We all want to live in a dream home, but the reality is that most of us live in a nice home that could use a little work and love. We can turn our little humble abodes into our own dream homes, and we can even do it on a small budget. I love my house, but it was built in the sixties and the first two things I wanted to work on were the two bathrooms. The guest bathroom in the hallway and the master bathroom both looked like they were out of a 1968 magazine, and I wanted to upgrade them without spending a fortune. Here are some tips that can save you moola on your bathroom remodel:

1. Replace the shower enclosures only. Yes, we would all like a beautiful new marble shower like the ones you see in the homes of the rich and famous, but those cost thousands! Instead, you can save a little money by replacing only the shower enclosure, instead of the entire shower and re-tiling the wall. Go for a complete shower enclosure so that you don't need to tile a wall, because that kind of custom work is where you usually need to bring in a professional can get pricey. Get a four-sided new bathroom shower enclosure and you can take the tile down yourself, smooth out the wall and just repaint it to set off your new stall.

2. Get a new bathroom vanity. Eeek! A whole new vanity you say? Yes, this will save you money in the long run. You don't want a brand new modern shower enclosure in there with a ratty old bathroom vanity, do you? A new bathroom vanity can be purchased for well under $600 if you look online or in the clearance sections, and you can attach the hot and cold water attachments yourself. If you get a new bathroom vanity with good cabinet storage, you will also be able to really organize your bathroom and reduce the clutter. Nothing makes a bathroom look nicer than clear and clean countertops and no clutter.

3. Buy beautiful new rugs for the floor. Replacing flooring can be really costly, so instead of replacing my old flooring which wasn't THAT bad, I went to a nice bed and bath store and bought some quality bath rugs. If you can't replace, cover! Now when I go into my bathroom, my eye is drawn to the beautiful new vanity, the sparkly glass shower enclosure, and then the beautiful white rugs setting them off beautifully. I also replaced the old mirror with a new framed one I found at a discount store. You don't have to spend much to get a nice new mirror, and it makes a big difference.

So there are my tips for giving your bathroom a facelift without spending a fortune. Don't try and replace everything at once, because that's when it can seem impossible to afford. Do smaller but significant things, such as replacing the shower enclosure, getting a new vanity and installing it yourself, and get new rugs and a mirror to set off your improvements. You can save a lot of money if you shop around and find the lowest price on things that you can, and I would recommend looking online for the best deals!