A taste of luxury, at very little cost

No cash for a renovation? Five small ways to improve your home for under $500.

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Plant a backyard orchard
Plant a backyard orchard
Nothing tastes quite so good as an apple, strawberry, or grape plucked fresh from your own garden. Your favorite fruit-bearing plant costs $10 to $200 (depending on its size) at a local nursery or from a mail-order supplier, such as gurneys.com, indianaberry.com, or aaronsfarm.com - any of which can recommend appropriate choices for your climate. If you prefer ornamentals to edibles, choose a non-fruit-bearing version such as a mock orange or weeping cherry.

Tools: a shovel.

Time to do the job: about 45 minutes.

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Last updated April 24 2009: 5:54 AM ET
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