6 Money Saving Tips to Energize Your Home for Spring

As spring slowly arrives you may be feeling restless and eager for new energy. This is a time for making changes in your space – home or office – to support the renewal of energy promised by the re-awakening earth.

You want to make the most powerful changes in your space while keeping your eye on your budget. Here are some ideas on how to get the most powerful impact for your decorating dollar.

1. Potted flowers or plants bring a touch of nature indoors. If you are lucky to have a lush flower garden, bring some cut flowers indoors.

2. Add a lamp with the right compact fluorescent bulbs. Do you have a chair that is in the dark? Place a lamp nearby and discover a new cozy corner for yourself. Being energy conscious you will want to use a compact fluorescent (CF) energy saving light bulb, just be sure to get the best kind. This means a CF bulb that creates warm light, like a regular incandescent Edison light bulb. Look for CFL’s as close to 2400K as possible. These are usually called “soft white” or “warm white.” Avoid “bright white” or “daylight” as they create cold, unwelcoming light.

3. A new bed comforter or duvet cover will make your bedroom look new. Bed covers can be really expensive, so check out sales to get the best deal. Or make your own from the great fabric at a Home Decorating fabric stores. If you use a different fabric on each side, you will have a new look with a flip of your comforter.

4. Paint a room to bring new color and a feeling of freshness to a space.  For do-it-yourselfers this is a very cost effective way to create a new room.  Avoid the temptation of using the cheapest paint base, this will just mean a third coat of paint with a bigger expenditure of energy and you lose any money savings. Short on muscle power? Be creative – hold a painting party with pizza and beer (maybe save the beer until the project is completed) or hire a responsible teen or college student.

5. Move a chair near a window or set up your back deck or front porch (if you are lucky) with comfortable chairs, a table and lighting for enjoying sunshine, fresh air and warmer evenings.

6. The cheapest way to freshen and energize your home or office is – you guessed it – decluttering.  This may not be as much fun as the others, because no shopping is involved, but it is the most powerful and the most essential. Now is a great time to declutter as you are switching from your winter wardrobe to your spring/summer clothes. (I am amazed at the hearty souls who wear flip-flops as soon as the snow is off the ground.) Please remember the Julie Morgenstern (Organizing From the Inside Out) approach: SPACE. Sort – keep, recycle, throw away, give away, Purge – get everything you are not going to keep out of the house, Assign a home – put things where they are most useful and accessible, Containerize (now you can shop for the storage you really need), Equalize – the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly pick up, put away or throw away.

Open your windows and let the sunshine, fresh air and Chi in!