Holiday Ambiance on a Tight Budget (Link-Up!)

You can have a house full of cookies, gifts purchased and wrapped, and music playing in the background, but nothing brings out Christmas cheer as much as the decorations. They set the tone throughout your home and bring a beautiful and festive ambiance that warms the heart.

And few things warm the heart as much as cutting costs, staying within your budget and still accomplishing a well-decorated home. Try these tips to stretch your decorating budget as far as you can this year:

• Back to basics. Christmas-time offers a very natural beauty which can be easily brought out with minimal decorating. Rather than going over-the-top this year with silver and gold and tons of lights and wreaths, try a more simplistic style. Greenery, pine cones and cranberries are all very inexpensive and can go a long way in bringing a festive feel to your home. Add some touches here and there to stretch the decorations you all ready own.

• Wrap it up! Wrapping paper is one of the cheapest decorations you can find. Hit up your local dollar store for a few rolls of matching colors then let your creativity take over while you find objects throughout your home to wrap. You can wrap pictures on your wall for a simple festive touch. Wrap styrofoam balls or baseballs and place them in a bowl for a cheap centerpiece. You could also wrap up some empty boxes and place them around the house. Choose varying shapes and sizes to keep it interesting.
• Cut, paste and reuse. Do you have some old decorations that just do not cut it anymore? Or did you find a bag of miscellaneous holiday pieces at a thrift store? Try looking at those old items with a fresh eye and do not be afraid to tear into them. This year, I had an old candle wreath that was looking ratty and dated so I took a pair of scissors and trimmed away. I used the various parts to bring life to some plain greenery, threw together a fun base to surround a holiday house, and used other extra pieces I had lying around from a previous project to give new life to the remains of the candle wreath. Before tossing and replacing old decorations, consider what they can become with a little imagination.

[caption id="attachment_3104" align="alignleft" width="253" caption="Original Candle Wreath"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3103" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Spruced Up Greenery"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_3102" align="aligncenter" width="222" caption="Base Around Holiday House"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3101" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="New & Improved Candle Wreath"][/caption]

This year, I challenge you to set a very strict decorating budget and really reach into your creative side to bring out the Christmas cheer. What ways have you saved money on decorating for the holidays, either this year or in the past? Please share by leaving a comment or linking up below!

Find more great homemaking posts at: A Blossoming Homestead, Far Above Rubies, Learning the Frugal Life, Growing Home, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Time-Warp Wife, It's a Keeper Thursday, Nifty Thrifty Things, Mama's Little Treasures and 5 Minutes for Mom.