10 Home Tips + Tricks That Take Minutes But Reap Major Rewards

With a new home to dive into, our list of house (exterior and interior) projects and to-do’s feel never-ending. From new light fixtures and furniture, planning kitchen and bathroom renovations, organizing, and more, it’s safe to say that we’ll be working on making our house truly our own for a few years ahead. And that’s OK! That’s home ownership and I accept that (or at least try to ha!).

But what about when you want to transform a space but only have a few minutes? When you want to give your room a little extra oomph but only want to spend a few dollars? 

You can still totally get a major boost with only a few simple tips and tricks that only take minutes but reap major rewards. I love any little way to transform a space easily and these ones below are the ones I am using these days in our new home. Take a look – and  I’d love to hear any style secrets of your own 🙂

No. 01 To begin, I always take products out of their original boxes and bags and relocate them to attractive and simple containers to keep things tidy, and cohesive in your home. From the kitchen to the laundry room, bathrooms and everywhere in between, this trick is my go-to for truly bringing rooms together. We’re talking dog treats to cute tins and dryer balls in simple jars; this works for practically anything and everything. We just recently put Bella’s dog treats in this small canister! If your dog has larger treats, I’d find something similar but larger.

No. 02 In the same realm, make baskets your new best friend. Everything should have a home within your home, and when they do, tidying up becomes immensely easier. And when spaces are tidy, rooms are transformed, plus – you save money and time. Baskets, especially those that can “hide” anything that is even slightly unseemly, are my saving grace when it comes to toys, magazines, miscellaneous clutter and more. My go-to storage product is SortJoy; all bases are covered, with their simple, stylish look, their sustainable approach and their amazing ability to hold SO MUCH stuff.

No. 03 Easy and fun decor trick? Keep a small stash of throw pillow covers tucked away and whenever you need a fresh look, switch them out! As the weather gets chillier and you crave all things cozy, I love to pull out my heavier pillows to amp up our family room.

No. 04 It’s a common pitfall; you have beautiful framed photos throughout the house, but you never update them! Print off a bunch of new ones (the kiddos change by the second it feels like!) and refill the frames so you have beautiful new memories to enjoy.

No. 05 Anyone else loved building forts and creating new room setups when they were little? Just me? 😉 These days, I love to rearrange a few pieces of furniture anytime I need to spice up a room. Takes only minutes but can truly change up a space.

No. 06 Bring in some green! Visit your local nursery for a few indoor plants to make your space feel brand new. Along the same lines, fresh flowers do wonders to any space.

No. 07 Grab a bin and walk from room to room, grabbing any and all miscellaneous clutter off all the counters. Decreasing the amount of anything from these spaces that you view constantly, helps a room “breathe” and feel fresh instantly. While doing so, collect all paper, from kids’ scribbles to junk mail and more, and sort it out: recycle, file away, or deal with pronto. It’s mind blowing how quickly paper piles up and dealing with these piles routinely helps keep it from becoming too much, too fast. 

No. 08 Change your hangers so they all match (your closet has never looked so nice I swear). Take all those wire hangers back to the dry cleaner.

No. 09 Updating lighting is one of my favorite ways to make a space feel pulled together – it’s one of the first things we’ve tackled in our new home. It has made a HUGE impact with not much effort or financial burden. 

No. 10 Hang the art piece or mirror you’ve been meaning to hang for over a year (maybe more?).

More organizational ideas and inspiration can be found here.

photography credit: top image by Joyelle West