Even if you saved money on holiday shopping by taking advantage of sales, coupon codes and advice from all the experts with the U.S. News My Money blog, there’s another area of spending that can get dangerously expensive: decorations. Unlike a lot of gifts, holiday decorations are not quite as easy to find on sale — that is, unless you wait until Dec. 26.
If you’re hoping to spruce up your home now with some holiday cheer, there are more than a few ways to do so on a budget.
[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]
Do-it-yourself decor. You may roll your eyes at the suggestion of making your own decorations during such a busy time of year, but give it a chance. Many ideas truly are easy, won’t take more than an hour and can be created with items you already have in your home.
If you want to set a festive dinner table without splurging on new plates or glassware, you can add a few touches that will transform the overall look. Mini Christmas stockings are a low-cost solution to hold silverware, and pinecones can work very well as place card holders — just apply a little gold spray paint. Leave them plain if you’re going for a more rustic look, and tie your napkins with a bit of twine and a sprig of evergreen trimmed off the bottom of your tree.
A perfect project for the kids is creating holiday designs with Popsicle sticks. With just a box of the sticks, glue and paint colors of your choice, you can create snowflakes in any color or size that you’d like. Simply glue the sticks together in various snowflake shapes and paint them over once they’ve dried. Once everything is finished, these snowflakes can be hung all over your wall or from door frames in entryways.
Do you have any mason jars lying around the house from a previous project or canning session? Use them as luminaries with tealights, LED lights or strings of fairy lights. You can cover any battery packs in the bottom of the jar with a bit of fabric or burlap. Tie ribbon or twine with berries and greenery around the jar to add some festive colors.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
Recycle and reuse. If you have leftovers after the tree is trimmed, save a few of the round, colored glass ornaments and fill a glass vase for an instant centerpiece. Not enough ornaments to fill it? Stick an empty toilet paper roll in the middle to fill the space.
Check your stash of wrapping paper and ribbons. There are many things you can do with scraps of wrapping paper and old bows. You can use the paper for a cheerful backdrop in a bookcase or as the base of a serving tray when you put out cookies or treats. If you have leftover bows, you can create a festive wreath — all you need to buy is a wreath ring from a craft store, which shouldn’t be more than $10. Secure the bows around the ring with hot glue, and tie a ribbon at the top for hanging.
Look in your yard for more inspiration. As mentioned earlier, pinecones and sprigs of evergreen are perfect winter touches to a holiday table. You can also spray-paint pinecones to fill a bowl or vase for a centerpiece. Use several hurricane vases of different heights for a mantle decoration and fill with pinecones or ornaments.
If you receive holiday cards from friends and family each year, use these for an instant decoration. String twine across the top of a doorway or empty wall space and clip on a few clothespins, then pin each card as it arrives.
[See: 8 Big Budgeting Blunders — and How to Fix Them.]
Know where to look. If DIY isn’t your thing, or you need to add a few items to your collection, knowing the best places to shop for holiday decorations can save you a lot of money. Stores, such as Wal-Mart, Kohl’s and Amazon, have inexpensive options and plenty to choose from. Check online for coupon codes, printable coupons or free shipping offers, or opt to ship to store for free and pick it up later. And if you can hold off, check for post-holiday sales at the end of the month. That is when you can get the absolutely best, rock-bottom prices on decorations.
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Budget-Friendly Holiday Decorating Ideas originally appeared on usnews.com
