5 Simple, Budget-Friendly Home Refresh Ideas for 2025
With 2024 behind us, it’s time to start thinking ahead to 2025. The new year is a time for reflection, for new beginnings, and for a fresh start.
You’ve heard the saying, “New year, new you!” Why not take that idea and apply it to your home, too? A home refresh for the new year can help give you a clear mind as you make plans, set goals, and get ready to take on the new year.
After the holidays, though, there’s one thing I’m willing to bet is on your mind more than anything: your budget. How can you afford a home refresh right now? Don’t worry – we’re right there with you! Here at The Old Barn, we’re all about getting what we want while staying within our budget.
In this blog, I’ll share with you some simple, budget-friendly ways to refresh your home so that you’re ready to take on 2025 without breaking the bank. Read on, and get ready to start the year off right with a home refresh!
1. Take down Christmas decor
Be honest… How many times have you left your Christmas decor up until February simply because you can’t be bothered to put it away?
Putting up holiday decor can be a lot of work, and it can feel sort of sad to put it all away at the start of the New Year. However, as much as I love Christmas, I believe that putting away your holiday decor as early into 2025 as possible is the best way to do it. Why?
Cleaning up your Christmas decor sooner rather than later allows you to start the year off on the right foot! For 2025, why not take a step towards saying goodbye to procrastination by getting ahead of the game? The New Year is a time for thinking about goals and plans for the upcoming year, and there’s no better way to clear your mind than with a fresh home.
If you’re not ready to fully take down all of your Christmas decorations… Well, you don’t have to! Something that I like to do is pull out all of the red and Christmas-specific decor, leaving the greenery and winter decor up through February. This allows me to easily transition my decor from Christmas while still enjoying the winter season. Plus, it’s fun to think about how the decor pieces I already have can go with my winter decor! This is especially good for floral arrangements, since you may not be ready to use spring flowers yet.
TIP: Throw pillows can take up a lot of space in storage. Instead of trying to stuff them all in a closet or in the attic, use pillow covers to easily change out seasonal decor! Pillow covers are much cheaper than actual throw pillows and allow you to easily achieve different looks throughout the year.
2. Deep clean your home
The holidays can be a pretty hectic time for most people. After the in-laws have left and the presents have been unwrapped, you might find that your home isn’t quite as tidy as you’d like it to be.
According to the American Cleaning Institute, approximately 90% of Americans report that having a clean home makes them feel better, both physically and mentally. As things start to slow down again in between Christmas and New Year’s Day, find some time to get some much-needed deep cleaning done around your home!
On top of your normal cleaning chores, such as picking up clutter and vacuuming carpets, this is also a great time to do some of the cleaning that gets looked over (or, let’s be honest, put off). Now is a great time to:
- Wash chair and sofa cushion covers
- Touch up paint
- Scrub grout in the kitchen and bathroom
- Clean expired/spoiled food out of the fridge, pantry, and cabinets
- Powerwash the sidewalk, porch, patio, etc.
- Wash all bedding/linens
I know this is a lot to tackle, but once you’re finished and standing in your fresh, clean home, you’ll thank yourself! Get the job done more quickly by getting the whole family involved. Not only does this teach kids responsibility, but it also shows them the benefits of a clean home.
3. Declutter
On top of cleaning everything, the new year is a great time to go through your things and get rid of anything that creates clutter in your home. Like cleanliness, creating an uncluttered home can promote feelings of calmness and safety for you and your family.
Everyone’s comfort level with clutter is different – some people are highly minimalistic, and some people love the sight of knick-knacks and tchotchkes throughout their home. Either way, everyone has a limit, and now is a great time to donate or sell anything that doesn’t serve your home in some way.
Author Marie Kondo developed a popular method for decluttering which involves one simple metric: whether or not an object sparks joy. While I’m not necessarily saying you have to throw out every single object in your home that you don’t love, I do think it’s a great practice to think about whether you genuinely enjoy all of your furniture and decor, and whether it serves a purpose in your home.
On top of furniture and decor, the new year is a great time to clean out closets! Have each family member go through their closets and pull out any clothes, toys, or other knick-knacks that they no longer use or want.
4. Rearrange furniture and switch out decor
Now that you’ve put away your Christmas decor, cleaned, and decluttered your home, let’s do something that’ll make your home feel brand new without having to spend a cent – rearranging the furniture!
Rearranging the furniture can be a fun and easy way to try something new. Try moving the couch, chairs, and side tables in different configurations until you find something new that you like! This encourages you to think creatively and try something new, which if you ask me is the PERFECT way to start the new year.
Another way to make things interesting is to mix and match furniture and decor from rooms throughout the house for new combinations. For example, maybe those throw pillows in the guest bedroom would look great with that throw blanket from your bedroom if you place them both on the couch. Maybe, after you rearrange your furniture, your bedroom rug would look better in the living room.
Get creative! Remember that none of these changes have to be permanent, so it’s okay to try something for a few days and decide you don’t like it. In the spirit of the new year, learn to embrace imperfection as an opportunity for growth and change.
5. Upgrade, don’t remodel
If you’ve done everything on this list and you still feel like your home needs something new, DON’T immediately jump to a costly home renovation project! Our current culture is so obsessed with “new” that it might feel like you need to completely redo your kitchen cabinets, replace your flooring, or invest in that new bathroom gadget. Don’t fall for it!
Not only can remodels be expensive, but they also create a HUGE mess and can render a space useless until they are finished. This completely undoes all of the hard work you’ve already done into refreshing your home, and it creates chaos and disorder in your home. That’s no way to start the new year!
Plus, trends come and go so quickly. For that reason, I’ve always preferred to go for neutrals and classic looks. If there’s a trend that you really want to participate in, you can find ways to do it without completely changing up your entire house.
For a more budget-friendly, simple way to change up a space, think of small upgrades you can make that would change the look of a space. Some of these include:
- Changing out kitchen/bathroom cabinet knobs
- Painting rooms a new color
- Installing DIY wall treatments (shiplap, board and batten, etc.)
- Putting up wallpaper to create a feature wall
By opting to do small upgrades instead of huge remodels, you can give your home a fresh new feel without breaking the bank or creating a huge mess.
Cheers to the New Year!
With these tips, you can make your home feel brand new without going over your budget. Whatever your resolutions are this year, having a tidy, fresh home will help you meet them!
If your resolution involves building a home this year, we can help with that! We offer over a dozen floor plans that we’ve designed with beauty, comfort, and functionality in mind. Shop our floor plans and find one that works for you and your family’s needs!
Do you want to take your home build to the next level? Our Bootstrap Builders Program is for you! This program teaches you how to save 25% or more on your build by being your own general contractor. Learn how to secure a construction loan, how to work with subcontractors, and more tips and tricks that will help you save BIG and get everything you want for your dream home.
Cheers to the New Year, and happy building!