Pine cones make a festive holiday decoration at no cost to you.
Budgets tighten up when the holidays roll around--between the combined expense of buying gifts, throwing dinner parties and taking time off work, your decoration budget may be small or even nonexistent. Don't let a small bankroll add to your holiday stress, though. Using budget-friendly decorations gives your home a shot of holiday cheer, all without breaking the bank. Does this Spark an idea?
Go Green
Use environmentally friendly decorations throughout your home to save on money and give the decor a natural theme. Make centerpieces using items found in nature, for example. Collect pine cones and evergreen branches and arrange them in a simple bowl for an aromatic, natural table decoration. Use other accents like these throughout your home--dried flower blossoms, for example, break up the monotony of Christmas's ubiquitous pine trees. Retire your tangled bunches of incandescent Christmas lights and switch to LED lights. Though this requires an initial investment, the lights pay for themselves--not only do they last longer than traditional bulbs, saving you the cost of replacing them, but they also use significantly less energy.
Use What You Have
Stocking up on holiday supplies for gifts, stockings and dinner parties also yields plenty of decorating supplies. Use the things you have to buy anyway to make up some simple, zero-cost decorations. Use leftover wrapping paper, for example, to wrap big and small empty boxes and leave them in piles throughout the house. Spare garland from the tree can be wrapped around door frames and staircase banisters, while any ornaments that don't fit on the tree can be placed in a clear vase to make a centerpiece. Hang candy canes on the tree for a sweet accent, or display bouquets of them in small vases throughout the house.
Simple Variations
If decorative extravagances like a Christmas tree and bundles of colored lights aren't feasible, try low-cost alternatives. A miniature potted pine, for example, takes up less space while costing significantly less than a seven-foot spruce. Instead of spending money on strings of lights you'll only use once a year, decorate with versatile light sources. Small candles spread a flickering holiday glow that rivals white twinkle lights, and if you invest in a box or two of simple tea-light candles, you can spread them all throughout the house. To dress candles up as a tabletop decoration, lay a mirror down flat on the table, then set the candles on top. The mirror reflects their glow..
Tags: throughout house, candles spread, dinner parties, significantly less, throughout your, your home