Five Ways to Decorate for the Holidays on a Budget

Hello!

How is it that it’s still only early December, yet I feel like I’m already caught up in the holiday rush.  We’re going to a party this weekend and hosting another get together next week, and somewhere in there I need to do some holiday shopping (and wrapping, and Christmas card writing…).

It’s easy to get swept away with buying new things for your home to dress it up for the holidays, but I’m here to remind you that you don’t necessarily have to spend more money to make your home feel festive and welcoming.  Here are five ways to dress things up without breaking the bank.  This post contains some affiliate links.

Utilize Your Yard
Evergreens and boxwoods are awesome to have in your yard when the holidays roll around.  I have snipped plenty of greenery from my own yard and have incorporated it into my decor.

Place greens in a pitcher or vase and you instantly hit a festive note.

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Or, put them in a pretty basket (inside the basket I used small vases to keep things fresh).

Mix them in with glass hurricanes (but maybe with a flameless candle like this one).

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They make great accents for your holiday table too.

You can even give the outside of your home a fresh look with greenery.  Use your empty pots as the groundwork for a festive greeting for guests.

Or put it in a basket to kick it up a notch.

Use What You Have
One great way to save money is to use what you have, even if it’s in a different way.  Take old ornaments for example – when you put them in a bowl with some (free) greenery, you have something beautiful that doesn’t break the bank.

Totally free.  Ok, the ribbon was new this year, but that’s it!

Do you have any lanterns?  Fill them with ornaments too!

Free Printables
If you’ve been in the blogosphere for any period of time, you know that free printables abound during the holiday season.  I love free printables – you can change them around year to year, and they keep things fresh (and free).

Printable from Craftberry Bush

Printable from Nest of Posies

Joy printable from Chronicles of Home

Add Lights
You can take just about anything and make it festive with lights.  I’m a big fan of these little battery powered LED lights, but just about any lights will do.  Add lights to garland, buckets of greenery, bowls of ornaments or apothecary jars and you have instant ambience.

Another favorite of mine are these flameless mini tealight candles.  They still give the flicker of a regular candle, but are flameless, so you don’t have the fire hazard, which makes them perfect to tuck into mason jars and greenery.

Just Add Food
Whether it’s candy canes or cranberries, food can be a wonderful and inexpensive way to add color and pack a punch.

I love this fruit and greenery combination from At The Picket Fence – what a great impact!

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