As a renter, I can do only so much to my apartment. But as a homemaker and a mother, it's a place we call home, and I want to be able to make our apartment feel like home, even if it is a rental.

My son and I have basically stayed in the same place for many years, and even though I can't renovate the bathrooms or do up the kitchen the way I would like them to be, I'm very proud of the fact that I have managed to give this space that we have the personality that reflects our small family.

Freshening up a space is sometimes needed, especially knowing that it would break up the monotony of seeing the same thing every single day! Thinking that a makeover or an update would cost a lot might be stopping us from actually doing anything.

But updating your home with a makeover doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot of money, nor does it have to be time-consuming. Remember, you don't have to update the whole house in one go. You can choose to do it room by room.

Here I'd like to share 7 QUICK & EASY WAYS TO FRESHEN UP YOUR HOME WHEN YOU'RE ON A BUDGET.

01 - PAINT YOUR WALLS

Sometimes a fresh coat of paint is all you need to freshen up a space. Depending on your existing furnishing and furniture, choose a colour that suits what's already there best.

For a blank canvas and something that will be easier to adjust to, choose white. White will make a small space look bigger and would match with any existing colour palette that you're already working with or intend to add on.

02 - SPRUCE UP OLD FURNITURE

We might not always have the budget to buy new furniture.

One solution is to refurbish what you already have. You can paint an old TV console or cupboard or even your side tables or coffee table.

You'll be surprised at what a simple DIY paint job can do to an old beat-up piece of furniture.

Further to that, you can look into the possibility of changing out cupboard, cabinet or dresser handles or knobs for new ones.

03 - SOFT FURNISHINGS

Adding or changing out old curtains, pillow covers and throws to your space is an excellent way to spruce up your home.

You probably have a number of pillowcases and throws in storage that you can replace with ones that you are currently using now.

Soft furnishings in your home are simple enough to change out that you can change them according to season, but remember to be tasteful about it.

Use different textures within the same colour palette to give your home a more polished look.

Changing out your soft furnishing is an inexpensive but impactful way to freshen up your home in a weekend!

04 - DECORATIVE ITEMS

Decorative items can be a lot of things, from personal items like framed family photographs and items collected on travels to those vases or artwork you picked up that you really love!

The trick is to space out these decorative items because too many can give off a cluttered appearance. Pick and choose ones that you truly love and place them strategically on a console or a bookshelf, coffee table or even side tables. You can put the rest for storage and bring them out the next time you're in for a freshen-up.

I have a big gallery wall in my living room that's filled with family photos, and I absolutely LOVE it! Every single day, looking at those photos takes me back to times, places and experiences and reminds me of how truly blessed I am!

05 - MOVE FURNITURE AROUND

You can never really freshen up your home without moving some furniture around. Sometimes, it's all it takes!

Pulling furniture pieces from different rooms that is more suited to the space you're transforming and removing ones that don't work anymore can bring a huge impact and make you feel like you have a brand new space without you having to spend any money.

Re-arranging your furniture will definitely give your space a whole new lease of life.

The other advantage of moving furniture around is that you have the opportunity to actually see and clean those areas that you haven't reached for in a long time, like the back of bookshelves or TV consoles and under the sofa!

06 - PLANTS!

Something magical happens when you add plants to your home. I can't quite describe it, but it doesn't just change the look, it makes me so happy.

As much as I love plants, the feeling isn't mutual, and they usually die on me after a couple of months - I'm either not watering enough or watering too much, I can't seem to figure it out!!

I refuse to get artificial plants, though I do have one single one which doesn't need any maintenance except for the occasional dusting. But nothing beats real plants, which are inexpensive enough that you can buy them and place them in suitable spots in your home. Just make sure they're suitable for indoor living and plants with low light requirements if your home is not blessed with the sun shining from all angles. And don't forget to water them!

But hey, if you prefer fake plants, there are really good ones out there, then go ahead!

07 - DECLUTTER

Having clutter just beats the purpose of freshening up your home. It might not be easy, especially with kids around, but there are things you can do to minimise it.

Take time to figure out what exactly you need and what you don't. I have many decorative items of all sizes that I had collected through some of my travels that I used to have all around my house, and as much as I love having them around, it became too cluttered, not to mention the dusting that had to be done on each one of them. So now, most of them are in storage, and I bring them out once in a while as a replacement for another.

Put toys, books and shoes away. Hide cords. Keep away items that are no longer serving their purpose.

There are many varieties of beautiful storage boxes and systems available. You can designate some for toys, throws, pillows and books.

To me, if there is one thing you can do to freshen up any space in no time at all without spending any money, it's hands down, decluttering!

There you have it – those are 7 easy ideas on how you can freshen up your home without spending much money or time.

Give them a try, and let me know how it goes! And if you have your own tips, I'd love to hear them!