ecorating your home to be environmentally friendly shouldn’t be expensive. And it shouldn’t just be for the environmental activists either; we all have a responsibility to our communities, and to our families. There are many ways you can decorate “green” for a lot less “green”! Here are The Budget Decorator’s top 5 ways to green up your home, on a budget!

ummer is a time when we want our homes to be welcoming, to be functional for hosting get togethers with family and friends, and be a relaxing place to make some memories. Here are some quick, easy and cheap ways to make you summer decorating…a breeze!

ost of us have that one room that just seems to be missing something in the decorating department, and we can’t quite seem to put our finger on it. Usually, it’s a simple matter of recognizing three basic things each room needs in order to feel “right”. Luckily, they can all be achieved without a lot of cash, and in a short amount of time!

First, make sure your room has a focal point. This is easier in rooms that have a natural focal point such as a fireplace, or a dramatic window view. Not so easy in other rooms. One easy way to create a focal point is to paint a focal wall. Tape off the center third of the wall first seen as you enter the room. Paint the center section a darker or richer version of the color on the rest of the walls. Now create a wall arrangement within that center third. The color of the wall will set it off and immediately give importance to the wall arrangement, whether it be a pretty landscape painting, or a collection of your favorite antique plates. Easy, and makes a huge difference in a short amount of time.

ow do you paint tile" is one of the most frequent searches at TNH, even though we haven't had a definitive answer for that question. Until now.

The most important thing to know about painting tile is that IT WILL NOT WORK IF THE TILE WILL BE WET A LOT OF THE TIME. That means painting the tile in your bathroom is right out, sorry, as is any tile in your kitchen that gets wet a lot.

Your kitchen backsplash, non-sink countertops, floor tiles, wall tiles and fireplace tiles can be painted, though! It's inexpensive compared to replacing it and can give you a brand-new look.

or years, black was the hot accent color. You saw black granite, black tile, and even in some kitchens black cabinets. These days, color is everywhere and homeowners are taking full advantage of it.

Painting your home a myriad of colors is a fine idea--if you're careful about which colors you choose and what you do with them. A wall of Mediterranean blue or lemon yellow or even celery can be exceptional, if paired with the right white, eggshell or pale gray.

any people find moving to a new home tough psychologically. There are always mixed feelings about leaving a place in which you've had good times to go to a new home where the future is a big question mark.

• Host a Memorial Day party complete with flags, red, white, and blue paperware. Invite families for a multi-generational gathering.
• With wasps out and building nests, double check your screens for holes. Hire a pest inspector to remove any new nests as well.
• Weathervanes are chic once again. Now homeowners may choose from a menagerie of roosters, cows, pigs, quails, horses in classic, antique reproduction and modern designs. Even solid copper weathervanes are relatively affordable.

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On paper it seems simple: $30,000 for a kitchen redo, $16,000 for a new bathroom, $44,000 for a family room addition.

But what are the true costs of those home improvement projects? For example, that kitchen redo could actually be done for as little as $20,000, and the new bathroom may actually cost just $12,000.

On the other hand, a family room addition that costs $44,000 on paper may end up costing twice that much when you factor in decorating and furnishing that room.

The true cost of home improvements can often differ from the on-paper costs, and those costs can go up or down depending on the type of project.

ecorating our walls seems to be a huge dilemma to most home decorators, but it need not be. Here are some quick and easy ways to dress up your walls, on a budget!

The most common mistake most people make in decorating their walls is to sprinkle things around just to fill empty space. Instead, draw an imaginary rectangle on the main focal wall in the room you wish to dress up. Now fill that rectangle with a grouping of related art, such as portraits, plates, or clocks. This makes much a better impact on the room than the “sprinkle” effect.

One of nine chapters in the new TNH eBook, Budget Home Decorating.

hen starting any project where a child is concerned, get them involved. What you need to remember is that this is their room-the only space in the house that is really theirs and not yours-and you want the space to reflect just who they are and what they love. So grab a pen and some paper (as your child is likely to come up with hundreds of ideas) and get talking!

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ne of the biggest home decorating dilemmas is how to arrange your accessories, whether it be a bookcase, shelf, or tabletop. Here is a three step system that will transform your boring or cluttered spaces into charming vignettes!

If you have light switches lined up side by side -- no matter how long you've lived at your house -- you probably still have trouble remembering which is the garage light and which is the light for the basement stairs. Well, thanks to Brookstone and their nifty switch plate labels, those days of guessing are history! The set includes twelve easy-to-see labels that have a brass finish and stick on with adhesive. For more information visit: brookstone.com.

home deco

s we embark upon this new year, while it is a time for that new diet as we recover from the binges of the holidays to shed the unwanted pounds they have brought, a time to embrace our new year's resolutions affirming our ideals and aspirations for a better future, it is also a time to let go of the old energies which may be lingering in our homes to make way for the new. The start of a new year presents an opportunity to turn our attention to the energetic remanants lingering from the past, for a fresh start of the new year.

ast minute details can take a holiday home from ho ho hum to spectacular, and doesn't have to cost a lot of cash! Here are some great quick, easy, and inexpensive ideas to wow your guests and comfort your family.

e are often asked how to paint an existing laminate countertop, and if it is even possible. Yes, you can paint countertops, but you need to prepare the countertop surface carefully beforehand with special primer. Here's how.

ecorating a small room is one of the biggest challenges many families have in their homes today. Making a small room work for your loved ones can be frustrating and confusing. Here are some great low budget ways to simply transform your small rooms no matter what your budget!

Whether the kitchen serves as family central or you use it just for cooking and eating, you want to be happy and comfortable there. Dawn Ritchie and Kathryn Robyn, authors of The Emotional House (New Harbinger) and owners of a home consulting practice in Los Angeles offer simple tips to help you organize and redecorate your kitchen to fit your family's personality and needs.

Jonni answers these questions:

• I was wondering if you have any ideas for frugal, healthy snacks for kids. Mine love crackers, but they can be expensive. Any suggestions?
• Just like going on a diet, I become very frugal for long periods of time, doing all the right things, from writing a menu and a food-shopping list to checking out sales and stocking up. I am restrained and don't buy stuff on impulse and ask myself if I need or want that item. Then after being very budgetwise for a long period of time, I just go loose. I stop doing all those good habits. I start racking up credit card debt again. I stop making menus but just go to the store and buy stuff. Needless to say, we end up in a financial hole, and we have to dig ourselves out. Is this common? How do you stop this cycle?
• I have a sectional sofa that is maybe only 5 years old and is in good shape except for one corner where the cats clawed the material completely off of the arm. I mean, the wood is showing. Is there any way I can cover it cheaply? Any covers run at least $100.

ive trees require extra maintenance and some compromises, but are more than worth it. They can provide joy at the holiday season indoors and later, in your yard.

Don't plan to keep the live tree inside for an extended period--a few days, to a week maximum, is better for the tree. Bring the tree indoors gradually, and take it back out that way also. A drastic change from very cold outdoor temperatures to indoor warmth can stress a live tree. Start with a sheltered but unheated or cooler space. Place it in a garage or entryway first, or a basement, for a day, or at least overnight.

Water carefully; do not allow the tree to dry out, but do not over-water it either. Over-watering can cause root rot. Ed Mullins, a live tree grower, suggests placing the root ball in a large bucket or tub and keeping it moist, but not soggy.