25 Tips for Keeping Your Budget on Track

13. Refurbish when possible. Update kitchen and bathroom cabinets or a piece of furniture, such as a hutch, by replacing the door panels with glass, fabric, or chicken wire. This option is less expensive than buying new cabinets or new doors.

14. Use expensive materials sparingly. Install stone tiles as a border around less costly ceramic. Upgrade the range in your new kitchen but opt for a cheaper refrigerator and sink.

15. Consider unconventional fabric. Sheets make great tablecloths, shower curtains, window treatments, and other fabric projects. Sheets are wider than most decorator fabrics, so they're ideal for tall or wide windows, and they come already hemmed. Or, consider burlap or terry cloth: Both lend a room texture and don't cost much.

16. Purchase plain, then embellish. Instead of splurging on expensive, patterned fabric for pillows or window treatments, purchase less costly solid-color fabric and dress it up with iron-on transfers, easy-sew appliques, or fabric paint.

17. Update the details without spending a fortune. Instead of buying a new dresser or kitchen cabinets, replace just the hardware. Pillows in trendy fabrics will refresh a tired sofa; fluffy new towels will liven up an old bath.

18. Paint can cover a multitude of sins. Revive furniture, flooring, and walls with a fresh coat of paint. Just be sure to prepare the surface by cleaning, patching, and priming before painting.

19. Find new uses for conventional things. Take a leisurely stroll through a hardware store or antiques shop and envision plumbing pipe as a curtain rod, old spoons as drawer pulls, vintage windows as screens or wall hangings, and an ottoman as a table.