Summer is the time when many decide to take on home improvement projects, but can it be done on the cheap in a tough economy?

When it comes to low cost home improvements, Tonia Chamberlin of Elkhart says there is no need to break the bank.

"We’ve repainted the house all on our own,” she explained. “It would have cost us thousands of dollars to have a professional come in and do it, where it just took my time and a paintbrush and a few gallons of paint to make the room come alive and feel fresh and new.”

Chamberlin is a super saver — not only on the inside, but the outside as well.

"This was landscaped — this part right here was done by my daughter Brianna,” she showed WSBT News. “Brianna put in the edging and she put in the mulch. She did this two years ago.”

"Each year a plant gets a little bigger, and instead of going and buying plants I will take and separate that plant, split it,” Chamberlin continued.

Drew Lachey and Kim Myles, hosts of a new home makeover show on HGTV, gave some tips if you're crunched for cash.

"Paint is the cheapest, most easy way to make a huge impact on a room," said Lachey.

"Changing fixtures, that’s another huge one,” Myles said. “Changing lighting — that really can alter the personality of a space and it’s not super-expensive.”

“A little sewing — some drapes, some pillow covers,” Lachey added.

The hosts say take your old and make it new again.

"An armoire can become an entertainment unit,” Myles explained. “A three-part folding screen that’s in a corner can become a new headboard. It’s really endless, it just about getting creative, thinking outside the box, and having fun."

Chamberlin says Goodwill and Salvation Army are great places to find ornamental lawn items and other household goodies.

"There's no need to go to expensive stores and spend gobs and gobs of money," she said.

Click here for more money-saving ideas and advice.