I would love to see a picture of your art car. When my wife and I lived in San Francisco, we saw several cars that were decorated by some amazing artists. I also remember seeing a car that was decorated with sea shells. Every space on the car was covered in shells.

That said, I relate to your story about the car. I took an alternate approach with the same intent recently. My car is 15 years old, and is obviously showing its age in many, many ways. Detailing frankly wouldn’t help it that much. Although I am very frugal and believe in driving cars until it’s no longer possible, I was having a hard time fighting the urge to buy a different car. So for about $50, I turned it into an art car. It turned out GREAT, and now I wouldn’t sell my car for the world. I’m hoping to get another 5-8 years out of it.

Understood that this may be a bit extreme for some, but to each his own, right?

* cleaning your bike
* adjusting the brakes
* adjusting the gears
* fixing a broken chain
* replacing the brake pads

After all that, your bike not only looks new but feels new too!

I love the car detailing. Of course you could detail it yourself and spend the extra money getting new plastic mats that are easier to upkeep and maybe even car seat covers. These are great if you have kids because they’ll damage/dirty the covers rather than the car seats.

Also, consider going some place like Massage Envy (massageenvy.com) where you na get a one hour massage for $39 and then get a monthly membership, just like at the gym.

Other tips:

Clean your fridge and rearrange the shelves. You’ll fell like you have a new roomier fridge.

Pack away the clutter and things you’re saving “just in case” that you never use. You could even sell them on Ebay and actually make money. You’re house will feel bigger and cleaner and so will your wallet.

Clean out/Declutter you PC. Get an external hard drive to save images/music etc. Your computer will be faster and easier to use. You’ll think it’s brand new. Go all out and defragment your hard drive, run full diagnostics, besure to get rid of malware, etc. Get rid of old programs, excessive toolbars, etc. Also, clean your screen, mouse and keyboard.

Redo your bedroom get new bedding/accessories. You’ll think you got a new bed!

@Retiredat47 New slipcovers is a fantastic idea. They can really make an older couch look new again.

@Sasha New towels for a kitchen or bathroom is a wonderful cheap idea to make a room look newer.

2-Get rid of things. How does this help you have new things? I recently went through my clothing and realized some old pants fit again, and got rid of some that didn’t. I went trough my books and found a bunch I hadn’t read. plus, getting rid of things I didn’t want helped me remember which of my clothing I do like and just hadn’t worn in a while.

3-sort of like the curtains thing, but an easy way to revitalize a kitchen or bathroom is to get some new towels. Way cheaper than painting or getting new appliances or tiles, and a new colored towel or pattern can bring out whole other colors in a room.

This is a really great and inspiring post. thanks

My tip is actually something I just did. I felt like my house looked tired and sad (I’ve been in the same house for 17 years), and it was in need of a serious makeover. I bought new curtains for a couple of rooms and also slipcovers for an older sofa and chair. It is incredible what a difference that made.