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.
SPACES FOR SPICES
In my last post we began to look at the challenge of creating an organized kitchen to cut down on stress and save time. Now that we have the pot ;)/pots organized let's look at some creative ways to store your spices. I love to experiment with cooking Indian food (lots of spices) and there is nothing more frustrating than digging in the back of a cabinet for the garam masala!
SPICES should be stored away from heat and moisture, so right over your cooking surface may not be the best option. A spice rack behind the door of an a cabinet close to your food prep area or stove is a good choice.
I like the ones with adjustable shelves. If you are adding one to an existing kitchen make sure that the shelves inside the cabinet are not going to get in the way when you shut the door. Hopefully, if your shelves are adjustable, you can work your way around that. Incidentally I also love to use these types of spice racks for storing over-the-counter and prescription medicines in the kitchen or bathroom.
Another way to utilize the back of a cabinet or pantry door for spice storage is to use a simple shoe rack!
My absolute FAVORITE way to store spices is the magnetic spice rack preferably on the back of a door as well. Containers are not very deep so they shouldn't interfere with cabinet shelves. You can see everything clearly and you can even make one yourself! Click here to find out how to make one. Is this cool or what?!
Next up, sorting out the tupperware nightmare, making your utensils behave and your chance to win a "kitchen enhancing" accessory!
QUICKIES FOR YOUR KITCHEN
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Quick Fixes
If you just can’t live with that tired old kitchen anymore, but need some more time to raise the necessary funds for a top-notch remodeling job, a quick fix may be the answer to get you through the waiting period. My good pals Karen & Barry recently aquired a "new-old" condo, a great windfall but a potential money pit considering all the renovation they were looking at. Luckily my friends are nothing if not creative and resourceful. They simply removed the outdated cabinet doors and painted the upper cabinets. This not only open things up but also makes it pretty easy to find everything in a small kitchen.
If you have the space above your cabinets, consider adding molding . Crown molding can bring more pizzazz to your kitchen by adding a finished look to simple, boxy cabinets. You may have pretty good cabinets that you like, but perhaps the builder just didn’t spring the extra bucks to add molding. You can also add molding below the upper cabinets to complete the look, and to conceal under cabinet light fixtures. Typically molding used in this way runs from 1 ½” to 3” thick.
Try painting old wood cabinets like my friends did. Good wood cabinets can even be refinished or painted to look brand new. Using the necessary primer you can even paint over laminate cabinets. A glass door or two can complete this quick fix.
Perhaps you like the look of your cabinets but would probably like them a lot better if your countertop wasn’t so worn and torn. You might upgrade from laminate to tile, or simply install new laminate in a different color, or a pattern that looks like granite. Don’t forget to be creative with the backsplash area between the upper cabinets and countertop. Finish the entire backsplash area with tile or material that looks like granite. Another economical option is faux painting, or trompe l’oeil, which means “fool the eye.” Creating a stone or brick look is a great quick fix. Hiring someone to paint it is cheaper than doing tile, or you can try your hand at painting it yourself. You might even try some stenciling.
Using new and interesting hardware can also update the look of your kitchen. You’d be amazed how much difference new doorknobs and drawer handles can make. Old knobs and pulls look, well, old. Choose something new, modern, colorful, even daring. Just make sure if you’re replacing handles that the screws for the new handles are in the same place
Sometimes builders try to save money by installing fewer cabinets than there is room for. The result can be storage space problems. If you have an empty wall, you can get some style and storage space by utilizing free standing furniture such as a Hoosier hutch, or an antique pie safe. In general, a freestanding piece of furniture will be less expensive than a built-in cabinet, especially if you’re hitting thrift shops and garage sales. Plus, whatever you get is going to be unique.
Lastly don’t forget to check out weekend do it yourself workshops offered by local home centers. You can’t beat the satisfaction of saving money and knowing you did the project yourself! New photos have been posted to our Flickr photo album. Check them out! Just click on the link to the right. Next post: Kiddies in the Kitchen