Good luck with your move! Can you please tell us what you don't like about the kitchen? While it's not my favorite either, if it were me I would save the money on a spruce up so that I could do more later (or do the big stuff you want sooner). Unless there is something that you could change now that could eventually be part of your long term plan. Letting us know what you don't like and what your long-term plans are would help people be able to give you advice

Thanks, et phonehome! We plan to do a big Reno - new cabinets, bigger island, new countertops as soon as we save the money. The floors are really nice so we won’t be touching those. I’m thinking painting the cabinets or updating the counters in any way isn’t worth it for a year so I was looking for a way to “bring out the good” in the ugly color counters or older cabinets haha. Some decor that would look nice, some type of artwork for the top above the cabinets to draw attention away from the other things? A storage piece to put next to the cabinets (to the left of the kitchen). We have been paying off a ton of debt and renting so not buying anything new so all of the stuff I have is “crap.” It would be nice to have new things anyway as long as they’re not terribly expensive.

I am no professional so this is purely opinion. I would paint the cabinets and change out the hardware. and update the light fixture.

Thanks, Deadera! The light fixture isn’t even something I noticed so thanks for bringing that up!! Definitely something we can update and still use in the long term reno!

Ps. My desired style is very much “modern country”

Just thought about one more thing. You could add a piece plywood, or quartz, granite, etc. onto the top of the island,extending it a bit on one or two side to possibly add a couple of bar stools or chairs .

^Good advice. One inexpensive update for now would be a different window treatment. A Roman shade might be nice. The black appliances are pulling most of the focus, but that's likely on your "later" list. If not, an immediate update would be stainless appliances (counter depth fridge) with brushed nickel hardware for the cabinets and drawers. However, there's nothing wrong with waiting.

That’s great chloebud! Thank you! Yeah, that fridge is gigantic. It’s unfortunate because it looks fairly new. I guess it’s good anyway with 4 kids under 7- a lot of chicken nuggets can fit in that pull out freezer! I appreciate the advice!!

Paint walls

Cori, do the smaller updates and don't worry. Four kids under 7...a new fridge and other things can wait, for sure!

define cheap. What is you r budget?

If you truly think you may be able to remodel the kitchen in a year or three, I'd save every penny and live with it as is. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, some new dishtowels and a pretty fruit bowl and call it good. Congratulations on your new home.

Trying to “re-do” every room shortly after moving in without spending more than about $200-$300 per room so I feel a little like a grown up and don’t live in a dumb. We’ve thrown our whole life into paying off debt and didn’t even buy blinds or curtains in our rental we lived in for the past 3 years 😂

**live in a dump

Congrats on your new home! I agree with the towels, flowers and fruit bowl comment! Celebrate your success of getting out of debt and being a homeowner! Enjoy your home and kids! Do little things you can now and as you have the $ do one room at a time!

Congrats on your new home! You’re a busy momma! (I had 5 kids in 4.5 years, they’re all aged 18 and up now, but I remember those early years!) Thankfully, there’s nothing offensive or glaring about your new kitchen, so for now, if it were me, I’d treat myself to some new dish towels in my favorite colors, perhaps a pretty rug in front of the sink, and I’d work hard on figuring out a nice/pretty system of organization for my new kitchen! I’d argue that good organization can be appreciated by anyone, but for a momma with a larger than average family it is particularly advantageous and can make all the difference in the world as you run your home. Matching storage containers, pleasant looking drawer dividers... that kind of stuff can help so much in the daily routine of life.

Congrats on your new home! Some ideas on a shoestring budget...remove window treatment (don’t need privacy, let in more light, and don’t have time to clean window treatments of kitchen smells), black appliances are stylish, before painting soffit and walls decide where the paint will end or if you will carry paint color into the area beyond, don’t feel you have to hang anything on soffit unless you are going for a country farmhouse vibe, don’t paint island or lower cabinets because with little ones the paint will chip off and look worse, once you decide on lighting plan for whole house then you will know what style to buy to replace the kitchen ceiling light, look into putting up undercabinet lighting in corner if none is there now, spend a little money on drawer organizers so stuff is easy to find, dedicate a lower cabinet for kid arts and crafts supplies.

Colorful rug in front of sink; cheerful dishtowels; colorful teapot; new handles for cabinets. Let the fact that you can replan this however you want be the thrill of owning instead of renting, and otherwise don't spend any other time to make things different before you start over. Congrats!

You guys are all awesome!! I love the ideas! I’ll have to post some pictures when we move in so you guys can help me decorate/organize 😂 I didn’t mean the kitchen was a dump - just meant that we have had mismatching bottom of the line things for our first 11 years of marriage - my husband and I both work full time so we’re excited to move away from bottom of the line a little 😁! I appreciate all of the advice and kind words!!

**meant to say enjoy our hard earned income and move a bit away from mismatch BOTL 😉

Inexpensive temporary changes: colorful runner rugs, fresh curtains, a new light fixture, a new wall color.
While you use the kitchen and save up for a remodel or improvements next year or so, these few changes can make the space more cheerful.

Not a bad kitchen, when we remodeled several years back $$$ was an issue, I removed cabinet hardware and spray painted them a textured pewter color. I still like it! Congratulations on your new home.

Hi there, Congratulations! I think the kitchen is in great condition. Here's where I would do to make a drastic change on a budget, just so it looks different right away. Since it's all coming down anyway, I would buy a peel and stick backsplash that's not a solid color and stands out, something with a pattern, paint the walls and maybe put the same backsplash on the soffit, a cute Roman country curtain on the window or wood blinds if privacy is an issue on that side of the house, a rug like everyone suggested and save $$ for the real reveal. I'd wait on the lighting because that alone may eat up your now budget and unless you are sure of the configuration of the new kitchen, I'd wait on the lights, unless you or your husband know how to change the electrical boxes to not incur electrician costs and repair to the ceiling too. Feel the house out for the year or so, it all goes very quickly, but a nice cheap backsplash that'll make it pop will make an immediate statement, then accessorize how you want. They have really nice peel and stick tiles or look for discontinued real tiles at a bargain price and do it yourselves to save costs. I think that'll change the entire look for now and give it a WOW factor just the way it is, then save $$ till you really know what light fixtures you'll use throughout your beautiful new home. As you can tell, I'm a bit eccentric, so I like a lil drama. Good luck in your new home. Oh and on a side note, do not get a counter depth refrigerator now, they hold nothing! Save yr $$ for your redo to get a really wide counter depth (they are really expensive - probably sub zero) unless you have space in yr garage for an extra fridge, but then you will always be going to the fridge in the garage. It's best to wait on the fridge, but I do not suggest a regular counter depth as they hold very little. Have fun with it!

I would say just a window treatment and light fixture, that you would keep down the line. They will make a load of difference! But the more you can learn to enjoy this kitchen now means the more money you have for future projects!

Do the least expensive things possible and save your money for a total renovation when your kids are a bit older. The interior drawer organizers and nice storage container ideas work in a beautiful kitchen or just a “functional for now” one, so those are an investment. One can of paint is also inexpensive. As for hardware, keep in mind whatever you buy is “times 20+ pieces”. The curtain and rug idea is also terrific. I wouldn’t put “peel on” anything on the backsplash. This kitchen isn’t horrible, though it’s not designer level. Enjoy your little ones and THEN make it a family event to dream about, shop for and scour pictures on Houzz together. Congratulations on your new home!

Hi again, just wanted to agree with everyone on not doing too much. We also have quite a few kids (5 under 9) and when we moved into our house we left some rooms empty for a few years as we saved money until we could afford what we wanted. Don't feel pressure to make it perfect right away. Our house was a foreclosure so it needed a lot of work and it's slowly getting there. Personally, I'd rather save money so I can get what I want for the long term than to spend any money on stuff I won't want in the future.... I have a friend whose mother said "we're too poor to be cheap" ;)

Also, once you live there for a little while it may become apparent what really needs to be changed for the short term and it may surprise you!

Thanks for inviting us along, and please let us know how we can help once you are moved in.

A close friend once told me, when I bought a beautiful, small 1925 colonial that needed work, “Do it once and do it right.” Good advice. Spruce this up with fun things that have a color you love. Taking time to really know your house is actually a good idea.

Paint the island and the soffit..in a muted shade of your favorite color...get a rug and a couple kitchen towels to match...this will give it a totally fresh new look that says “you”....with very little effort or cost

Thanks, everyone! I will definitely be posting for more advice in the future. You all are great and have some awesome Ideas!

Post photos when you’re done!

Definitely!! We will have lots of other rooms to decorate as well 😁

Change the “boobie” light and hardware and your own accessories.

😂😂 Kate, you don’t like our boobie light?? My husband might love it.

Cori, haha, wouldn’t want to be compared🤪. Meant to have “add” your own accessories.

Congrats on the new home!

For quick cosmetic changes I'd upgrade the light (I'm always surprised at how much that elevates a space), hardware, fresh paint for the walls and remove/replace the curtain with maybe a roman shade. Then, add some sweet accessories. Not sure it's in the budget but a new stove would also be a huge plus.

*I haven't read all the above comments so apologies for any redundancies.

Add some things that reflect your personality. A rug, some tea towels. Maybe paint the walls to complement the wood cabs. Green would look good...I like the middle photo that mdln showed. If you paint, you won't need to add a back splash. But you could take another's advice and use stick on decals, but instead of placing them directly on the wall, stick them to a piece of thin plywood and then screw it to the wall. Easy to remove later. Also, take down the window curtain and if privacy is no concern, add shelving over the window and display pretty colorful objects that will disperse their color in the sunshine .....

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Lol! That is almost my kitchen. We recently moved and i am in the process of updating without spending a fortune also. I kept the oak cabinets and got a white quartz countertop. Going to get white shiny subway tile with just a little bling decorative above stove. Many said paint cabinets and i personally would not. I dont think there us anything wrong with the iak

If you paint any cabinets, they may get banged up by the kids. Just leave the kitchen cabinets alone and do small, fun things. Every time you think “I hate this kitchen”, put a dollar in a stashed-away cookie jar towards your new one. 😀. That will help pay for the total renovation in a few years.

I wouldn’t do a thing...by The time you get settled in and really get a feel for your new home..start making notes on things you want to change collect images and put together a file...before you know it you will be ready to makes some big changes. I would not Spend money on changing lighting Until you have Your design put together and have saved your dream kitchen cash! I would work on replacing your appliances first.

Hmmmm...although a few years goes by in the blink of an eye, to invest a little now according to the budget you set aside will make a big difference in your daily routines. I still think you could tile the backsplash and island sides with a tile that compliments the colors that are there. Find a tile that is on sale or discontinued, preferably with a pattern, that'll make the kitchen pop and look totally different. Tiling, painting, new window shade, rug and new kitchen towels are well within your budget and It's a small price to pay to make you smile everytime you walk into the kitchen. I would hold off on appliances, lighting or any other big ticket items until you know for sure what your layout will be for the new kitchen and until you get a feel for what would work best in your new space. Besides, your style may change from now till you're ready to renovate and if you buy big ticket items now, you'll only buy them again with the new renovation. Make it look good now with the budget you have now. It's all very exciting and you're updating within your means. You'll be happier for it. Now that's half the battle with your big family. Two years may very well turn into 3 or 4 yrs. Do a small new upgrade now, because when you're ready to renovate, everything is gonna go!..lolll..good luck, enjoy and build lots of fun memories in your new home!

"I would work on replacing your appliances first."

I agree and stainless appliances would be an update. We have oak cabinets in our kitchen. When we bought our home i knew I wanted to change them, but we just haven't gotten around to it yet (DH likes the oak). One thing I did immediately was change the kitchen hardware that was all white porcelain. Fortunately all the appliances were stainless, so I bought brushed nickel hardware. Just changing the knobs made a big difference.

Oh please do not install a backsplash that is the last thing you should be doing! I know everyone is trying to help but that is not something that should be done until you have updated everything..backsplash is the last element you should add...

Yes to what HIWE^^ said.