your lawn regularly, and trim trees and bushes by your entrance. Remove items that don’t belong in your yard, and don’t leave your gardening and utility tools out. Fix those small problems, like chipped railings or damaged stairs, that make the entrance look unkempt. Give your door a new paint job, and accessorize your front porch.

Freshen Up Walls

Painting your walls a new color can completely transform your interior. Colors influence the ambience of the place. Soft and light colors make a room look fresher, brighter, and more expansive while dark hues give a feeling of warmth, close intimacy, and luxury.

When choosing colors for your interior, pick ones that will complement what you have now so you don’t have to think about changing your furnishings or making them work with the new paint.

Other than complementary colors, you also need to consider which sheen to choose. High-traffic and mess-prone areas should use high-gloss or semigloss paint because it’s easier to clean and lasts much longer. Flat or matte colors work better when you want high pigmentation and cover-up for aesthetic purposes.

Add New Lighting Features

Lighting, like paint colors, greatly affects the mood of a room. The three types of lighting—ambient, accent, and task—work together to illuminate a space, highlight architectural and decorative features, and make doing specific tasks easier.

Good lighting is achieved by combining all three types. If you lack any of the three, consider adding new lighting features at home. Of course, any electrical work should be left to the pros.

Since you’re on a budget, stick to lighting features that don’t require installation. Use floor or desk lamps, fairy lights, and LED candles to add layers of light to any room. It’s more affordable and less troublesome for you.

Update Light and Water Fixtures

Knowing how important lighting is, you should make sure that all your lamps are working correctly. Replace dim or dead light bulbs with LED lamps for more energy savings and brighter and longer-lasting illumination.

Switch out your old, clogged, or leaky faucets and showerheads for modern, low-flow fixtures. If you’re still using the same toilet since 1994, it may not be up to government standards now. Consider investing in a water-efficient toilet with a macerating pump and upflush system for a hassle-free installation, more water and bill savings, and clog prevention.

Clean and Reseal Grout

Grouts are often overlooked, but clogged and black grouts actually lessen the appeal of a room. They’re like sand in the eyes, small but incredibly bothersome. Luckily, it doesn’t cost much to freshen up grouts and reseal them.

The first step is to clean between the tiles thoroughly. Grout is made of porous materials (ground-up sand and cement), so all kinds of dirt can get stuck inside. After cleaning, reseal grouts periodically to keep them watertight and looking fresh.

Home, Sweet Home

You can never go wrong by investing in your home, especially if you carefully choose the investments that give the most value for cost. It’s not just because home-improvement projects can increase the market value of your property. You and your family deserve to live in a well-maintained environment. Your surroundings influence your overall well-being. Looking after your home is just one way of taking care of yourself.