Holiday Decorating on a Budget

Christmas tree, ornaments, strings of light, wreaths and wall décor; it can really add up quick! Since this is our first Christmas together in our Madison home we needed to get everything to decorate this year. We went shopping and I quickly realized there wasn't room in the budget to properly decorate, so it was time for some creative thinking...

I called my parents and they happened to have an old Christmas tree that they happily gave me :) Then a trip to Sam's Club and we had our ornaments; you can tell that they aren't going to last a lifetime but we don't need them to, we just need them to get us through our first few Christmases. Since my part-time job is at Pier 1 (and I get a decent discount) it's very tempting to get all the other odds and ends for decorating there, but we've been calling in favors to see if any friends or family have old décor they are willing to part with instead. Next week I'll be making a trip to Goodwill to see if they have any gently used holiday signs or figurines.

Do you have any other ideas to decorate on a budget? Are there any great Madison spots for holiday decorating?

Comments

[Rachel Seltzner]

Great start, Nick! Our first Christmas decorations were hand made by us out of pipe cleaners, beads, paper and crayon...seriously! After the flood I replaced many lights and decorations with great deals from thrift stores. I was amazed that people give away perfectly good lights, etc. And after the big day, you can stock up on some great clearance deals. Doesn't help this year, but it's a great way to prepare for next year, if you have a (DRY!) place to store everything...

[Cheryl]

Pier 1 - LOVE that store. I used to work there as well, but rarely did I bring home a paycheck - somehow it all stayed there! :)