Christmas Decorating on a Budget
If you read my blog, then you know we’ve been talking about the REAL Reason for the Season of CHRISTmas. While decorating, presents, and parties are fun… it’s not what Christmas is really about!
Though we all know that’s true, I realize it would be hard to get in the ‘Christmas Spirit’ with no decorations up in your home. I love Christmas just like anyone else… and I love the beautiful lights, sparkly decorations, and pretty Christmas candles around the house. Our problem with all that this year, was that we didn’t have any Christmas decorations! (except for a few small items). So… what to do, what to do? Christmas decorating is EXPENSIVE and not only were we on a BUDGET, but we also felt God was leading us to GIVE to some needs overseas.
Well, now we’ve gone full circle. So, how do we take part in fun things like decorating, while still focusing on the REAL focus of Christmas, CHRIST? How do we leave room to GIVE HOPE to the ‘least of these’ in this season, instead of spending all our money on unimportant things? In the end, which is more important: Buying the gorgeous tree-skirt, designer stockings, and top-of-the-line Christmas Tree…. or providing food to children in Africa who will go hungry without your donation?
For those of you who are CHOOSING to budget (so that you’ll have money to give away this Christmas), check below for 10 inexpensive decorating ideas! (or, if you’re just on a budget… or a newly-wed with no decorations like we were, you can check it out too!)
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1) Make a List (and check it twice! 😉– Go around your house and make a list of what you want most to decorate. You know, big items (like a Christmas Tree) or other areas you know you need something for. This way you know EXACTLY what you’re looking for when you go shopping. Otherwise you’ll get sucked into buying something you didn’t really need because “it was SO CUTE!”
2) Check Craigslist – for big items, like a Christmas Tree, check Craiglist.com or Yard Sales. We were able to find a very nice tree there for only $35! It has only been used once, and is the perfect size for our living-room. Just be sure to ask the seller for plenty of pictures before making your decision (or you might end up with a ‘charlie brown tree’).
3) Start at the Dollar Tree – I made a decision when I started Christmas shopping to START each trip at the Dollar Tree or Salvation Army, before looking other places. Now, don’t get me wrong… I KNOW (without a doubt) I would like the things at Target or a specialty store much more than the items at the Dollar Tree, but I also know they are $10 – $20+ more there. So, I chose to start each trip (with list in hand) at the cheapest places possible. If they didn’t have what I needed (though they usually did), then I’d try Dollar General, Hobby Lobby, WalMart, KMart, TJ Maxx and finally Target. Do I LOVE every thing I bought at the Dollar Tree? No. Do I LOVE the fact that I got everything I needed to decorate at 1/15 of the price? YES!
4) Do It Yourself :: Christmas Ribbons – It’s easy to make your own Christmas ribbons for decorations, instead of paying for pre-made ones! These ribbons are perfect for decorating your stairs, chairs, porch, tree or presents. All you need is a cheap roll of ribbon with wire edges, and some trash bag ties (or loaf bread ties) or flexible wire. Check out this video for a quick ‘how to’: www.christmastwist.com/2007/11/how-to-make-bow
5) Do It Yourself :: Christmas Paintings – Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know that a few weeks ago I made some Christmas Paintings to hang up in our home. If you are creative at all, I would encourage giving this a try! It was fun, easy, and VERY inexpensive. The canvases cost around $1.50 a Hobby Lobby, then you hot glue ribbon on the back to hang it ($1+ for a roll of ribbon), and the wreath hanger for the door is $1 at Dollar Tree (go there to buy these, they are $2-$3 everywhere else!). You can also display them on an easel. I was able to choose the colors and theme for each painting, which went perfectly with our home decor. Not a great painter? Try paint pens instead! You can paint your canvas whatever color you wish, then write/draw in paint pen on top. Stencils are an easy option too! For pictures of mine, visit this link (and scroll to the bottom). I’m still considering making some to sell next Christmas!
6) Do It Yourself :: Christmas Wreaths – I really wanted Christmas Wreaths for our doors…well, until I saw the PRICES! The cheapest one I could find was $15 (and that was at a 1/2 off sale!) Most of the others started at around $35 and went to $100+. There was no way I was paying that much for a wreath, so we were going to do without… until I spotted a grapevine wreath on sale for $3. I quickly snatched it up and brought it home to decorate. After doing some more shopping I found 2 more, and ended up with the 3 finished products pictured below. You can decorate them any color/style you want using ribbon and decorative ‘sprigs’ from any craft store. My TOTAL price for these finished wreaths? Around $5 – $7 each!
7) Christmas Candles – I love candles…. I love the warmth they add to a room, and the yummy smells they come in! They were an easy option for any rooms/spaces I didn’t have decor for. I chose scents like vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, and spiced apple for our home, and found cheap platters, votives, or other holders from Salvation Army (some as cheap as 10 cents each) to put them in.
8) Stick with the basics – I know some people like to choose funky colors for their Christmas decorations, but I’ve found that you’ll have more selection at places like the Dollar Tree (which means cheaper prices) if you stick with the basics: red, green, silver, and gold. Blue and silver are also a color combination I found a lot of while shopping around (which was the color scheme for our kitchen deco).
9) Skip the tree skirt – yes, I know there are GORGEOUS tree skirts out there; I have been drooling over them since October! The bad news is, they are anywhere from $15 to $100+! So, I decided to skip the tree skirt this year, and use a hunter green throw we had at home. Any color throw/blanket/quilt you already have can be bunched around the bottom of your tree, or you can buy a yard or two of cheap fabric to cover the stand. It isn’t seen for long anyway, since you cover it up with all those presents, so don’t waste the money!
10) Wait for After-Christmas Sales – I purposely DIDN’T get some of the things I wanted to decorate with, because I knew we didn’t have to have them, and they’d be way cheaper after Christmas. So, figure out what you can live without this season, and then wait until it goes 75% off after Christmas!
*BONUS TIP* – Another great way to save is to ask yourself a hard question before every purchase; “DO I REALLY NEED THIS?” Now I get that it’s not life or death to ANY of us when it comes to Christmas Decorations – NONE of it is really a ‘need’ – so I would encourage you to seriously think about cutting back. Ask yourself, “Do I really NEED those light up Christmas trees for the front porch? Or the extra tree for the office? Or the decorations for the guest room?” You’d be surprised at what you can talk yourself into NOT buying!
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Now, don’t get me wrong… this was hard for me too.
I had quite a few tough discussions with myself in stores…
trying to talk myself out of all the pretty things I wanted.
The end result isn’t perfect – our decor is far from the best,
and there are plenty of ’empty spots’ that could use more ‘Christmas stuff’…
but we really feel the sacrifice was WORTH IT! They are JUST decorations after all! 🙂
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I’ve posted some more pictures below of specific items I bought, and where I found the best deals.
Dollar Tree
Mirrored Trees – I spotted these on sale at Target for $15 and up (which was not in the budget). Luckily I found similar ones at The Dollar Tree! They are smaller, and not as well made (some hot glue shows and the occasional mirror is missing), but I’ve found that no one is going to bend down and inspect your decor! The dollar tree option was perfect for our home.
Table Runners – these run anywhere from $10 and up at other stores. I was able to find them in red, green, and cream at Dollar Tree. I paid $5 for 5 of them, instead of $10 for one!
Ornament Hanger + Ornaments – I wasn’t sure what this funky looking wire thing was when I saw it at first, but when I looked closer I realized it was an ornament hanger! I chose snowflakes to hang on it (you can put whatever you like!) Total cost: $4
Christmas Signs – I found this cute little sign for only $1! I was surprised at the selection of cute signs and wall hangings they had available (cloth, wood, and metal!)
Dollar General
Christmas Trees – if you’re looking for small Christmas trees I found the cheapest ones here; we found a little one for our bedroom for only $8!
Stocking Holders – after shopping around I found stocking holders starting at $15 and going up to $20+ each. Luckily, I found these cute little snowflakes at Dollar General for only $6 each!
Hobby Lobby also has some great sales if you watch; I was able to get these pretty stockings for only $5 each!
Hope these ideas help you not get too wrapped up in SPENDING
instead of GIVING this Christmas Season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I love your decorations…and never would have thought the mirrored tree came from the dollar store! I think you guys have the right idea…and put some of those wants on your Christmas want list…and maybe “someone” will buy it for you as a gift! Love you
Your decorations are gorgeous and I wouldn’t have known they came from the Dollar Tree and Dollar General. Praise God for the $$$$$ stores. I have found that I don’t need name brand anything. Merry Christmas.
If you are shopping for Christmas decorations on a budget, one of your first stops should be your local dollar store. While many individuals assume that the items sold within dollar stores are poor in quality, they aren’t always. In fact, around Christmastime, you could get some really nice Christmas decorations for a dollar or less.