You’ve heard of Snakes on a Plane.  Well yesterday we had snakes in a Kitchen Design Studio.  Ok I exaggerate.  It was one snake, a juvenile black snake (according to Trevor’s iphone Googling).  I think he slithered in to tell me it’s high time I write a blog post so here I am with a topic that is especially near and dear to our hearts nowadays, saving money.If you don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in a new kitchen, there are some small tricks that can make a big difference.   Whether you just seek to make your tired dysfunctional kitchen great looking and user friendly, or you want to up the appeal for a potential buyer, these smaller upgrades fit the bill.Consumer Reports’ latest tests offers the home owner a variety of low investment ideas to freshen up the kitchen.    Here's my twist on what they had to say.Paint!“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”- Henry Ward Beecher (Love the quote and was going to find a way to work it in here no matter what) SO, how about painting your nature in your kitchen?  Paint is the most inexpesive low-risk investment you can undertake to make a dramatic difference.  Most of us can even tackle the walls ourselves.  You can be bold as there typically isn't a whole lot of wall exposed in a kitchen (except this one!).  Don't forget to consider adjoining rooms and how colors will work together.  I prefer a satin or even a semi-gloss finish that is easy to wipe clean in the kitchen.  If you’re more ambitious and want to paint your cabinets, do it right.  Remove the doors, drawers and hardware, clean all surfaces, sand or de-gloss, use a primer and take your time! Make it work! (As Tim would say)You know what I’m talking about.  Are you tired of falling spice containers? Do you yearn for a convenient trash  receptacle?  If you’ve lived in your kitchen for a while you will probably have a few functional pet peeves.  Many of them can be addressed without breaking the budget.  There are all kinds of ways to store those unruly spices. Check out my previous post Spaces for Spices.     If you have a 15” to 21” wide cabinet to spare you can install a pull out trash container.  I’d say this is the number one accessory for a kitchen and every kitchen needs one!  How about roll out trays?  You can also purchase these and install them yourself if you’re handy. Counter solutionOne of the most visible elements in your kitchen is the counter top and a new one can make a world of difference.  Unless you’re going with a laminate, and there are some really nice selections out there,  you’re going to spend more than $1,000.  If that’s the case make sure your cabinets are worthy.  Check for damage, especially for water damage in and around the sink cabinet.  If the integrity of your cabinetry is compromised you certainly don’t want to set a butt load of money on top!  Did you know that once granite or quartz are installed no one will guarantee it can be removed without breakage? Create a splashThe back splash is another visible element with a lot of impact.  Here you can get even more creative than with the counter top because it’s purely decorative!  Other than being cleaner- friendly it doesn’t have to do anything but look pretty.  Tile, tin panels, or even wine bottle corks can make a unique statement on your back splash. Floor itWood flooring is hot at the moment and that’s because it’s a great look and it goes with almost everything but here’s the best kept secret in kitchen flooring.        Traffic Master Allure Ultra Resilient Flooring. It looks great, it’s pet proof, kid proof and water proof.  It’s really easy to install.  I know, my hubs installed it for us and it still looks great after five years!No excuses.  I find that even the smallest project completed yields such a sense of accomplishment.  These are even things you can do to tide you over until you have saved enough for the full Monty!  (At which time you will call me) In the meantime, send me pix.  I want to see what you can do.