Traditionally the start of the year is when many of us think about what we can improve in our lives; usually starting with ourselves and often moving on to what we want to improve at home too.
From improving security to becoming more sustainable, we’ve created a list of New Year Resolutions for your home.
Taking on all ten of these may be too much, but see if there's any inspiration for you here to make your home a nicer, safer and even a more sustainable place to live.
Follow the links in each section for more information about each resolution.
Make your home more relaxing
Your home should be a safe haven from the outside world, where you can go to relax and unwind.
So why not start the year with some simple steps to make your home a welcoming retreat, from decluttering to claiming your own personal space.
Improve fire safety
If you haven’t given much thought to fire safety in your home, then now is the time to start.
There are some simple things everyone can do to help reduce the risk of fire. The simplest - which is very easy to neglect - is to check you have working fire alarms.
That’s surely a worthy New Year Resolution for your home and one to give you extra peace of mind.
Find out more here: How to prevent a house fire
Become more sustainable
Many of us are keen to adopt a more sustainable way of living and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, but there is plenty that can be done at home.
For example, you could use less water, improve your insulation, or grow some of your own food.
One of the easiest ways to reduce your impact on the environment is to swap some of the products you regularly use at home for greener alternatives.
Get some inspiration: Sustainable living: simple tips to make your home eco-friendly
Protect your home from the worst of the weather
From freezing cold and ice to high winds or flooding, your home can take a battering from the winter weather. But you can help keep damage to a minimum by taking some simple steps to protect your home.
Also, be sure to keep your plumbing in good working order to reduce the risk of burst or frozen pipes.
Find out more here: Get your home ready to weather the storm
Make the most of your outside space
Even if you have a doorstep, a window box or tiny or odd-shaped garden, it’s amazing what you can achieve with a bit of love, care and inspiration.
Whether it’s creating a kitchen garden or adding a winding path to make your garden appear larger, there are plenty of tricks to make more of your limited outdoor space.
Find out more here: How to make the most of the space you have
Ensure your contents are properly insured
This isn’t a particularly glamorous New Year’s Resolution, but it could make a big difference in the event that you need make a claim: review the value of your possessions to make sure you’re properly covered by your home contents insurance.
This is important because the value of your home contents will change as you buy new things or if you receive expensive gifts, for example at Christmas. Also, certain items such as jewellery, art or antiques may increase in value over time and there may be limits within your contents cover for these types of items.
These changes could affect your home contents insurance. If you underestimate how much contents cover you need and something happens to any of the possessions in your home, you might be surprised when you come to make a claim.
Find out more here: How to value your home contents
Attract more wildlife if you have a garden
With just a few small changes to your garden, you can help create the habitats necessary for many different species to thrive.
Some of these changes are really easy. One, you may be pleased to discover, is simply to stop weeding so much and leave some of those wild plants in place, to provide a habitat for creepy crawlies – which also means doing one less job in the garden.
As well as the satisfaction from contributing to the diversity of your outdoors habitat, all of the new butterflies or bees that arrive can be a joy to watch.
Find out more here: 10 ways to attract more wildlife to your garden
Freshen up
Why not take some time this year to make your home feel like a nicer place to spend time – whether that’s with family, home working or just having some ‘you-time’.
Sometimes it can be as simple as rearranging the furniture in your living room. Or you could take on a project to upcycle an old piece of furniture.
Find out more here: Simple DIY tips to freshen up your home
Beef up your security
There are some easy and practical steps to improve your home security.
The good news is you don't have to spend a lot to make a bit of a difference: some are intended to trick potential intruders such as a ‘beware of the dog’ sign or a fake burglar alarm.
Others are about getting into good habits, like not leaving your garden tools out after you’ve used them, or keeping your keys out of sight.
Find out more here: Nine simple ways to improve your home security
Add value through home improvements
Home improvements can also add value to your home, if and when the time comes to sell. But the right changes can also make your home a happier, more comfortable place to spend time in.
Your options can range from installing a new kitchen to landscaping your garden or even making some simple changes like fitting energy efficient light bulbs.
Find out more here: Home improvements that add the most value
Original article written 13th January 2022. Updated 4th January 2023.
For more tips on how to stay happy and safe in your home, go to Solved.
