When deciding how to spend your money on festive items for your home, carefully pick and choose where to spend your hard-earned dollars. Getting bargains after the season might score you steep discounts, but do you really need to take this approach every year? Here are seven tips for purchasing season items.
1. Get seasonal “perennials.”
Whether you shop during the season or afterward, try purchasing items that can be used repeatedly. I try to purchase seasonal items the way that I purchase plants for my garden, and that means perennials. You’ll save time and money while keeping yourself out of the stores, which means fewer temptations to buy. For example, I use cloth napkins in a burnt orange color. My table looks bright and I’m not purchasing regular paper napkins. I also use place mats to go with the fall color scheme.
Be strategic about what you buy. Before going to the store, check what items you already have and then plot out what items you want to purchase that you can use repeatedly. The savings comes when you can potentially eliminate this annual expense altogether.
2. Fabric can save you money.
Infuse fall into your decorating scheme through durable items that you can use year after year. Runners, table linens and hand towels can warm up your home and give a festive feel without having to spend too much money. Cleaning and storing these items properly should allow you to keep them for years to come. Have a set location in your dining room for storage. You don’t want to tuck them away in a place that’s hard to find when you need them again.
3. Imposters can reclaim dollars.
Artificial pumpkins can be used over and over for inside and outside use. Stack these fake, round orange fruits on your front porch or place them inside to add festive charm. They can also be used for centerpieces, tablescapes and decorative accents. Carve them open to hold candy, flower arrangements or even turn them into a topiary.
If you have a knack for putting together flower arrangements, get fake flowers and keep a boutique of warm colors out all the way through the season. Look for tutorials on Pinterest to put together an inexpensive arrangement or glean inspiration from magazines and crafty websites. If you see a sample arrangement in the store, take photos on your phone and try to replicate the ideas at home. You can also look up basic principles of floral design online to mimic the right mix of flowers and get the right proportion of texture, color and balance like the professionals.
4. See red and save.
If you want to be super economical when it comes to smart spending for festive decorating, try using red. This color can be used in the fall, around the holidays if you celebrate Christmas and even again in February for Valentine’s Day. Combining red with orange and yellow creates a vibrant atmosphere. Try buying items that can be used time after time like candles, pillow covers, throw blankets, cloth napkins and coasters.
5. Stay away from one hit wonder purchases.
Keep away from items that you can only use once or for one event only. I won’t tell you to skip out on real pumpkins, gourds or mums but maybe you can reduce the amount you buy.
6. Lather up and spend less.
We know that pumpkin spice isn’t just for coffee. You can find your favorite latte flavor in the form of soap. Purchase this practical item to freshen up the bathroom while washing up your hands. You don’t need to carve out any additional space in your budget for soap. We all need it. Why not make the scent match the season?
7. Let the print button set you free.
If you feel rushed and not so crafty, you can slap together something festive that will actually look put together in minutes. Get free printables and banners off of the Internet. Scout out these cost-effective finds to quickly add a backsplash of color and decorate your home for less. It’s very trendy to print out blocky letters with holiday words and pop them in a frame. Stick them on a fireplace mantel or side table and get instant holiday décor on the cheap.
Part of spending less is evaluating if you really need to purchase seasonal items again and again. Take a look at what you have and see if shopping is even necessary this year. If you want to get something new, at least get something that will last.
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7 Smart Ways to Save on Festive Décor originally appeared on usnews.com
