Just a few days left before we bid goodbye to 2021, and what’s more exciting than the end of the year? A fresh start to literally everything! From changing your perspective to building a new you— dropping habits you don’t like and picking ones that will feed your soul. With that being said, the first place to start work on the ‘new year, new me’ is with your home. If improving your home isn’t already one of your New Year’s resolutions, keep reading to find out why it should be!

HOME IMPROVEMENT IDEAS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Now is the time to declutter, organize and transform your apartment into a beautiful sanctuary you can call home. And, friends, we are here to help you keep your new year’s resolution with these easy home improvement ideas and DIY apartment hacks that will blow your mind! Let’s get started with the first very important one ??

1. DECLUTTER

Step one: DECLUTTER (and make our mothers proud). By going through your belongings, you’ll be able to decide which things to hold on to and which to toss. Set aside a day (or two!) to go through your clothes, appliances, and tools. Make a pile of things to donate, things to keep, and things to throw away. Don’t stop there, go through the rest of the apartment. Is there anything you can gift or donate? Once you’ve finished, go through the fridge and pantry and tackle that expired food.

While you’re decluttering your physical space, it’s also a great time to declutter your mental and financial areas. Reevaluate your subscriptions. Everyone loves Netflix, but how often are you reading that print magazine subscription? Do you really need everything in your beauty box, or have you found your favorite products by now? Be wise about the things you decide to spend your hard-earned money on.

2. DEEP CLEAN

When you’re done with the sorting phase, do a deep clean. Sweep and mop the floors, wash the dishes, wipe down the counters and dust surfaces, wash the windows, the whole nine yards. When your apartment is free of superfluous items, you can make better decisions about what you want the vibe of your place to be and how to respect that direction in the coming year.

3. CREATE CREATIVE SPACE SOLUTIONS

We ALL need more storage than we’re currently getting. For you, this could be as simple as two under-the-bed rolling bins. If you really need much more space, consider renting a small storage unit for the things you don’t use regularly. You can also consider apartment hacks like using magnetic storage, getting multi-purpose furniture, and using vertical solutions to maximize space. There are plenty of limited-space solutions just waiting to be utilized.

4. CHECK-IN

The next big step in preparing your apartment for 2022 is to verify that everything works. This means double-checking your heating and air conditioning, servicing your large appliances, and checking/changing batteries (think smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, roku remotes, back-up flashlights). This includes running a routine cleaning on your washing machine, dishwasher, and oven. This is also a great time to re-up on renter’s insurance. Make sure all of your most precious belongings are covered by your policy and claim any damages or repairs that need to be done.

5. REDECORATE

Now we’re getting to the fun part! Once you’ve finished the necessary evils, you can bring your design vision to life. If you haven’t already done this, New Year is a great opportunity to make your apartment your personal urban sanctuary. Here you can spend as much or as little time and money as you’d like.

You can invest in a great new work of art to hang. Find cost-effective prints online, create your own poster designs, or support your community by buying from a local artist. Create an accent wall with paint or wallpaper. Add new peel-and-stick floors or wall tiles to liven up your space. Apply contact paper to your countertops. Find second-hand furniture to do a DIY flip. The options are endless.

If none—or all—of this is up to your alley, plants are another inexpensive way to give your home that inviting touch. Buying from a nursery is great, but propagating plants can be just as satisfying. If you have friends with apartments giving jungle vibes, we suggest asking them. You can take cuttings to begin your own little plant family. Chances are they’ll be excited to share. You can find ones that need very little attention and add a great deal of visual interest to your space.

If nothing else, the simplest, cheapest, and easiest refresh can come from rearranging furniture. Work with what you have. Restyle your room or DIY upgrade your existing pieces. Another way to reduce costs is by splitting them. If you have a roommate, ask them if they’re interested in taking on the projects together to divide the cost and workload. If you don’t have a roommate already, consider using Roomi to find your perfect match! Alternatively, ask family or friends if they have any old furniture to give you. If you don’t see yourself as an interior designer, no worries! We can suggest plenty of easy home improvement ideas to ignite your creative spark!

6. NEW YEAR, WHO DIS?

Lastly, the best gift you can give yourself in 2022 is to create new and lasting routines. You know yourself better than anyone else. Whether you’re a Type-A organizer or you prefer to go with the flow, you can benefit from some basic routine advice. Put your bills and other essential payments on autopay. Staying on top of financial commitments can really help alleviate anxiety and unnecessary stress.

Create a daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning schedule. Do you prefer to go to bed with the sink empty, or is the morning when you feel most inspired to take on daily housework? Decide what your cleanliness priorities are and give yourself a window of time to dedicate to each one. And once a month—for the love of all things good—deep clean your apartment. This will keep the yearly review short and sweet.

The New Year doesn’t have to be a big and daunting event. While entirely remodeling your apartment might not be possible, you can set yourself up for success by attempting some of these DIY home improvement ideas. Try adding at least two of these apartment hacks into your 2022 New Year’s resolutions, and let us know in the comments if you have other tips!

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