20 home tips for $20

Take that crisp, new bill and fix up your house.

Like most of us, I have been hearing all about the new $20 bill that hit circulation in October. New colors, new fonts ... even Andrew Jackson got a makeover (we should all look that good). NBC News reported that the Treasury Department is spending tens of millions of dollars to get the word out about the new currency. That's millions of dollars spent on 20 bucks. I don't even have to break out my calculator to realize the numbers don't jibe. It's just $20. What can you really do with $20?

Then, walking through a hardware store while visiting my sister in Colorado, it hit me: There are lots of things that $20 can do around the house. Here are some products I've personally used that work well:

1. Install a dimmer switch and change the look of a room.

2. Add a fun wallpaper border to a child's room. This can be done in under three hours (even with a snack break).

3. Buy a couple of flats of flowers to spruce up your curb appeal.

4. Weatherize your doors and windows to increase the energy efficiency of those drafty openings by 70%. Try either a window film by 3M or removable clear caulking called Windjammer.

5. Install new cabinet hardware in the kitchen or bath. Amerock is a good choice.

6. Bring your wood floors back to life by applying a do-it-yourself coating. BonaKemi is a good brand. Mop it on with a pad, and it dries within two hours.

7. Buy a top-to-bottom cleaning kit for your whole home, like the one by CLR, that'll clean just about anything.

8. Paint your bedroom with a fresh splash of color.

9. Revitalize a piece of furniture or wood cabinets. A quick wipe-down with some steel wool, and you'll be amazed. Try Howard-Restore-A-Finish.

10. Get that toilet looking good enough to sit on again. Comet Clean and Flush from Prestige Brands International is a flushable toilet brush.

11. Tune up your lawn mower or snow-blower for the coming season.

12. Hang some new miniblinds in your bedroom to keep the neighbors from peeking in.

13. Install a new smoke detector or fire extinguisher to keep your family safe. I recommend First Alert.

14. Install a new hose reel to tidy up your yard.

15. Brighten up your home with a sharper bulb. The new Reveal, by GE, changes the light spectrum to make rooms brighter using the same wattage.

16. Save energy and improve indoor air quality by installing pleated furnace filters.

17. Brighten up your plastic outdoor furniture with spray paint. Krylon Fusion is the first designed to stick to plastic.

18. Buy an electronic stud finder so you can hang items the right way on your walls.

19. Bring your lawn back to life with grass seed and spot fertilizing.

20. Buy a complete tool kit so you have what you need to do the other 19 items on this list. Make sure the tools come with a lifetime warranty.

Lou Manfredini is the author of "Mr. Fix-It Introduces You to Your Home."