Even if you don’t have any money to spare, you can improve your home both indoors and out. Make every part of your home more beautiful and functional by substituting ingenuity and hard work for cash. Take advantage of skills you have and develop new ones by studying library books or online resources. All you need are basic supplies and tools you probably already own.

De-clutter your closets, garage, storage areas, attic and every room in your house. Set aside any items you want to use or refurbish, but get rid of the rest. Have a yard sale, sell things on the Internet or donate to charity for a tax donation. A clutter-free home appears more spacious and attractive.

Clean every area of your home thoroughly. You don’t need to buy special products. Follow care labels and instructions, but dish-washing liquid and other basic cleaners you already own clean most surfaces. Wash painted walls, washable wallpaper, the inside of closets and washable flooring. Clean the stove and oven, wash or vacuum ceilings and clean light fixtures. In a clean home, everything looks newer.

Rearrange your furniture and decorative items to create a completely new look. Move furnishings from room to room, or even from outside to inside. If your china cabinet makes the dining room too crowded, move it to the living room and put books on the shelves. A small chair or shelf can move from the living room to the bedroom. Lauri Ward, author of “Use What You Have Decorating,” gives clients a whole new look in one day simply by changing the arrangement of furniture and accessories.

Refurbish shabby areas and shabby items. If you touch up scrapes on the walls with matching leftover paint, often repainting is unnecessary. Or use leftover paint to spruce up end tables, shelves or small decorative items. If you don’t have enough of one color, mix two colors of the same brand and formula thoroughly to get a larger amount of a new color. Cover curtain rods, trash cans or lamp shades with leftover rolls of decorative self-stick vinyl shelf covering.

Reuse larger fabric items for new decorating purposes. Cut up large tablecloths or sheets to make smaller tablecloths, window curtains or napkins. Sew draperies, curtains or tablecloths from extra bedsheets. Cover dining chair seats with fabric cut from an old tablecloth. Recover throw pillows with leftover fabric, dishtowels or pieces of sheets or tablecloths.

Pick up free items along the road on trash day, making sure the local code permits. Look for furniture, lamps or decorative items in good condition that you can clean or repair and refurbish for free. If in doubt whether an item is a discard, ask permission from the homeowner or renter.

Barter for objects and services you cannot afford. For example, babysit, tutor, do gardening or walk dogs in return for furniture or repair work. Ask friends, acquaintances and even merchants if they will accept a barter deal.

Trim, weed and clean up your yard. If you do a little at a time, you don’t need expensive equipment for most jobs, only hand tools you probably own or can borrow. A well-maintained yard looks much better than a neglected one.Divide and propagate the plants you already own to redesign your yard and fill in drab areas. Many perennials, bulbs, herbs and other plants are easy to divide or propagate from cuttings. If volunteers sprout up from seed, move them to an area where they can thrive. When you divide plants, trade extras with friends and neighbors.Use free mulch and fertilizer. Save leaves and grass clippings to mulch your beds. If a neighbor has trees removed, ask if she wants the chippings. If not, add them to your mulch. Start a compost pile for free fertilizer.

Paint and refinish outdoor furniture using leftover or bartered paint. You can usually paint wood and metal furniture if you sand and prime it properly.

Decorate your outdoor spaces with repurposed and found objects. Large decorative items that you no longer want in the house sometimes work in the garden. If you break up brick or concrete structures or walkways, rearrange the pieces artfully, using them as stones in new patios and paths. Matthew Levesque, author of “The Revolutionary Yardscape,” uses recycled objects and old building materials to decorate outdoor spaces with planters, paths, benches and patios.