In households in China, families pray to the god of the kitchen. An ornate red cardboard image of the god of the kitchen is placed above the stove. On the annual Chinese New Year, the image is burned to send the god to heaven. It is replaced the next morning with a cheaper paper god for daily use. Although we Americans do not pay homage to our refrigerators, supplicate our toasters, or elevate our microwaves to the status of goddess of the countertop, we nonetheless, revere our kitchens. So much so that we're in remodeling heaven anytime we have the extra money to spend on updating them. According to a recent survey, American homeowners spend an average of $20,000 per kitchen improvement job. Studies show that kitchen renovations bring the highest return for your dollar when you sell your home.
Let's just say you really want to spruce up your kitchen, but you don't have an extra twenty grand stashed away. You can barely rustle up an extra twenty dollars. Yet you're determined to make your kitchen sparkle with personality and renewed pizzazz. You want to make it light, bright and a whole lot more inviting and convenient. And you want to perform this amazing transformation on a shoestring budget. The good news is that it can be done as a do-it-yourself project or with the help of professionals.

Here are a few practical and economical ideas to revitalize your kitchen. They may cost you more than twenty dollars but you can be sure you won't be blowing the kids' college fund. Obviously, we're not talking major renovation here. We'll assume that your big appliances and cabinets do not need replacement. No complicated plumbing or rewiring work either. For starters, make a wish list. Gather up all ideas from magazines, design books, model homes, friend's houses, etc. Go through your list and approach the most practical wishes first.

If you'd love more counter room, remove absolutely every bit of clutter from your countertops. Personally, I keep nothing on my countertops with the exception of the microwave. You'll be amazed at how much extra workspace you'll uncover once you've bulldozed your countertops. You can hide your small appliances in an "appliance garage", available at home centers. Hate that annoying routine of crawling on your hands and knees to search through your lower cabinets for serving bowls and cookware? I did too. So I cleaned out my bottom shelves and got rid of all the stuff I hadn't used in over a year. Then I rearranged my upper cupboards. I placed everything that I used daily including glassware, dishes, pots and pans within easy reach in my upper cabinets. You know those hard-to-reach cabinets above the frig? I took the doors off and use them to showcase a few collectibles and decorator baskets. Now I don't have to haul out the step stool every time I want to check what I had stored in them.

If you have an eat-in kitchen, perhaps a new table and some chairs might perk up the area. Or even less expensive, how about a snappy new tablecloth and some bright new chair cushions? Spend a few extra dollars each week at the grocery store and buy some colorful, fresh cut flowers for your table centerpiece. If your cabinets look worn, repaint or refinish them. You can even have them relaminated for a fraction of the cost of brand new cabinets. Maybe all they need are cheery, new knobs and some shiny hardware. Or glue some fancy molding strips to each cabinet door. Did you know that appliances can be repainted? Just make sure you hire a professional to do the job. And check out his/her work beforehand. I've seen countertops that have been specially painted. However, the paint eventually chips off. It might be better in the long run to spend a little more money for new countertop surfaces. Countertop choices are endless: Formica, Corian, ceramic tile, granite or faux-granite or faux-marble laminates.

If you are planning on selling your home soon, keep in mind that most buyers prefer tile flooring over vinyl. Hardwood floors are becoming very popular also. Perhaps all you need is a flashy new area rug. Install a dome ceiling for attractive lighting and add a breezy fan. As for walls, there's always wallpaper, sponging, or repainting. Brighten a windowsill with green plants and crisp new curtains, blinds, shutters or a pretty valance. If you have some extra floor to ceiling space, why not install a large pantry? My favorite feature in my whole entire kitchen is my huge pantry. I store a lot more than kitchenware and canned foods in there. My pantry holds beach coolers, the vacuum, the ironing board, all my recipe books, a sewing machine and the video camera! Your kitchen redo can be as elaborate as your time and finances allow. But with a little imagination and creativity you can work magic on a shoestring budget.