Seven Ways to Decorate for Christmas on a Budget

by Donna @ An Organized Season

I love to decorate my home for Christmas! What I don’t like to do, especially at this time of year, is spend a lot of money on decor. So today I’m going to show you seven ways you can decorate your home for Christmas on a budget!

Come along and see how I decorated my home without spending a fortune!

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Seven ways to decorate for Christmas on a budget

1) Don’t pay full price for decor

I love to decorate for every season and Christmas is no exception!

Because I change things so often, I can’t afford to buy expensive decor items!

So, I’m always on the lookout for great bargains!

Shop the clearance section year-round

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, An embroidered pillow cover in cream white and champagne

This gorgeous pillow cover is the inspiration for my Christmas decor in the living room!

It was on clearance back in the Summer, and I think I paid $6 for it. I bought two!

I’ll be using white, cream, and champagne colors on my tree!

You’ll get to see the tree in a bit, but first, I want to show you another huge bargain I found!

Shop after Christmas Clearance sales

As soon as Christmas is over, I start thinking about how I can decorate the next year!

I ask myself questions like, “what was missing” or “what would I like to add next season!”

Then, I hit the stores and buy decor at deeply discounted prices.

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, An evergreen and eucalyptus garland hanging on a staircase is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

Last year, I purchased the garland you see on my stairs at Michael’s for 70% off.

And this Christmas, it’s the star of my foyer!

I love the simplicity of it!

What did I do with the garland I used on the stairs last year?

I used it in a new way!

Want to see where it is now?

2) Reuse Christmas decor in new ways

My old garland is now welcoming guests to our home on the front porch!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget

If you follow the blog, you’ll start to pick up on the fact that I use the same decor over and over, but I use it in a different place than the year before!

The same decor items can look completely different when you put them in a new place.

You’ll save tons of money by rotating your decor around your house!

*Tip- I purchased the huge poinsettias from Costco for $14.99 apiece. Such a major bargain!!

3) Use foraged items to decorate with

To embellish my garland and wreath on the front door, I used pine cones.

I brought several tubs full of pinecones that I collected from my yard in Kentucky.

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, An evergreen wreath decorated with pine cones and antique bells is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

Foraged items are free, so check your yard (and your relatives and friends’ yards too) and see what you can find to decorate with.

Here are some examples of items you might find:

Evergreen pieces
Holly and berries
Magnolia leaves
Pampas grass
Sticks/twigs
Acorns

If you pick up pinecones outside and want to use them inside, check out this post on how to prepare pinecones for indoor use!

I know the antique bells look like they came from Pottery Barn, but in reality, I bought them at Walmart for $10 and painted them to look just like the ones that cost $69 at PB! You can see the DIY here!

4) Incorporate thrifted finds into Christmas decor

Another great way to decorate for Christmas on a budget is to use thrifted finds!

I love to shop at thrift stores, flea markets, and discount stores.

A few weeks ago, Rich and I went to Renninger’s Antique and Collector’s Extravaganza in Mount Dora.

We came home with a few new treasures!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, Three empty picture frames hanging on a wall with a wreath inside each one is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

I found these three frames for a steal!

We hung them on the wall in our stairwell!

Then, I added three small wreaths.

The wreaths are a new purchase this year, I bought them at Hobby Lobby for 60% off!

I could not have made them that cheap!

5) Use velvet ribbon

A trend I’m loving this year is the use of velvet ribbon.

Did you notice it on the staircase?

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A bow made out of pink velvet ribbon and hanging on a garland is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

I used pink ribbon to coordinate with the Christmas decor in my dining room.

If you missed that post, you can see how I added lots of pink and sparkles to my dining room, here!

Next, I hung a basket on the coat rack in my foyer and added a pink ribbon to it!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A gray basket holding evergreen branches with a pink velvet ribbon is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

Now let’s head to the living room because I used velvet ribbon in several places there.

On a wreath!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A flocked wreath with a white velvet bowl is a good way to decorate for Christmas on a budget

On the mirror!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A console table and mirror decorated with evergreen garland yarn cone trees topiaries bottle brush trees and nutcrackers

And on my Christmas tree!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A white velvet bow hanging on a Christmas tree branch

6) DIY your own Christmas decor

My very favorite way to save money on Christmas decorations is to make them myself!

There are so many DIY projects in this room, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Let’s start with the cone Christmas trees!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, Cone Christmas trees made with yarn drop cloth pieces and ribbon

Last year I made cone trees out of yarn! You can see the DIY here!

This year, I made them out of drop cloth and ribbons! See how to make them here!

I had leftover supplies, so I made two types of ornaments to match. See that DIY here!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, Drop cloth Christmas ornaments hanging on a tree

In the Spring, I made a piece of art, as you can see in the background, out of paper flowers. I also used the flowers to make a garland and a wreath.

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A Christmas tree decorated in neutral colors of white cream and champagne

Someone mentioned I should use them on my Christmas tree and I took their advice!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A Christmas tree with white paper flowers white velvet bows and small wrapped packages

I tucked them in the branches, and now I just wish I could remember who told me that, so I could thank them!

I made my tree topper out of old floral picks I’ve had for years!

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A Christmas tree topper made from tree branches white berries and champagne and white floral picks

The nutcrackers are a new purchase this year, I bought them for 60% off.

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A wooden nutcracker surrounded by bottlebrush trees

7) Paint old decor items to update them

A great way to give your old decor a new look is to paint it.

seven ways to decorate for christmas on a budget, A cloche with a statue of the Holy Family inside

I gave this statue of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus one coat of white chalk paint. It used to be bright gold but the paint toned it down! I love the neutral look it has now!

A little paint can completely transform a decor item!