Thinking about a home improvement project this year but are overwhelmed at the thought? With the economy still uncertain, most of us are hesitant to spend too much money.

So, what do we do if we are staring at our outdated room and wondering how to make do with a meager budget? We get creative and work with our house’s charming imperfections. While a few short years ago we may have considered ripping a room apart and starting over, now it might make more sense to do a more reasonable makeover.

Here are five quick & frugal tips for working around your home’s imperfections:

1. Reface cabinets rather than ripping them out.

When we remodeled our kitchen a few years back, we assessed the quality of our cabinetry and found them to be solid. While we didn’t like the look of them, there was really no reason to rip them out and start over. Our contractor built new frames and ordered new drawers and cabinet doors. We got a brand new look, easy opening drawers, and saved ourselves quite a bit of money over new cabinetry by working with what we had.

2. Buy from resale shops or scratch and dent rooms.

Need new appliances or furniture? You can save a small fortune by purchasing ones that come with the same tiny scratch you know your family will put on it later. My refrigerator came with a small dent on the freezer drawer. Sure enough, we put another dent in since our purchase. Glad we didn’t pay full price for perfection.

3. Rethink how you use your space.

Don’t have the rooms you need? While you may wish you had a nice new family room addition, there is a less expensive option. If you have a little used formal dining room or living room, it is fairly easy to change the way you use those rooms. With different furniture, changing walls, adding new windows or doorways, a space can be transformed for a fraction of the cost of a new room. Think inside the box, rather than how to expand the box.

4. Details, details, details.

Need to give a room a cosmetic facelift? It can be easy and inexpensive to change a few details. A fresh coat of paint, new hardware, updated faucet and a new shower curtain can give a bathroom a whole new feel without an expensive remodel.

5. Break out the elbow grease.

Many home imperfections can be vastly improved with a weekend of effort. A few trips to the home improvement center and some creative thinking can bring about acceptable results. It may not be as stunning as a remodel, but your pocket book will thank you for the effort and you’ll sleep better at night knowing you are living within your means.

photo: The Inspired Room