With the home market still suffering across the country, a lot of people are deciding to remodel their homes instead of moving away. Improving the house you live in is often much cheaper than trying to find a new one, but there are still some major costs involved with many different larger home improvement projects.

These days a lot of repairs have become much more complex and often require completely changing a room rather than just applying a little paint and moving around some furniture. Most big home improvement projects are expensive enough that it is difficult to save up all the money you need all at once. Here are 3 ways you can make a home improvement less expensive:

Break The Project Into Pieces: A lot of home improvement jobs are really a bunch of smaller projects all put together. When you remodel a kitchen you’re really replacing floors, replacing cabinets, putting in new fixtures and doing a number of little additional things. Instead of putting out the full amount of cash all at once, why not remodel one part of your house each year so that the cost is spread out over multiple years.

Home Improvement Store Credit Cards: If you’re able to purchase all your building supplies from a store with a credit card you may be able to spread the expenses of the home improvement out over many months, making it appear much more affordable. The better hardware store credit cards can often be used to pay for materials as well as contractor services. Many home improvement stores such as Lowe’s and Menard’s offer low interest rate credit cards with no interest or no payments for a limited period of time.

Do The Work Yourself: Not everyone is a home improvement professional, but most homeowners can learn some simple home building and upgrading skills. Completing a home improvement job by yourself is a great way to increase your confidence and save yourself a bunch of cash! Even tear down work can be completed on your own if you’re cautious. If you are really handy then you may be able to finish your entire home improvement job without hiring help and you could save thousands of dollars in labor costs.

Most homeowners end up spending many years in the same home, so taking your time with home improvements can actually save you money and allow you to enjoy watching your house become your palace! When it comes to improving your home, remember that you only have to please you and your family. Do not be talked into paying more for a home remodel than you feel comfortable.

These are just some of the ways you can pay for home improvements. There are also lots of different ways to get a home loan modification that may free up extra money for those home improvements.