20 Worthy Home Improvements That Folks Are Calling ‘Life-Changing’

Living in the real world is an expensive feat. So anything that can help save money is more than welcome. After all, we all just want to live comfortably and luxuriously without breaking the bank.  

#1 Roomba Avg cost ~$150-650

Image source: YoureInGoodHands, BubbaYoshi117

I just spent $1200 on an auto map, mop, vaccum, auto-refill, auto empty robot vaccuum cleaner and this SOB is worth twice what I paid for it, it runs 3x a week and I f’ing love it.

#2 Silicone and felt pads for every cabinet and bedroom door. That quiet little voice as they close is so nice. Makes even the cr*ppiest cabinets feel better.

Image source: Mikeismycodename, NGF86

#3 Black out drapes are amazing!

Image source: Final-Substance1233, casti33

#4 Best one by far in my opinion living in a noisier city area would be double or triple pane windows. Not cheap but essential when you want to shut out the noise of the world for a while.

Image source: consideration, abz888

#5 I made automatic curtains for my bedroom, and it was a shocking quality of life difference for me.

Image source: Crazyjaw, djjlipod

Rather than wake up with an alarm, I just set my curtains to open in the morning, and I wake up softly a few minutes later. Add to that the not-depressed feeling that open windows add (but I’m somehow too lazy to consistently do manually) and it’s a solid addition to my life.

I made my as a diy project, so it was shockingly cheap (like maybe 30$). You can get commercial ones but I believe they are much more expensive

#6 Keypad lock for the front door, roughly $200, an hour to install.

Image source: bhasden, SydneySmartLocks

Allows the kids to come home and unlock the door without having to worry about them being responsible with keys. Also allows us to lock/unlock the door remotely and to get into the house without fumbling with keys. The big improvement here was once we had a car with keyless entry and start. We no longer have to handle keys at all.

#7 Reflective film for the windows. Especially the light facing windows. 10 degree drop in the house. Electrical bill dropped by half. Few hundred bucks and an afternoon of tedious but not hard work.

Image source: Orange-Yoda, positiveandmultiple

#8 A little dehumidifier in the bathroom. $20 – $40 on Amazon Never touching a wet towel or stepping on a wet bath mat – priceless.

Image source: anon, investingadvice-

#9 If you have lumps/rolls showing up in your carpet, you can get it stretched and it looks 1000x times better. Blew my mind when my realtor told me about it when I was selling my house. I don’t even think it was 200 bucks.

Image source: moondoggle, faxpam

#10 Covered porches / porticos. No, really. No fumbling for keys while you are being rained on. Leaving? Deploy your umbrella outside but before you are in the rain.

Image source: Background_Lemon_981, mrpoopsalot

Not in the “cheap” category, but soooo worth it:

No snow piled up against your door.

So worth it. I could never go back.

#11 House plants. The amount of color and life simple and easy-to-care-for plants add when the days are dark is amazing.

Image source: KimBrrr1975, altheaton

Flowering trees. If you have a yard, plant some trees that add scent and color and encourage wildlife to visit. We get so many birds and our yard smells like heaven in June with our pink crab apple blossoms and lilac trees.

#12 A washer and dryer.

Image source: Minimum_Loan229, 11jimdickson11

 

I lived in a small place that didn’t have a washer and dryer. Added a small apartment sized WD. Not having to go to the laundromat was a life changer.

#13 Soft close toilet lid.

Image source: d-wail, Bella Bathrooms

#14 Ceiling fans in all rooms. I’m in FL, it cuts down the AC use significantly. Cost varies by fan chosen, able to DIY since the house came wired for them (but only boob lights installed).

Image source: Idgie-Threadgoode, hehasntreddit

#15 Replacing the aerators in my bathroom faucets. We thought was had bad water pressure, but that didn’t make sense since other fixtures were fine. Turns out the aerator was just badly clogged with sediment. It was a night and day difference.

Image source: ThatA**holeMrWhite, eric_has_a_reddit

#16 Under cabinet lighting. Less than $100 and it makes such a difference.

Image source: raisingragamuffins, Melloncollieocr

#17 Probably not the cheapest upgrade at $30-50 each, but I changed all of our doorknobs to lever-style handles.

Image source: CoolHandMike, Dawk1920

Huge quality of life improvement, especially if you’re carrying something with both hands. Plus, our dog can let herself in from the back yard (unless we deadbolt it to purposely keep her out for a bit). She still hasn’t figured out how to pull open the door from the inside though.

#18 Kitchen trash can in a drawer equipped with push to open. Just tap it and it opens itself. No more opening the trash with grimy hands.

Image source: lyr4527, uknow_es_me

#19 Premium mattress. Paying for a quality mattress that actually matches you and how you sleep will literally change your life. I wasn’t a believer and thought it was all a gimmick until I took the plunge.

Image source: MuffinDunking69, XBL_blue110

#20 So many great ideas here! I’ll say additional insulation as we recently bought a house that I felt attic did not have enough and… what a difference!

Image source: Final-Substance1233, Ok_Adeptness8636

Temperature stays consistent, I can’t hear planes overhead and road noise better. I feel like not only am I saving money immediately, but my qualify of life improved too.