Has something you've changed in your home made a huge difference?

Re small/inexpensive changes = adding some sidelights might be one thing.

I've added various sidelights throughout the house and that means I can have soft lighting in some rooms in the house. Sidelights and a reading light on stand thingie in sitting room. Sidelights in bedroom.

Added bonus of knowing that if something goes wrong with the electric lighting the powerpoints are probably still working okay and one can just use that sidelighting until an electrician comes in.

Other little thing - I ripped down the tatty old-fashioned vertical blinds this house had when I bought it. It was an "I can't stand them any longer moment - coupled with glass of wine in hand" thing and out came the scissors and I chopped them all off at the top and had the "general" workman I was using at the time unscrew the rest of them the next time he came in.

I'm not used to houses having that sort of blinds in anyway before I moved - can't think of a single house I ever went in or saw that had them - and they're only for offices in my opinion. Replaced them with what I am used to - ie modern style sheer curtains inside the "main" curtains. So I've got my privacy and the look I'm familiar with and can easily remove the "sheers" for washing if I need to.

Inspired by Cariad's post, a small but very effective change can be to use rechargeable lightbulbs in lamps. You can use them in table, wall or standard lamps - so long as you can reach them easily you can use rechargeable bulbs - and this means you can put lamps wherever you like. On top of a coffee table in the middle of the room, on a mantelpiece, on a shelf in a bookcase etc. There is no need for a nearby socket, and there are no dangling cables to spoil the look.

You can buy purpose-made lamps (try Pooky.com), or just cut the cord off existing ones and replace the bulbs with rechargeable ones (available on Amazon). I have them in wall lights above the beds in spare bedrooms, and in picture lights. they just need screwing to the wall, so it's so much easier than hard-wiring them, as there is no need to chase the plasterwork with all the associated faff.

The charge lasts for anything between 8 and 16 hours of continuous use, so they work better for lights that aren't on for long periods of time, but I buy two bulbs for each light, so there is always a charged one ready to go in when the current one needs to be topped up.

I like to sleep in a cool bedroom but it can be too cold for dressing, doing my hair and makeup etc but because it's a big room I didn't want to heat it up during the day. Opposite my bathroom there is a small room that really wasn't being used so last year I turned it into my dressing room. I have a dressing table for my cosmetics, hair dryer etc and I keep all my jumpers, shirts etc in there. On a cold morning I put the fan heater on and by the time I've had my shower etc the room is warm and I can dress etc in comfort. I love it, no one else uses it and I can mess around as much as I like doing "women" stuff like painting my toe nails in complete privacy! I wish I'd done it 20 years ago!

That sounds lovely, foxie.