10 Holiday Decorating Tips

How many times have you ever looked at a magazine, and thought to yourself, "I wish I could decorate my house like that, without breaking the bank."  I have, loads of times.

Christmas is really the only holiday that I go all out for.  I love how everything looks once it's all put together, and lit up. 

Here are some tips to help you stay within your budget.

1.  Purchase your decorations AFTER the holidays.  Your savings will mount to 50% - 75% or even higher than they would if you purchase them before the holidays. 

2.  Take a look around your home, check out magazines, and come up with ideas on what you would like to see.  Pinterest is a really great place to get some ideas. 

3.  Use string, and very "on the cheap" plastic ornaments to hang on lights you may have in your home.  These also look great hanging from the window curtain rods. 

4. If you're adding to your decorations, take a look at your color scheme, and make sure that the item (s) will fit in your home.  You wont want to purchase a ten foot artificial tree after the holidays when your ceilings are only 8 feet. 

5.  Centerpieces can be made easily by taking a Glass bowl, like this one, found at a consignment store, adding a piece of garland, and plastic ornaments.  Total cost here was just $6.25.

6.  Consignment stores are a great place to find Christmas items and decorations at a fraction of the price of retail stores, often times on sale before the holidays.

7.  By mixing a few expensive ornaments with lots of cheaper ones on your tree, you can create the effect of a luxurious tree that will be admired.  I have received more comments on my trees in the last two years than I did when I had big expensive ornaments before our house fire. 

I could actually fit about a hundred more ornaments on my tree, though I will be waiting until after the holidays to purchase more for the tree next year. 

8.  When decorating outdoors, big isn't always better.  Sometimes simplicity and minimal makes a bigger statement.  The one thing to remember again is to stay within one color scheme. 

9.  Don't just think about your holiday decorations during the holidays.  You may come across something in July, that would make for a great centerpiece in December.

10.  Bring a little holiday into each room, not just a single room.  There is evidence of Christmas in each of our rooms in the house, from the living room to the bathrooms, no room has gone untouched.