Redecorating The House, re-modeling or something like that can be very costly if you are hiring people to 'help' you do all the work. You can avoid all that, or at least cut out part of the expenses if you can do some of the stuff yourself or get a neighbor to help you out in exchange for you doing the same for them at an unspecified time in the future. But of course that's only if you and your neighbors see each other a lot and you're on good terms. Any more tips — please share.
Well, I think that the best tip you just gave it, to save money when doing home improvements is to do it ourselves, if we have the skill enough to do it. I think this is the first decision we have to make, are we up to it? Sometimes we need to think this carefully because we might regret it later...! If we decide to hire someone, nothing like knowing exactly what we want, the project, the materials, prices and ask for a lot of budgets to go for the best one.
I agree, labor costs a lot and you will definitely save some money if you (with a friend) do the work yourselves. Another way to save money when renovating is to buy 2nd hand hardware supplies like wood. There are shops that sells cheap used wood, windows, doors, and other parts from demolished houses that are still usable. Sometimes the quality is even better than the new ones (especially in the case of lumber or wood).
Can't think of anything else, but I guess this one would do. If you're planning to do renovations, don't throw away any stuff that might still be of use. For example, if you want to replace your door with a new one, you can reuse the doorknob for the new door if it suits it. If some tasks are easy enough to handle, then do it by yourself. Also, be creative. Sometimes you just have to use your imagination and natural resourcefulness to craft things to help you fix and improve your home.
A decent amount of Money can be saved if see the actual factors behind how we spend on something and what are the ways at the end because it finally have an appropriate way of overcoming and learning that how we can get to make a mark because it does matter and it works.
I wouldn't know what to add to your above list, except perhaps for joining a bartering network or starting one yourself. When I used to live in the country, it worked very well with my neighbours, exchanging produce and services. Perhaps a similar thing exists in cities. I haven't looked for it so far, but I think there would be plenty of people interested in a program like that. Also, you might make new friends and one projects leads to another.
