Christmas decorations don’t have to be expensive to look nice which is good news for those of us on a tight budget this year. The recent down turn in the economy has many of us looking to save where ever we can and Christmas is not spared. Fortunately there are many ways you can decorate for Christmas and not break the bank. As the mom of four I am always looking for ways to save money and have compiled a list of ten budget friendly Christmas decorating ideas.
1. Recycle Old Christmas Cards
Turn old Christmas cards into cute Christmas decorations by cutting the fronts off and punching holes all around the edges. Colorful yarn or ribbon can then be woven in and out of the holes and used to hang on the Christmas Tree. You can add some glue and glitter to the edges if you prefer a little sparkle.
This is a great project to let the kids do
2. Reuse Old Kids Meal Toys
If you have kids chances are you have tons of those toys you get in the kids meals at fast food restaurants laying around the house. Did you know they make great decorations for a kids themed Christmas tree? Gather up several of them and tie a string around them or hot glue a ribbon loop to hang on the Christmas tree.
3. Wrap It
Use leftover Christmas paper to wrap your doors and window air conditioning units like giant Christmas gifts. Add a red velvet or plastic bow that can be purchased at your local Dollar or ,99 cent store to complete the look.
Empty boxes can be covered with Christmas wrap, topped with a bow and piled in a corner to make a nice Christmas decorations. Add some stuffed animals sitting on the boxes to complete the look.
4. Decorate Naturally
Items you find in nature can be used to decorate inexpensively. Pine cones can be piled in a glass bowl or vase with a few shiny Christmas ornaments and ribbon for a nice centerpiece They can also be dipped in glue, rolled in glitter and hung by a ribbon on your Christmas tree.
5. Spruce Up Old Ornaments
Get out your craft supplies and give old glass ornaments new life. There is no limit to what you can create with just a few left over odds and ends. Hot glue small crystal beads, bits of lace and ribbon to glitz up your ornaments. Use inexpensive acrylic paint to paint on stripes, dots or other designs. You can also apply a layer of craft glue and roll an old ornament in glitter for a sparkly new ornament.
6. Get Creative With Paper
Have your children use folded paper and scissors to make cute snowflakes to hang on your tree, from your ceiling and stick on windows. The backs of old Christmas cards can be used for this project. You can add a little sparkle to your snowflakes by drizzling on some glue and sprinkling with glitter.
7. Window Paint
Instead of buying expensive and environmentally harmful spray snow for your windows you can make inexpensive window paint by simply mixing powdered tempera paint with liquid dish detergent. After the season is over clean up by spraying with window cleaner and wiping with a damp cloth. You can purchase powdered tempera paint at most craft and school supply stores or on line at www.stumpsspirit.com for only 1.59 for a one pound can.
8. Bake It
Use Cinnamon Applesauce dough or bread dough to make simple baked ornaments to hang on your tree. Once dry ornaments can be painted with acrylic or puff paint for a personalized look. Don’t forget to put a hole for stringing before you bake them .
9. Rake It
Clean up your yard and decorate it at the same time by raking leaves into large white trash bags to make a stacked snowman. Since outdoor bags don’t usually come in white you will want to use indoor garbage bags. Heftys Force Flex bags work best since you will have a lot of leaves and, twigs poking out inside the bag. To make your snowman
use three leaf filled bags.A large filled bag for the lower body, a medium filled bag for the mid section and a small bag for the head. Once filled and tied closed, stack your bags on top of each other to make a snowman. Use a permanent marker to draw on eyes and a mouth. Make a small slit in the bag where the nose should be and carefully insert a small carrot. Finish off with an old scarf and hat.
10. String It
Make garland for your tree by popping some popcorn and stringing with fresh cranberries. You can also string dried fruit slices like apples, oranges and lemons or string some breakfast cereal such as Cheerios or Fruit loops.
You may even want to experiment with combining the the popcorn fruit and cereal for a unique look.
I hope you find these budget friendly tips useful and they help you to save a little money on your Christmas decorating this year.
Merry Christmas and Happy Decorating!
