Home remodeling can raise the value of your property, provide extra space, and give an older house a more modern look. However, sticking to a budget can be difficult, and if you don’t keep track of your expenses, you may end up draining your bank account. Adhering to a budget is one of the most difficult things to do, and most people fail at it. The following tips will help you stick to that budget you’ve set.

Plan, Plan, Plan

Making a plan and adhering to it is one of the things you’ll need to consider to cut costs during your home remodel. Changing the plan frequently results in delays, additional costs for materials, and additional labor time. Deviating from your plan will almost always have a substantial impact on your budget. In 2016, 46% of homeowners who had set a budget went over it.

So, once you’ve started the project, it’s important to stick to the original plan. Create a checklist of what you need and what you don’t, depending on your budget. Determine what you can eliminate or remove from the checklist and items that must remain on the checklist at any cost. Make an honest assessment of the amount you can spare for each level of the project.

Research

If you do your due diligence and research, this will help you estimate how much you should anticipate spending on the project as a whole. It will also offer you the flexibility to select where to economize and where to splurge; knowing this upfront will make it simpler to set a budget and keep to it. It’s critical to have a realistic home remodeling budget in place if you want to stay within the limits of whatever budget you will come up with.

You’ll need to look at the prices of supplies and products as well as the labor costs. This will enable you to estimate the cost of your renovation, allowing you to make an informed choice about whether or not this is something you can afford at this time. Also, if you do your research well, you might even consider home remodeling options like landscaping that can save you money in the long run. Spending as little as 5% of your home’s worth on landscaping might result in an ROI of up to 150%. So, you don’t only get to remodel your home within the limits of your budget, but you can also enjoy a return on your investment in the future.

Get Quotes From Different Contractors

To get a solid cost for your home remodeling, you’ll need a set of drawings and building quotes. Make an effort to obtain at least three different quotes from separate companies to compare. Because quotations can differ greatly, read them carefully, understand what is included, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Return to your builder if they give you a quote that is higher than you expected. Check to see if and where you can save money, such as by doing the work in stages or changing the design or specification. When you’re on a limited budget, it’s in your best interest to find dependable contractors who are affordable and good at what they do. Check each contractor’s references, ask to see their work, and do some online research on each company.

Go DIY On Some Remodeling Projects

Doing things yourself is unquestionably the most cost-effective strategy to save money on home renovations. Of course, you can do simple things yourself, such as painting, but depending on the service, it’s best to just admit you need help and hire a professional – especially for electrical and plumbing work.

Add a Buffer

If home remodeling can teach you anything, it’s that remodeling doesn’t always go as planned! Once you’ve calculated your budget, it’s a good idea to set aside 25% of the overall cost as a ‘buffer’ in case of any unforeseen events or additions. Even if things go awry, you’ll be able to keep inside your budget if you do this. You can even use this money to make your home not only trendy but more energy efficient. Over the past 20 years, energy use in the U.S. doubled, and going eco-friendly is the way to go. So, you may even consider affordable energy-efficiency appliances or fixtures that can save you money.

It’s an important aspect of your remodeling planning and management to make sure you keep on track and don’t end up with a negative balance at the end. A budget is a tool that can help you keep track of your project and meet your financial goals. So, remodel your home based on these solid money-saving tips.

Although saving money while trying to purchase a home may seem difficult, it is achievable. Here are some money-saving tips that will help you buy your dream house without breaking your bank.

Use a Skilled Local Real Estate Agent

Their experience in the home buying process and real estate is crucial for receiving the best deal for a house. Using a good realtor will also save you a lot of money, time, and stress and the process is likely to go a lot smoother. The real estate agent’s job is to negotiate a fair price, walk through the legal aspects of closing and save you money. Research shows that 78% of new homeowners thought their realtor was a source of valuable advice. The realtor generally receives a 3% commission but there are ways to cut down on your expenditure here. You can avoid standard commission by using services that refund the buyer a percentage of the purchase price at closing. Since you are expected to have a realtor, you can receive recommendations for a good realtor from friends or family members.

Find Loan Quotes from Various Lenders

The interest rate for mortgage businesses differs so you are advised to get quotations from four or five of them. With approximately 35.5 million Americans moving annually, it is quite simple to find referrals to different lending companies others have used. There are many other fees that you are charged for the processing of a mortgage, like loan application fee and loan origination fee. So, comparing quotations will allow you to choose the cheapest and the option you are most comfortable with.

Keep 20% Saved for the Down Payment

Having money saved up for the down payment is a form of assurance to the lending company. It assures them that they will be able to recover the balance due on the loan in the case that you are unable to finish paying. So, if you do not have the 20% down payment you will be left with no other option but to pay for mortgage insurance. This will probably cost you 0.5 – 1% of the total loan amount annually. If the houses you’re looking at are making it hard for you to raise the 20%, you may want to consider looking for lower-priced homes. The mortgage insurance allows the lender to be reimbursed in the case that you fail to follow through with your payments.

Raise Your Credit Score

Lender fees and interest rates are closely connected to your credit rating. This is because it shows your creditworthiness based on your credit history, which shows the number of open accounts, repayment history, and other factors. So, if you have a high credit score, your loan will be more affordable. To improve your credit score fast, you should avoid applying for new loans which make up 10% of your credit score and try to keep your credit card balances below 15% of your credit limit.

Look for a Fixer-Upper

Although it is more desirable to look for a house that doesn’t need any work, it is likely to be more expensive. This is because there is no additional work to be done. Finding yourself a fixer-upper will save you a lot of money, but make sure you take on a renovation project you can handle well. You can also renovate slowly, which allows you to control your costs. One project you can do yourself is painting walls, which is quite affordable as one gallon of paint can coat around 25 and 44 square yards. This allows you to make your home more personalized while saving you lots of money.

Whether you’re working on a limited or unlimited budget, being cautious when buying a home is a good idea to save money. These money saving tips are aimed to help you do so without much stress.

As a brand ambassador for OxiClean Stain Remover Pen, I received products and compensation in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ok so I’m probably the clumsiest of all moms. Probably because like many, I’m always multi-tasking!

For example, I always have to carry everything possible to or from my car at once (including my coffee, of course)! 

And more than a few times I’ve spilled a bit of my coffee on my blouse, like this one below during a fun weekend in Stillwater! 

And then of course I’m carrying shopping bags and my purse and putting my mask on when I go in a store, etc.

So of course, in my purse I have an on-the-go stain remover. This way I can treat stains immediately – whether I’m home or traveling or at work or anywhere else!!!

And I love OxiClean Stain Remover Pen!

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Moving into a new home is an exciting experience, one that will require you to take steps to cut back on expenses and give yourself a gorgeous new home. However, it can be challenging to understand what kind of steps are best for you, as many suggested.

These simple money-saving tips will help make your house more appealing, cut back on many expenses, and give you the high-quality home that you want and deserve. Let’s take a look at a handful of these ideas to provide you with a better idea of what to expect when upgrading your home in these ways.

Upgrade Your Windows

Did you know that aluminum blinds are one of the longest-lasting options for windows and that they require little maintenance compared to other types? If not, you should seriously consider adding aluminum windows to your home. Doing so is wise for many reasons.

First, aluminum is relatively inexpensive and very high-quality. And it can help protect the environment in many ways. Much aluminum is recycled, just like steel, with 86% of all steel being recycled and two-thirds of all new steel coming from old sources.

Spread Out Your Upgrades

When you’re upgrading your home to make it more appealing, you should take only a handful of steps at a time to save money. For example, you can focus on safety concerns first, move on to structural difficulties, and then move to your more high-quality upgrades. Money saving tips like these help you out by creating a schedule for upgrades that won’t’ cost you as much money as you’d spend otherwise.

Upgrade or Clean Your Appliances

Did you know that many of your appliances are probably old and are no longer as efficient as they were in the past? This problem occurs when people don’t take the time to upgrade their belongings. But appliance changes are as significant and regular as updating your estate plan: doing so every five years should protect you from most problems.

If you aren’t quite ready to upgrade your appliances or don’t have the money to pay for some, you can start cleaning them out instead. By this, we mean you can wash items like condenser coils, remove dirt, stains, and mold from their operative items, and much more. Taking these steps will help to keep your appliances running even more smoothly.

Enhance Your Security

Your home is only as safe as you make it, and installing new security upgrades will ensure that you are as protected as possible. You can take several steps to keep yourself safe in this situation, each of which needs to be carefully understood before you begin. They include how you can:

• Change your locks and upgrade them with more substantial types
• Put security alarms on your windows to avoid break-in attempts
• Install cameras outside your home to watch for burglars
• Add high-quality lights that activate whenever somebody walks past your home

These simple security additions will help make your home safer and make it the kind of place you want to live. Just as significantly, such steps also enhance your home’s value and make it easier to sell if you’re interested in getting a new home any time in the future ahead.

Get Your Home Ready to Go

All of these money saving tips are things that most homeowners should be able to handle with minimal difficulty. They are designed to be easy to execute and as inexpensive as possible. Some will cost you a little money to implement, of course, so keep that in mind when planning your home’s design.

Just as importantly, make sure that you don’t overspend, or you might cost yourself a little too much money. Instead, it would help if you plan your renovations in a way that makes sense, staggering your upgrades and preventing financial difficulties by doing them when you’ve saved up enough money.

If you are planning on doing any type of home renovations you will soon find the costs can get out of control quickly.

Keep Renovations Within Code

You are required to undergo regular fire inspections, testing for both vision and functionality. These tests are to meet the NFPA25 Code. Both tests need to prove they have up-to-date designs and are operating correctly. Tests need to be performed at various intervals–monthly, semi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. Some code tests are done at spans of 5 and 10 years.

How Long Will a Driveway Typically Lasts?

With correct care, a driveway may last up to and in excess of 20 years. Yet, this life expectancy is dependent on regular maintenance, climate, and how much daily traffic travels on it. Other factors, such as soil base under the driveway, and how water drains are determinants of a driveway’s life expectancy.

Preventative Measures to Avoid Home Improvements

When a person buys a home, they also purchase homeowners insurance to protect their asset. You want to get the most out of a homeowners insurance policy. In order to keep the rates down, and deductibles low, preventative measures need to be taken.

Taking preventative measures to prevent damage to your home, such as

• Ensure to install effective smoke detectors in every room
• Be aware of fire hazards within the home
• Avoid leaving heaters on when not in use
• Deter from using kitchen appliances for heat
• Set up a plan for safety the whole family is aware of
• Maintain all heating equipment

Taking appropriate measures to prevent house fires and maintaining the condition of your driveway are ways to protect your asset.

A Well Maintained Home Improves Its Value

As Benjamin Franklin once advised: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure..” This saying holds a lot of truth in regards to how maintaining your home advances its overall monetary value.

In order to safeguard your home’s value taking proactive maintenance can prevent literally thousands of dollars in repair costs. A tube of caulking to repair cracks around windows can prevent a costly repair that a leaking window creates.

If a home’s condition is allowed to dimension due to lack of preventative maintenance, the appraised value can decline by 10% or more. For example, an estate worth $10,860,000 would take $1,086.000 loss.

Property appraised at $10,860,000 for a married couple makes them accountable to pay estate taxes. The limit for individuals is $5,430,000. This is a lot of money in assets that need protection.

Strategies for Proactive Maintenance

Now that you know the importance of proactive maintenance, there are many strategies available. When planning, proactive maintenance, you need to keep a small issue from becoming a major problem. The best way to do this is to schedule periodic inspections. These inspections are meant to keep the homeowner apprised of anything that may be needing repair or maintenance. Besides routine inspections, a homeowner should start an emergency repair fund. This assures sufficient funds available for routine upkeep. Guarding against costly repairs so as to not put the family budget in financial upheaval.

By following these money saving tips on home repairs, you will ensure many happy years in your home. You will be able to guard the most important asset of your life. Ensuring the equity on your home continues to rise and not decline. Proving once again the best defense for home maintenance is a good offensive strategy.

Spring is here (finally!), which means it’s time for spring cleaning and for my annual Twin Cities Spring Cleaning Guide! With COVID-19, it’s a very different spring than previous years, but with us all urged to continue staying home, it can mean the most productive spring cleaning year for us all yet! 

To help you, this is a list of Twin Cities area resources to help you get rid of yard waste, papers, clothing and any other type of household items you no longer need. 

Featured Resource: Device Pitstop of Maple Grove

One resource I want to feature is Device Pitstop of Maple Grove, as they ARE open during this time to buy and sell gently used laptops, tablets, smartphone and other devices and accessories! They also repair them! It’s super affordable and they have discounts in-store right now. 

Now with technology even more important than ever to keep us connected, I wanted to feature my favorite resource for affordable devices and services to make sure your family is supplied! AND YES- THEY’RE OPEN! We just went last weekend (watch for my upcoming review) and they had a ton of great devices for sale at a discount, plus they bought two of our laptops for a great price!

Device Pitstop is Minnesota’s No. 1 repair store and refurbished electronics retailer for iPhones, laptops, tablets, Android-based smartphones, game consoles, drones and much more. They also repair and buy devices! It’s owned by a Twin Cities mom, and I wrote about my first experience there here. And you can save money with my special discount! Save 15% off any service, 10% any accessory or get a FREE charging cable at Device Pitstop of Maple Grove! No expiration. Click on the image below to open in a new window and print, or show on your phone in-store!

In addition to this guide, I have provided a FREE 5-page Printable Spring Cleaning Checklist here:

Here’s the FREE 5-page printable checklist! 

It includes one page for each area of your home:

• Bedrooms
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen & Dining Area
• Living Room
• Extra Areas 

Spring Cleaning Guide

CLEAN UP YOUR YARD

YARD WASTE COLLECTION SITES

Each county offers free yard waste collection sites or assistance for its residents. At these sites you can often pick up free compost for your garden (while it lasts). They may also offer junk collection days where you drop off items like tires or electronics and even hazardous waste for a discount. Most of the sites ARE still running during COVID-19, but check out your local county website for locations and times:

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