Whatever theme you choose to go with, the following are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. They are also meant to steer you in the right direction towards frugality and being practical:1. Before driving in the first nail, do a through assessment of the current condition of your kitchen. Do you really need to rip out your kitchen cabinets or can a fresh coat of paint give them a new lease on life? Weigh your wants versus your needs. More often than not, you don’t have to spend all that much to get a new look.
2. Next to get the critical eye are your kitchen appliances. Old ones, even if they are still working fine, tend to consume more electricity. Old fridges eat a lot of juice just to get to the right temperature. This additional expense, added over the span of a year, is enough to get you a brand-new refrigerator that is more energy efficient. Get the right one and it can pay for itself in electricity bill savings.
3. Second-hand items can be a great buy. Especially things that have no moving parts that can get broken, getting them used at a low price are a good option.
4. Even if your refrigerator is relatively new, check the rubber seals going around the doors. If these are already old and brittle, it will let the cold air escape and make the motor run overtime translating to higher power bills. You can easily get them replaced if the rest of the refrigerator is still in good shape.
5. Instead of having your fridge and freezer as two separate units, buy one that combines the two. Running on just one compressor, this configuration is the best blend of convenience, space-saving design, and efficiency.
6. People often overlook the fan in their convection ovens. Use this feature as it makes air circulate and transfers heat better, cutting cooking time and energy consumption.
7. If you need more storage space, instead of having new cabinets put in, try to see if you are maximizing your old cabinets. People tend to hang on to junk and your cabinets might be stuffed with useless things. Throw out boxes, wrappers, and expired cans and jars. You can do a mini garage sale and earn a little from all the stuff you hoarded over the years. You can do this over a weekend and gain back a large part of your storage.
8. Don’t go cheap on things that are supposed to last. Buy quality and keep to mind the adage that: “You get what you pay for”. Save yourself from the aggravation of having something break and constantly replacing them. Buy a good appliance and be done with it – years of use without any downtime are more than worth the extra dollars you pay upfront.
