By Ann Bickell from Cheshire, CT

Looking for ways to improve your home's appearance... without spending a fortune? Here's how I gave our old family room a burst of color - without bursting our budget!

I was tired of looking at the same old earth tones in our family room. Everything seemed so "safe" and blah.

With winter storms blowing in every week, I wanted a fresh burst of spring! But I had to stay within a budget as we just finished up with holiday spending.

I browsed through Pier 1 Imports and with great ease I collected a few colorful and well-made items and put those together to coordinate an outstanding new look for our family room that screamed "fresh and alive!" I began by removing the throw pillows that came with our sofas. I replaced them with bright gold pillows. I was just looking for a splash of color to brighten those sofas.

On the walls, I relocated a hanging clock and took down old tired pieces of artwork and replaced them with paintings with the same vibrant gold color to honor the new theme: new life! Pier 1 had some gorgeous silk florals on sale and I teamed them up with a handsome red hand blown glass vase for a stunning look.

Finally, I grouped a cluster of simple white glass candle holders of various sizes, inserted brand new scented yellow candles and the look was elegant, yet comfortable and new. For less than $150 I changed a tired room and gave it a clean, fresh new look.

That's all we needed!

We didn't need to paint, buy new furniture etc. It just needed a lift, and our spirits soared.

You don't always have to think big when redecorating. Something as small as new throw pillows and new scattered throw rugs might be all you need.

Have fun!

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Ann Bickell is the co-owner of housebuying-tips.com, a site that helps first time home buyers avoid the costly mistakes that many new homebuyers make.

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By Jeff from Howell, MI on 01/24/06

A little money spent on simple landscaping can help, too!

By george from Brooklyn, New York on 10/30/08

I've agreed, but that fresh look is very subjective. That looks fresh for the tenants only, not for the potential buyers, since they did not know how it was before.