Decorating for Christmas on a Budget?

Try using things that you already have in Christmas colors-- a red tablecloth for instance can double as a tree skirt. Also, your local dollar store will usually have basics such as garland and small ornaments, which will cost less than your typical mass merchandise store.

Joyce

December 11, 20070 found this helpful

Try looking at some of your thrift stores and garage sales.
You can find cheap decorations at the Dollar store. They
have inexpensive little table trees. I like looking at Good

You can buy coloured printer paper at some dollar-type stores, if you can find red & green (great Christmas colours), you can cut them into narrow strips then loop them and make paper chains. You can also put up several balloons (cheap too) in reds and greens.
If you're not a member of Freecycle, join up, I've seen members giving away old decorations. I was even in my local thrift store last week and all their Christmas items were half-price....yes at the thrift store!
You can also use rolls of red and green crepe paper to decorate. My son made a wreath at school many years ago using crepe paper and a paper plate by simply cutting out the centre of the plate and weaving red & green paper around the circle which was left. It was so cute and clever, I still have it.

Valerie

December 11, 20071 found this helpful

Go on a hike and collect pine cones. You can string together pine cones and maybe some cinnamon sticks with brown twine and hang them or drape them. Very pretty. I just paid 10 dollars for one at a store because I just ran out of time.

Collect wild nuts and put in bowls, maybe with a candle in the middle.

Find all sorts of things at thrift stores and think of ways to tie red ribbons to them. Decorate your fruit bowl with red ribbon.

There's a few suggestions. :)

If your able to, go where they are selling trees and ask for the left-over branches and use them. Lay glass bulbs around the greenery and add some glitter. It makes a pretty centerpiece.

Go to Lowes' or a Christmas tree lot, ask for any fresh branches they've trimmed from a fresh Christmas tree (Frazier firs or pine smells great), they'll most likely let you have them free. buy 3 white carnations, (colored carnations loose scent, white smell best) and make a small floral arrangement with them, using a vase or glass you already have and tie a ribbon around vase. There's one Christmas scent. Bake homemade cookies, cake or bread, there's another Christmas scent to make the whole house smell like the holidays. (if you don't bake, buy good cookies at a bakery, place in oven just before mom arrives, set kitchen timer for 5 to 8 minutes and take out just before she arrives home.) At the dollar store, buy a box of glass ornaments, mix in a large bowl or on a plate with whatever you have handy (i.e.

I know this won't help you for this year, but maybe for next year. After Christmas, many stores sell all their Christmas items and decorations for 50% off. I always stock up after Christmas one year for the next year.

Dear Raine,
Go to Craigslist.org then lookup Oregon then Bend for your area there are free items under the heading "Free"
-Specifically a tree if you need that too! Alot of people give away items for free that might help you with decorating or even gifts. Other ideas include: salt dough recipes for ornaments, cutting out pictures ect from old Christmas wrap to hang on trees or walls.Also set the table for dinner with all the glassware you've got ; the setting looks pretty and you can put decorations in the center of the table in different size glasses.

Julie
Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 149 Feedbacks

December 15, 20071 found this helpful

my sister done the simplest yet so very pretty display on her coffee table by finding any or all photos from past christmas of her family like her grandchildren her and her husbands family photos etc. any photo that was taking at christmas time of any year or age of the person. and she used little frames or frames that fit the pictures size and just placed them randonly all in the center of her coffee table she even put the frames back to back and then she just layed ribbon all around them in random loose fotting form. she stuck in around there bottoms some christmas pics like holly or pinecones. and in the center of the table she had a candle scape by just using simple clear tall glasses each one a differant size the bottom was filled with rock salt (like you use in your drive way to melt the snow) then she had those little tree ornament balls just placed inside each one up so far and in the canter of that she had placed the tall tapered candles to burn. the rock salt stabilized then to stand firmly. she used things she already had from years past of decorating and it was so pretty and felt very warm and inviting. a great conversation piece as well.

A few years ago I endured a house fire and lost all of my ornaments. Decorating the Christmas tree was depressing until I came up with a little idea; I bought miniature chocolate candy (kisses, three musketeers, snickers,etc). They all come in Christmas colors and foil. put a pin hole at the top (leaving it sealed) and put your hook in. It was a huge hit especially with the kids. It's now become a tradition for the candy tree and since the ornaments are eaten, clean-ups a breeze.