Some home repair/placement items give more bang for your buck. When a friend of mine was selling her house post-divorce, she got sparkling new faucets and hired a plumber to install them.  She sold  her house in a jiffy. Remember, if you are selling your home quickly during a divorce, to do even small actions such as buying new hardware. There are attractive drawer handles/pulls for just a few dollars and they can liven up a kitchen or bathroom.
Another person spent $30.00 on 2 bedroom light fixtures for her rental property, before showing it to prospective tenants.  The old ones were the can style, which illuminated only a tiny part of the room. What a difference that small investment made for  brighter rooms.
My contractor’s advice when doing your own home repairs or painting, is to use high quality tools. He states that it is worth the few extra dollars to get a better paintbrush, roller, etc.  He can walk in in a room and know that the owners painted it themselves and skimped on a cheapish brush. Other repairs don’t go as well, if the equipment breaks, or just doesn’t do a decent job.
Another thing he does, is to custom order paint , so that it will match the room exactly, when he does touch ups and doesn’t need to repaint the entire room.  For example, when he was putting a heating system in, he took a small part of the wall to our local Sherwin Williams paint store.  The color was exact, so he only had to touch up around the base board and the new, small section of wall installed.
When you are buying items, such as cabinets, for home improvements, don’t assume because you are buying surplus items at a charity shop, that it is cheaper. One local charity shop, where builders bring new or slightly used supplies, sometimes has items which are more expensive, than at large DIY stores. My contractor has pointed this out at this charity shop. So use great equipment and know your prices before shopping for supplies.