Okay, I’ll just admit it… I always suffer from the post-holiday blues. I love me some Halloween-Christmas but something about New Years always gets me down. I mean, I do like the fact that Christmas decor usually doubles as New Years decor, yes? I truly feel like it went WAY too fast this year. December is always gone in a flash, isn’t it?
I won’t lie, I was all gung-ho about decorating our rental home for the holiday because I was so excited to have a space that wasn’t too jammed packed full of our stuff to decorate like in FL! #smallhouseprobs But then the fact that I’m really the only one that’s going to see any of it had me kind of in no rush to finish. Better late than never they say.
This mentality also had me scoping for decorations on the cheap. Like, knowing that I would be stuck in the house the whole season had me sure that I wanted some holiday cheer to enjoy… but knowing that no one would be over to see it had me doing some serious bargain hunting. And I think I actually succeeded. Pretty sure the most expensive thing that I bought was my Bath and Body Works candles; which go on sale for $8.50 for one day every December. Stackable with coupons that are pretty much always in your inbox. You’re welcome.
Upon completing my annual scouring of Pinterest for Christmas inspiration (you do it too, don’t lie.) I compiled a list of ways that we tend to spend too much on for Christmas decorations! And ways to cut corners while still fulfilling your yule-tide decor dreams.
- You buy the pre-decorated wreaths.
Seriously guys! Wreaths are the easiest things ever to spruce up by yourself. I bought the plain-jane wreaths at Target for $8 a piece. Saving me a pretty penny, they seriously have small wreaths that go for like $30. Like, what?! Then I bought a huge roll of pretty red ribbon and made the bows myself. Also use that same ribbon to hang them. Bam. I like the simple look of the plain wreath + bow combo, but you could totally buy little berries or pinecones and place them in there yourself too.
- Because, Candy Canes.
Nothing says Christmas like little red and white candies that smell like peppermint. They’re also like a dollar a box at Walmart. I’ve always used them to decorate Christmas trees in the past. But now my dog eats them (wrapper and all) off of the tree so we can’t do that. But I found that they worked well to spruce up my shelf decor just by hanging them on pretty dish ware or vases.
- And… because Ornaments.
Somehow my non-seasonal decor is full of cups, bowls, vases…things that can be filled with cheap dollar store ornaments and BAM now they’re Christmas decorations. The dollar store sells ornaments. They’re seriously nearing candy cane levels in regards to expense. They come in all kinds of textures and finishes making it even easier to keep things interesting.
- You’re not seeing what you already have.
I have SO many nicknacks when it comes to decor. We learned this when packing to move. It probably had something to do with my wall shelf obsession. This year, I have more house than I have stuff, and less than usual funds to fill them. It became clear to me that with some simple color coordination and rearranging mixed with aforementioned candy canes and ornaments, a lot of what I already had could become “christmas decor.”
Seriously, this year most of my decor purchases came from Target’s dollar spot and my own packed boxes in the garage. It was actually kind of fun to try and find new uses for old things. Next year, I will definitely be doing the same and trying my best not to spend too much on decor and spend those dollars on awesome sales instead. ;P
