5 Realistic & Frugal DIY Projects You Can Do Around Your Home

1. Fill holes in trim

First is to fill the holes in your trim. This is a new skill that I just learned, and it's not as bad as you would think, even though it's kind of sticky. I just wear a glove to fix that problem.

Maybe someone installed trim for you and left holes here and there. I don’t want to replace the trim because I am not comfortable using the same need but I can fill the holes myself. I use a tube of caulk to fill the holes, then I wait for it to dry, and I can paint over it.

I just squeeze it out of the tube and then put it on my finger and then put it on the trim. 

2. Paint your walls

If you have ever gotten a bid for painting, you'll know it can be expensive. I always do it myself, but if you’ve never painted a room it's a skill that can be learned. YouTube, of course, is my favorite place to learn all of these skills.

The more you paint, the better you can get at it. My main advice for cutting in is that you only put paint on one side of the brush. I never use painter's tape to cut in. For me, it often doesn't end up being a cleaner line at all.

I just load the brush on one side, and I give it a little tap to make sure that there's not too much extra so that I don't drip on my carpet. 

3. Change your outlets 

The third frugal living DIY is to change your outlets. This is also a new skill for me and I learned this on YouTube. Go to YouTube and search how to change an outlet and then you can change your old outlets into three-prong outlets. 

I have learned a lot while I've been doing this. Remember that you have to turn the breaker off when you're changing the outlet. One of the most important things, when you're changing the outlet, is to make sure there's no power going to the outlet. If you have a child, you probably have a sound machine and you can use the sound machine to save time.

You have to locate your breaker box and turn off the correct breaker, but it can be hard to figure out which one that is. Plug the sound machine into the outlet that you want to change, turn it up on high and then go to the breaker box. Then listen as you turn off one and if it’s the correct breaker to turn off the outlet, the sound machine will turn off.

4. Clean your carpets

We are moving to a new house and I wanted to clean all the carpets before we moved in. I'm very glad I did because the carpets were so dirty. We already had our carpet cleaner which helped a lot but you can also rent a Rug Doctor from most grocery stores.

I invested in my carpet cleaner for about $100, which is not too much because if you rent one of the Rug Doctor machines it isn’t as sanitary as using your own. They cost about $40 a day so if you need to rent that more than three times or for more than three days, you've already paid for your carpet cleaner. 

I also make an inexpensive cleaning solution. I don't measure, so there's no magic recipe for this. To the solution tank, I add hydrogen peroxide to white vinegar, then fill it up with hot tap water. Add a drop or two of Dawn dish detergent but be careful to not add too much of it or you'll get a little bit too bubbly.

If you're like me and you've got lots of allergies this can help keep those allergens down because we can have our carpets cleaned quite often. 

5. DIY stenciling 

We have a new house. The bathroom is so small, so I wanted to make the bathroom special. I was going to put wallpaper up but I was researching wallpaper, and it was expensive. Then I began thinking, what if I did a stencil instead? 

I bought a stencil from Amazon. It was about $35 for the stencil. I thought it would look like wallpaper but it would be way cheaper, and if I mess it up, I can just paint over it. It is a wallpaper-like upgrade without all the hassle of wallpaper and is much more frugal. You can use the stencil as much as you want and cover a lot of square footage with one stencil.  

Take your time and don’t put too much paint on your roller. I got impatient and I went too fast, and I put too much paint on my roller, and I had to paint over. I redid that first piece and painted over it with white again. Then I started again at the bottom, and I'm liking the way it turned out.

My stencil advice is to buy the spray adhesive and put it on after every single time you use the stencil, and be patient and relaxed while you're putting on your stencil, and painting.

Frugal DIYs for your home

You can decorate your home with frugal DIY projects to create a beautiful home. Remember, you can accomplish this without spending a lot of money. What is a frugal home DIY that you feel comfortable doing? Share what you’ve done in the comments.