You don’t have to spend a fortune on Christmas Decor and I have a few tips to stretch your dollar while you deck the house for the holidays.
Budget Holiday Decor Tip #1
Buy all of your Christmas decorations AFTER Christmas. Be the first person at the door of Michael’s, Home Goods, Marshall’s, T.J. Maxx, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. on Dec. 26th. The holiday items will be marked down up to 90% and you can really rack up for next Christmas. Last year I spent about $100 on silver ornaments, tree skirts, stockings, garland, lights and wreaths. It was like finding treasure when I unpacked all the items this year. This is the time for you to buy new wreath hangers, garland, wreaths, a tree or two, cute winter signs and all the other things that you don’t really need but can’t pass up because the price is right. You know what I mean!
Another place to shop for things like artificial trees and garland is your local Goodwill. I found two perfectly new trees in boxes last year after Christmas for $5 each. I actually used the branches for making swags, table decor and centerpieces.
I made this cute little bucket a couple of years ago for a friend with a few clearance items I found at Michael’s.
Budget Holiday Decor Tip #2
Update your old items and give them a different look. I have an old artificial tree that is starting to look a bit frumpy, so I plan on flocking it next year. What is flocking you might ask? It’s the fake snow look that you see on trees and wreaths. This is the flocking powder that I ordered here. If you want to give it a try, follow the directions provided by Seasons Reflections.
This can give your decor a different feel instead of the same old look. I’ve seen flocked trees on sale for several hundred dollars and you could DIY this for $40 and have an impressive tree.
If you have old ornaments that look tired, try spray painting them a different color. The ones shown here are spray painted white with different touches of gold.
It’s a quick and easy solution, especially if your ornaments are still intact. You can also use the older ornaments on your garland or a wreath. Sometimes re-purposing things will give them a whole new look.
Budget Holiday Decor Tip #3
Use nature! I bet you have access to beautiful trees and shrubs around your home or somewhere nearby. I don’t suggest driving around at midnight with a pair of garden cutters and yard bags snipping your neighborhood greenery. Not that I’ve resorted to stopping on the side of the road to snip berry bushes or anything like that. Anywho! You can use magnolia leaves, pine sprigs, berry bushes, pine cones, boxwood clippings, or anything else you think looks pretty to make a wreath or garland. I made several magnolia wreaths last year because I have two huge magnolia trees in my yard. My yard has a few Leyland Cypress trees that I clip from all the time during the holidays. It smells good, which is why I like to use it on my door wreath.
Here’s a magnolia wreath that I made last year after we had an early snowfall.
These swags were my first attempt at DIY decor using my magnolia trees.
Budget Holiday Decor Tip #4
Don’t buy wreaths, bows, or centerpieces that were pre-decorated. You can make your own for a fraction of the price. If you take my advice and shop for decorations after Christmas, use those items to make your own custom decor for the holidays. Buy a wreath and ribbon, learn how to tie a bow, hot glue some ornaments and you have a unique piece for your home. Stores charge a fortune for this stuff and you can tap into your inner crafting spirit to save lots of mullah. I’ve been wanting an ornament wreath for awhile, but didn’t want to pay the sky high price for one big enough for the door. So, I made one for less than $20 and it took about an hour to hot glue the ornaments.
Budget Holiday Decor Tip #5
My last tip is the easiest decor of all, white LIGHTS. If you don’t spend money on anything else, just get yourself some lights. You can use these year after year, especially if you find some of the long lasting LED’s. Again, get them at the end of the season. Nothing makes decor look like Christmas more than lights. You can wrap them around anything, light it up and WOW….it’s instant Christmas decor. It’s “chic” now to just have lights on your tree. Load it up and you won’t even miss the ornaments when the tree is lit. I know people love the color lights, too. I’m not a fan, but if you like a color, go for it. The key here is to have lots of lights. One strand will not do.
Hope you have fun shopping and taking advantage of all the great deals after Christmas! I know I will.
