Since I spend so much of my time in the kitchen, I wanted to completely revamp it, but I knew that it would not only be expensive, but would also result in a lot of waste (just think of all of that wasted wood and material!) Instead I chose to only do a couple of things.
First, I decided that instead of replacing all of the cabinets, I would simply sand and paint them all. They were in great condition, so it made absolutely no sense at all to let all of that wonderfully kept solid wood go to waste, but I was in the market for a more clean, simple feel for the room.
Here is a before pic...
All I did was sand and clean the cabinets, and painted them with a few coats of a white low-VOC (Volatie Organic Compounds - yuck!) paint. I also painted a wall with low-VOC paint in a dark blue. I could not be happier with the results! Here's the after pic! Sorry its a little fuzzy - took it with my phone.
I also painted the guest bathroom a wonderful shade of deep plum - but forgot to take a pic! Ahh!
The work was strenuous, and I was lucky that I was able to take some time to get it all done myself. But it was worth it! I spent $80 on paint and got a completely new kitchen.
Another way I saved on the kitchen was that I purchased a new hood vent for above the stove from someone off of craigslist.com. Turns out it was brand new, from a newly constructed home, but they wanted to put a microwave above the stove instead. $35! Score! It may not sound like much of a "green" effort, but replacing my old, energy-sucker of a hood vent, and replacing it with a brand new one that may have ended up in a landfill had I not saved it really is a good way to not only dispose of energy-wasting appliances, but to save the Earth by not contributing to a landfill. Baby steps!
Another priority for me was to have my carpets cleaned - but I had to do some research to find the most eco-friendly way to do it. I made sure to find a carpet cleaner that didn't use anything that could be harmful to my health or the health of my dog, Oliver. The best part was that they not only did a wonderful job, but I got my entire house done (and he stretched the carpet in the bedroom) for $200! And just think of all the waste that I saved from being tossed into a landfill by having the carpets thoroughly cleaned instead of having new carpet or flooring installed.
The best part about being a first time homebuyer right now is the $8000 stimulus. Among other things, I used that money to purchase an EnergyStar rated washer and dryer - which I love! I haven't had it very long, but I'm sure the savings will show up on my water bill shortly.
