Netizens Reveal 28 Affordable Home Upgrades That Scream Luxury On A Dime
Article Created by: Rūta Zumbrickaitė
There’s something undeniably magical about transforming your space into a little slice of luxury without blowing your entire paycheck on fancy couches and expensive light fixtures. Call it clever, call it crafty, or call it what it truly is: brilliant.
A curious Redditor asked folks online what frugal home hacks make them feel fancy, and let’s just say people got creative with their answers. From motion-sensor light to cloth napkins that make you feel like royalty, these ideas prove that luxury isn’t about how much you spend but how you spin it.
More info: Reddit
I like to selectively place motion sensor switches in rooms where I would normally turn on the light every time. a walk-in pantry, closet or small interior bathroom.
Carrying everything on trays. I might be overdosing on *Downton Abbey*, but having trays of various sizes readily available is nicer and easier.
Having indoor plants – especially the ones that have low light needs and are easy to propagate. My pothos plant is the gift that keeps on giving since its cuttings have allowed me to have greenery in every room of my place. I’ve gotten all my plants frugally – cuttings from friends, inherited plants from moving neighbors, rescued plants from work, and occasional purchases from places like Aldi or Trader Joe’s. I’m lucky to have a southeast facing room and all of my plants thrive in there. I feel so freaking fancy sitting among my plants, reading a book with my dog by my side.
Home hack adjacent, but my car‘s remote start! I bought my car used , didn’t even realize it had it but the previous owner had an after market remote start installed and it’s heavenly.
Growing anything from seed. I feel like my family is so lucky to have me if the world goes completely insane. I have a 5 ft tall lemon tree I grew from a seed 2 years ago. We’ll be lemon wealthy in a matter of a few years. We live n the north east so I am babying my tree during the winter. 🥶 😉.
Changing my toilet seats out to the easy to slide off versions so you clean everything more thoroughly without fighting crevices is a game changer.
My door catchers and door stops.
For the room doors that are almost always open, I installed magnetic door catchers on the baseboard. This holds the doors in place, creating clean lines in the rooms and predictably large openings.
I also had two 5 lbs kettle bells which I spray painted chrome and use as door stops at my front and back doors. They are easy to place, look good, and securely hold heavy exterior doors open. I love them.
I don’t have any glassware, it’s all crystal from the thrift store.
Flat sheets become napkins, table cloths and nightgowns. The gowns I like retail for almost $100, but I can make one in under 2 hours.
Silver plate is cheap at the thrift store, and it makes the house glitter.
Not sure if this is a hack but … Learning to cook and trying stuff from cookbooks from bougie restaurants. Got a refurbished espresso machine during the pandemic and got serious about learning everything espresso. No need to get my fix at coffee houses anymore. I can make it just as good if not better. Learned to cook lots of ethnic food so I don’t have the need to do takeout anymore unless there’s some unusual circumstance. When all that is happening along with giving myself a bang trim every couple weeks I can say I feel quite fancy.
A $15 eight inch shower head, with the flow restrictor drilled out. I take 5 minute showers, and bring under a true shower instead of 3 streams of high pressure water needles feels amazing.
Meal prepping, my instant pot, homemade bread, having a weeks worth of homemade cold brew and fancy iced tea in the fridge, napping. Big little luxuries.
I bought a big pack of white washcloths for general use and I keep a stack neatly folded in half on the bathroom counter. Feels hotel-core and ‘prepared’ for little effort.
If you make a stew or a pot roast you can use the leftover liquid for a ramen and it’s one of the best broths you could imagine.
I bought the LED candle lights with a remote from Costco some years back— I feel like a wizard from Harry Potter when I turn them on or off, and they last for ages, and really do look like candlelight!!
Purchased a French door from Lowes and replaced my sliding glass door. It made the room ” pop.” They have doors in every price range via their catalog from a modest expense to very expensive. I absolutely hate sliding glass doors.
Buying veggies and prepping and freezing them in silicone bags. Cooking lentils and beans from scratch and freezing them. Makes me feel fancy and it’s budget friendly. I use my instant pot a ton.
I have a lot of various textured blankets and pillowcases. So when I make the bed every day I change it up a little so the layers show but are comfy. Then I drape a throw or two over it, pop my bed tray with my remote, morning coffee, or whatever, and set my bedside lamp to “cozy”.
I put a pretty vintage pitcher in my shower that I fill up with hot water to use while I have the water turned off. It feels fancy and Greek-goddess-y, while also using less hot water!
