I'm sure I'm not the only one looking around my home at all the projects that are half done or yet to be started. I mean there's something about being 'stuck' at home that opens our eyes to things we've been ignoring. Or sometimes, nothing's bugging us but we're itching for a change. Either way, getting projects done while under a stay at home order and can't shop poses a challenge. That's why I started taking note of all the things we've done (or can do) even while staying home. Here are 10 easy and inexpensive home updates to make while adhering to stay at home orders.


1. Swap your light switch covers. $10. This is an inexpensive and easy way to add a little spice to an otherwise dull aspect of our homes. I grabbed this brass light switch cover quite a while ago but finally took the few minutes to replace the old one, this week. It's such a small thing but it makes me happy whenever I flip the switch. It's like bored. happy. bored. happy. bored. happy. You get it.
2. Style a shelf or your nightstand. $0. Did you catch my Insta Stories a couple of weeks ago? Simply clearing off my nightstand, wiping it down and re-styling it breathed new life into the space. I grabbed this box the day the Studio McGee x Threshold line dropped ;) but honestly, I had enough on hand without it and you probably do too! I did the same with the shelf in my room a month or so ago and spent $0 to do it!


3. Swap your blinds. The cost varies but could be as little as $50. Most of us live with whatever blinds were in the house when we purchased it for far too long. It took me years to finally upgrade to woven blinds and man, did it make all the difference.
4. Update your house numbers. $52 (in this case). I can't say I've accomplished this just yet but these numbers are in my cart! Anything you can purchase on Amazon is low risk since most items offer free returns. Hot tip- I rarely go to the post office for returns. I simply print the return label, tape it to the package, and schedule a USPS pick-up.

5. Buy fresh plants. $10. The last time I went to the grocery store they had lush ferns outside. I asked the cashier to add a couple to my tab and didn't have to spend one second longer in the store than I normally would have. That said, I admit to hitting up the plant section outside of Wal-Mart during a recent grocery run. I entered that side of the store and probably added just a few minutes to my trip. I was wearing a mask for the record.


6. Paint something. $8. Have we all done that by now?! Sherwin Williams offers curbside pick up and some paint can be purchased online (that's how I got the paint for the project below). We painted the swing set, our screen door replacement that had been sitting in the garage for months, and I grabbed paint from SW to paint our back door as well. Some projects can be painted with just an $8 sample, like our fireplace!

7. Make something. $30. I finally made the ledge shelf that's been on my mind for over a year. I had wood in the garage and made an online order for the other things I needed (wood glue and clamps). All it took was having to stay home to get it done! Stay tuned to see it filled with photos and art!



8. Rearrange your furniture. $0. I've rearranged the living room more times than I can count but I found a new option after staring at it for 6 weeks straight!

9. Swap your builder mirrors. $60. Such an easy update that makes a big difference! After trying a few mirrors, I landed on these. I already had one so it was just $60 (on sale) and 30 minutes of Joe's time and voila, fresh look!
10. Swap your drawer hardware. $6 per pull. I have not pulled the trigger on this (our two dressers have 24 knobs combined!) but I'm getting dangerously close to getting these or these. They're easy enough to order online and easy enough to install. It totally makes an old piece feel new! How good would this look with new knobs!


What did I miss? I'd love to hear more easy and budget-friendly home updates we can do while staying home!