Holiday Decorating on a Budget

How to Embrace Decorating on a Budget This Year

One of the most enjoyable parts of the Christmas season is sprucing up your home with festive decor! Unfortunately, all the garlands, lights, and ornaments quickly become pricey. But holiday decor doesn’t need to be expensive. With all the other expenses, like holiday meals and family presents, decorations can be a lot to add to the list. Eliminate the stress by decorating on a budget—It’s easier than you think!

Instead of skipping out on decorating this year, use the tips and tricks provided by Georgia Home Remodeling to deck the halls for less!

Switch Out Your Wall Art

One way to tackle holiday decorating on a budget is to use what you have. More specifically, if you have framed pictures and artwork hung on the walls, you can swap them out for holiday prints. If you have family photos from previous holidays, this is also a great way to give them the spotlight while decorating for the winter months.

Many online sites offer downloadable images for only a couple of bucks or even free. Look around and find what style fits your vision for your holiday home. Then, print the pictures on your home printer or send them to a budget-friendly printer, like Walmart, Walgreens, or one of the affordable printing websites that deliver right to your door.

Suppose you don’t have framed works on your walls already. In that case, you can find inexpensive frames at your local dollar stores or thrift shops. You can make this idea a reality for just under $25 if you play it smart!

Hang a DIY Wreath

How often have you walked into a store and found yourself staring at a stunning yet expensive holiday wreath? You probably think to yourself, “it would be a dream to have this wreath hanging on my front door!”

Then, you glance at the price tag and realize there is no way you can afford such luxury. Before you walk away with your spirits crushed, do a little more inspecting, and you may be surprised at how easy it is to make the wreath on your own for a fraction of the cost!

Save some cash this holiday season and make a DIY holiday wreath. Not only will it be beautiful, but it’s a work of art you can take pride in.

Consider these cheap and creative materials to make your own festive wreath:

• Pages from a newspaper or old book
• Fallen leaves, like oak or magnolia leaves
• Dyed corn husks
• Discounted faux seasonal flowers and plants from the craft or dollar store
• Craft wire
• Hot glue or super glue
• String
• Ribbon
• Found pinecones
• Red and green tulle

Store-bought holiday wreaths can run up to hundreds of dollars. But a hand-crafted wreath can cost as little as $20 if you put in some effort and tap into your inner artist.

Use Twinkling Lights to Your Advantage

It may be enough if all you have to decorate with are string lights. Twinkling lights really have a way of adding cozy Christmas vibes to any space. Consider hanging them over door frames, the fireplace, the bathroom mirror, along the stairs, and so many other places.

Plus, there are many different lights you can choose from to get creative with decorating on a budget. Rainbow lights, white lights, yellow lights, and lights shaped like snowflakes or icicles are just the beginning of your endless choices.

The only thing you should keep in mind is not to mix too many different styles of lights, especially when it comes to color. For example, if you already have yellow-tinted lights for your Christmas tree, try only to use yellow lights in other areas of the home. Different hues can be disorienting and irritating to the eyes. So, it’s best to stick to one style throughout the house.

Incorporate Scent for Holiday Ambiance

Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses. It can prompt memories, alter moods, and even aid with mental illnesses like depression or anxiety. Use scent to your advantage this holiday season by incorporating it into your home décor. What’s better than waking up to the warm and cozy smells of Christmas?

Here are some ideas of how you can spread Christmas aromas around your home:

• Ignite a pine or cinnamon incense
• Light holiday-scented candles or wax melts
• Diffuse peppermint or pine essential oils
• Use holiday-scented room and fabric sprays

Some popular wintertime scents include evergreen, cinnamon, vanilla, apple pie, pumpkin spice, peppermint, campfire, and cranberry. Try out a few and discover which ones are your favorite.

Shop the Discounts

If you plan on decorating on a budget, one of the smartest things you can do is shop for discounts. When visiting stores, skip the main aisles and displays and head straight to the clearance and discounted section to grab some new holiday decorations.

If the big-brand stores are a little too tempting, limit your holiday shopping to places like the dollar store or local thrift shops. Additionally, most retail shops offering Christmas décor will put their products on a massive sale before or after Christmas day. For the biggest deals, wait for the sales, even if you have to store your goodies away until the next holiday season.

Don’t Underestimate Paper Décor

If you like to get crafty, making your own Christmas decorations might be the perfect decorating-on-a-budget hack for you! You can make so many things with colored paper, scissors, and some glue or tape. You’d be surprised how good it can look. Plus, having the kids help you out is fun, making it a family holiday activity.

Take some time to look up awesome paper craft ideas on the internet. In the meantime, here are some paper Christmas decor ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Dress the Tree- Use glue or tape, colored paper, and string to make paper ornaments or garlands for the tree. This DIY hack will save tons of cash, rather than buying expensive glass ornaments. Plus, it gives your tree a creative and artsy look!
• Black Paper Tablecloth- Holiday tablecloths are another item that can be pretty pricey. Instead, use black butcher paper to cover the dining table. Around each table setting or along the edges, use a white paint pen to draw in some Christmas details.
• Paper Garlands- Deck the halls with handmade paper leaf garlands utilizing shades of green paper, scissors, and glue or tape.
• Origami Paper Christmas Trees- Fold boldly patterned paper into adorable little Christmas trees of various sizes to set on shelves and other surfaces in need of some Christmas flare.
• Paper Snowflakes- Cut out detailed paper snowflakes using white paper and scissors. Then hang them from the ceiling at different heights for a winter-wonderland feel.

Need Some Help Decorating on a Budget for the Holidays?

Georgia Home Remodeling is happy to advise and help you attain your holiday decorating dreams, even if you are limited to a tight budget! Our extensive team consists of electricians, professional painters, carpenters, and many more experts in home improvement.

Perhaps you’re ready for some upgrades before the holidays really start rolling. Give Georgia Home Remodeling a call to see how we can make your vision a reality!