Great gifts for homeless shelters are pillows, blankets, sheets, towels, soap, deordorant, underwear, socks, and cleaning products. I think canned goods and non-frozen processed foods are the best food items to donate. They last forever and are easy to stock on the shelves. A couple of other things homeless people don't have are suitcases and pajamas.

Kitchens and bathrooms! Kitchens and bathrooms! Yes, I said, kitchens and bathrooms! The return on investment is the best on kitchens and bathrooms.

That being said, if you have little or no money to update your home ... PAINT! Interior, exterior and even old outdated cabinets. For the cost of paint and some elbow grease you can give your outdated home an updated look and get a good bang for your buck!