NO I am not creative. And YES this helps a lot! Thank you.

Mindy, Sandy I agree. I LOVE this! I am all about being resourceful and thinking outside of the box. It's not about spending a lot of money, it's about being effective in your approach. This is what makes a success story a success story. Thanks for sharing.

Take the money to a thrift shop!!! Habitat Resale Store, Goodwill, Salvation Army and more!

Better yet, look up yard sales this weekend and go! You'll get more bang for the buck!

I bought an espresso maker that didn't work from Goodwill for $2.00!!

Used wine bottles from your home or a friend's with a couple of glasses.

I think a shower curtain with lots of color is a good investment for a mini model. Look in the clearance section of Target or Walmart.

I asked several of the kids in my community to draw a picture of me smiling and I put the best one on the fridge with a magnet.

Pretty shoe boxes on the shelves in closets. Clothes hanger with long curling ribbon hanging in the closet.

Ask friends and family if they have any kitchen items they don't use. I got 2 nice dish towels from my sister.

Empty bottle of laundry detergent and softner on the shelf in the laundry area.

Lots of things you can do that don't cost any money to add to your $20.

I bought a bright yellow clothes basket for the laundry room and used it to carry my stuff when I changed mini-models.

First things first: has your property done mini models before? Do you have anything left over from those? It would be nice if you had a shower curtain and rings from a previous one. However, this is my personal opinion - I do not like cheap-looking accessories in my mini models, so for me, the property should invest in some really thick towels and a beautiful shower curtain with classic rings on a curved shower rod for the bathroom.

Dollar Store: Concentrate on kitchen and bath items that will stay with unit, possibly.
* Dishtowel
* Cutting Board
* Strainer or Bowl or large cup into which you place snack items
* Soaps
* Roll of Paper Towels
* Long handled brush laid on top of a folded towel on the side of tub
* Hangers in the master bedroom closet tied with bows

How creative are you? Can you cut out silhouettes of a dog and cat? If so, do this and place in a corner (standing up) with two food dishes in front of them on top of a rag rug (if your community is pet friendly.) Oftentimes, I bring items from my design business to use, too, and I have swapped items with furniture stores, too for short periods of time (like for a special open house weekend showings)for staging purposes. I would also blow up large cutouts of bubble words to label special features of your apartment mini model. Another thing I have started doing too, is using magnetic chalkboards in the kitchens and writing cool quotes about home on them. With $20 there is not much room for going overboard, is there? :)

I am sure I am missing some other easy to do things ..... does this help? Maybe some others have other suggestions!

HELP!!! I have never made mini model before. My property manager has given me $20 so of course I'm going to the Dollar Store. What do I get???