Low-Cost Ways to Revamp Living Areas

Home improvement projects require substantial financial investment. But just because a homeowner wants to bring a fresh look indoors doesn’t mean he or she has to break the bank along the way.

Living rooms are some of the most frequently used spaces in a home, and they can use an update from time to time to stay on trend or to make the area more functional for a changing family dynamic. Here are some budget-friendly ideas for breathing new life into living room designs.

Establish the Budget Homeowners should figure out how many dollars they can designate to a living room makeover before purchasing supplies or hiring out the work. Figure out the scope of the remodel, visit stores or suppliers to price out materials, get estimates from contractors, and then plan for some unforeseen circumstances along the way to determine if this type of renovation is affordable. If not, scale things back until the project more closely aligns with your budget.

Change the Paint Color Lighter and brighter colors are on trend. A can or two of paint can do wonders for updating a space without a large financial commitment. Pair that new paint color with new window coverings and complementary throw pillows to pull the theme together with minimal expense.

Update the Flooring Tired, outdated carpeting or other flooring can use an overhaul. While solid hardwood flooring may be preferable, there are many types of laminate flooring that mimic the looks of popular wood colors and styles for a fraction of the cost. Plus, many are sold at home improvement retailers and even at warehouse clubs or online for reasonable prices. Laminate flooring also may be a potential DIY job for a skilled homeowner, saving even more money.

Introduce a Fireplace Fireplaces were once hot commodities, but that popularity waned in the 1970s and 1980s. Homeowners with chimneys may discover a fireplace was boarded over and the bare bones still exist that can be renovated to bring back character. There also are ventless freestanding units that are quite affordable that can mimic the look of a built-in fireplace.

Reupholster Instead of Replace There’s no need to throw away quality furniture if the fabric is the only thing impeding design. New upholstery or even a slipcover can update designs.

Conquer Clutter Rather than adding something to the living room, remove clutter to give the room a more airy feel. This can instantly change the look of the room. Use cord covers to tame plugs for electronics and remove unnecessary furniture from the room.

Improve Lighting Another easy and often inexpensive fix is to change lighting fixtures, including using brighter, more energy efficient LED bulbs, and to assess lighting needs to eliminate dark corners of rooms that can make the space seem drab. Living room spaces in need of an update often can benefit from improvements that go easy on the wallet. (MC) 

Solutions

A ‘Flexible’ Tax Code

I don’t know what the House Ways and Means Committee was trying to accomplish by releasing former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, but it did make me wish I had Trump’s accountants working for me. Honestly, who wants to pay taxes? Nobody. How many of us would like to avoid paying taxes altogether? Everybody. And to do it legally — wow! Am I missing something here? I can see no wrongdoing by Trump. Even an IRS audit, which was not conducted on Trump while he was president, would not have revealed wrongdoing. It may, however, have revealed how “flexible” the Internal Revenue Code is — but that's another story. You can't put “features” in a law and then punish people for using those features, even for purposes other than those “originally intended.” If that was the case, the IRS would spend 95% of its time prosecuting people, including many of the people who wrote the law.

But this isn’t about the law. This is about politics and the struggle for power. Will this result in reforms and revisions to the Internal Revenue Code? Not likely. Trump isn’t the only one who benefits from its “flexibility.” I would like to see the tax returns of Nancy Pelosi and all of the Bidens. That, I think, would provide for an equally interesting expose.

Arthur Saginian Santa Clarita

Easily Refutable Opinions

I have been reading the online comments on my letter regarding the COVID-19 virus and that it is spreading again. Too many souls are neglecting to get boosted with the updated Omicron vaccine (and the flu vaccine). Those who commented negatively to my plea for responsibility have buried their heads in the dirt. Their opinions are easily refutable.

For example, one reader states that if you get COVID, you have a 99.9% chance of surviving. This is obviously false. The Centers for Disease Control reported there are 109,622,000 cases in the U.S., and 1,088,981 deaths. This looks very close to a 1% death rate, not 0.1%. He is only off by a factor of 10. Some argue COVID deaths are exaggerated: People are dying with COVID, not of COVID. Let me explain the difference. If you get COVID and are run over by a car, that is dying WITH COVID. If you get COVID and have asthma and die because you cannot breathe, that is dying OF COVID. Feel confident the CDC-reported deaths are OF COVID. Another contributor claims the “COVID theater of the last three years is a farce.” He claims lockdowns only delay the inevitable; social distancing, school lockdowns and masking are ineffective; vaccine and booster efficacy is overstated; mortality statistics are unreliable. Lockdowns were necessary when we had no vaccines and COVID was filling hospitals. Social distancing helped avoid airborne transmission of the virus. School lockdowns and masking were needed to keep teachers and staff healthy enough to work. Vaccines were never said to be 100% effective in avoiding infection or death, but clearly do work well, and are safe. If mistakes were made in the early days of COVID, it was because the virus was new and largely unknown in how it is transmitted. Now we know. Honest mistakes are not lies.

Thomas Oatway Valencia