You want to have a well decorated home, but seasonal and holiday decorations can be really expensive! How do you create that festive atmosphere in your home year round when you are on a budget? Here are 8 tips & tricks to keep your home looking appropriately seasonal no matter what holiday comes next.
The Dollar Store –
Did you know that dollar stores actually have pretty good holiday decor options? Sure, some of it is garbage, but honestly some of my most complimented holiday decor actually came from the Dollar Tree!
The trick is to get there fairly early when they first put out the holiday decor. The good stuff gets grabbed quickly!
Here are some cute displays for spring I saw at my local Dollar Tree the other day:
Hobby Lobby –
Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has a 40% off coupon available! Just download their app and every time you go, you can use the 40% off one item at regular price coupon.
That said, Hobby Lobby puts their seasonal items on sale well before the holiday actually even happens. Their prices are generally pretty fair and reasonable and the quality is quite good!
Micheal’s –
Michael’s is another one that almost always has a 30-40% off coupon in their app (in fact sometimes they even offer 50% off one regular item coupons!). They also will sometimes offer short periods of $x off $xx coupons as well. In some cases you can stack coupons as well.
JoAnn’s –
JoAnn’s is another great place to buy holiday decor. I find that their decor is a bit pricier than the two above though, so I always try to check the app to see if there are any coupons I can stack to get a great deal.
After Holiday Sales –
If you can wait to decorate until next year, be sure to hit up the after holiday sales! Some stores start their after holiday sales on decor the day OF the holiday, but most start it the day after. The problem is that everybody else knows this little tip too.
So you’ll need to get there early and be prepared to make quick decisions!
One of my favorite places to nab after holiday decor sales is actually Walgreens! They drop to 70% and then pretty quickly to 90%.
This is also a great opportunity to make some of those bigger holiday decor purchases, such as Christmas trees.
DIY –
I hesitate to recommend DIYing holiday decor as a budget saver, because we are all guilty of buying $40 worth of materials to create something that would have cost $20 outright and then never using those materials ever again.
However, check out my tutorial for making a fall wreath here. You can totally use that as a base to make a wreath for any season! It uses all very inexpensive materials and you will have a lot of pride knowing that you made that!
Pinterest is filled with great holiday DIY home decor tutorials!
Buy Generic “Season” items –
Rather than buying Easter decorations, buy mainly “Spring” decorations and you can keep those up for 3 months! Rather than Christmas, focus on “Winter”.
When you purchase for a season instead of a holiday, it allows you to get a bit more use and enjoyment out of your decor. Which makes investing in good quality pieces a bit more reasonable!
Decorate with Consumables & Otherwise Functional Items
Don’t underestimate the beauty of a gorgeous bowl of lemons on the table to celebrate spring/summer. In the fall, a bowl of gorgeous bright red apples will really cheer up any household.
Fresh cut flowers from the garden, pinecones from the backyard placed in an attractive glass jar (check out these, you could change out the contents for every season!), you can even use a wax warmer or a gorgeous scented candle to provide an attractive piece of decor and to add to the overall seasonal ambiance of your home with an appropriate seasonal scent.
Thrift Stores & Garage Sales
I have a good friend that changes her Christmas “theme” every 2 years. I mean, she donates EVERYTHING that isn’t actually a family heirloom and does a whole new decor theme every year. NONE of her decor ever looks like it has been used, and it all ends up in the local Goodwill for anyone to purchase at a major steal!
Be sure to check out thrift stores and garage sales for wonderful seasonal and holiday decor. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Some of my favorite Christmas decor items came from a local thrift store because I just so happened to walk in the day they set all of the Christmas decor out!
What are your tips for decorating for the holidays on a budget?
