The holidays can be an expensive time of year. When budgeting for the holidays, many people don’t consider the cost of decorating their homes. Budgets are typically focused on gifts, food and entertaining, but all those twinkling lights aren’t free. Here are some budget-friendly tips to keep your wallet and your guests happy at your home this holiday season.
Check your inventory:
Leftover pumpkins from Halloween, apples, miscellaneous candles and extra throws lying around could all be used in your seasonal decorating. Collect leftover uncut pumpkins from Halloween to create a fall arrangement with candles and leaves or stack them vertically for a real holiday masterpiece. Core some apples and stick candles inside of them for a beautiful centerpiece. If you have extra throws laying around, place them around your home for a cozy holiday feel. Using what you have laying around the house can help minimize your decorating costs while maximizing the holiday spirit in your home.
Look in nature:
Thanks to our country’s verdant and diverse landscape, many of us are afforded the luxury of being able to use items from nature. This includes maple leaves and acorns for Thanksgiving, or pinecones, pine tree branches and red berries for Christmas. Collecting what nature has to offer doesn’t just supply your home with that fresh pine scent, it’s also free. By collecting your own pine branches, you can also create your own wreaths, which, surprisingly enough, are fairly easy to make. Look for coupons for arts and crafts stores to save even more on your wreath rings. For instance, Hobby Lobby often features coupons discounting regularly priced items up to 40 percent. You may also want to take bare branches and stick them in a vase or pot and, if you have a chandelier, find a way to weave the branches through the lights. For an extra holiday feel, spray them with fake snow, which you can find at most arts and crafts stores.
Find mismatched dinnerware:
One of the major challenges of hosting a party is making sure you have enough dinnerware for everyone coming over. So unless you’re lucky enough to have been gifted a particularly large set of matching china, the chances that your cupboards look like a collection of random colors and styles is highly likely. By exploring stores like Goodwill you can find mismatched pieces that will work in an intentional way. Try sticking with a similar color scheme or theme to come up with a collection of items that will work together for your holiday dinner. You can also approach your glassware with a similar technique.
Get help from the kids:
Getting the kids involved in your holiday decoration activities will not only save you money, it will keep your kids busy and help spread the holiday cheer throughout your family. Freshly fallen leaves are perfect for fall centerpieces or a leaf garland. Have the kids go out, rake in hand, to collect their leaves. To encourage participation, make a game of it by seeing who can find the biggest leaf, the most leaves or the best color. It doesn’t hurt that your lawn is getting a free facelift, too.
Another fun way of getting the kids involved is by having each child create their own mini-centerpiece. Give each child a plate and a tall, unlit pillar candle, some battery-operated candles, mini gourds, and the leaves they just collected. Use these centerpieces around the house to show off your child’s creativity.
For the winter holidays, have your kids cut snowflakes from white paper and hang them as garland throughout your home. You can also use these snowflakes on windows, doors, or wall décor.
Create a storage space:
The best way to obtain a solid collection of holiday décor is by building it up slowly over time and keeping your items in quality condition. Investing in good storage containers can save you money every year by preventing you from having to replace items you’ve already bought. If you’re nervous about shelling out serious dough on storage, look for deals after the holidays on totes, bins and holiday organization containers that may be on sale at retailers like Home Depot.
More from U.S. News
10 Fun, Frugal Ways to Spend Your Free Time
12 Frugal Ways to Save on Vacation
10 Ways to Improve Your Finances with Social Media
How to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays on a Budget originally appeared on usnews.com
