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People spend a fortune around Christmas. Sometimes we tend to give more money for Christmas decorations and presents than we intended to. As a result, we end up with little to no money before the next pay day. Here's how to save money while you decorate for Christmas and survive till the next paycheck.
Switch to LED Light
Your neighbours across the street have stunning Christmas decorations and their house is completely covered with thousands of tiny blinking Christmas lights. You just watch it and think can you really beat them up in this Christmas decorating war. No matter how big is your desire to go all out and shower your home with bright lights for Christmas, don't do it!
At least, you can switch to LED Christmas lights. They will save you lots of energy and will last longer than the traditional Christmas bulbs. LED lights use roughly 80% less electricity than regular ones and can bright up the dark up to 50 000 hours. That's impressive! Also, LED Christmas bulbs are made of plastic, which means they don't generate that much heat compared to glass lights, and can't break that easy.
If you switch to LED Christmas lights, you can save up to 24% from your electricity bill. LED bulbs use 4.8 watts per string of lights, while the traditional Christmas lights use almost 5 times the same amount - 20.4 watts per string.
Shop After Christmas or at Sales
When it comes to Christmas preparations, you can never be too early. You can plan your Christmas gifts and decorations shopping way before the holidays. You can find amazing deals right after Xmas and New Years, or at seasonal sales.
If you follow this strategy, you will save a lot of money on otherwise overpriced Christmas goods. Many of the big stores have Christmas Sales and sell their items at prices that are up to 95% cheaper. You can also try and shop for Christmas gifts at seasonal sales. You can buy your friends and family things they wanted but couldn't afford, because they were expensive.
Try DIY Christmas Decorations
Christmas decorations and wreaths can be quite pricey. The snow globes, Christmas tree ornaments and other small decorations can cost you a lot because they look so good, you end up buying more than you need.
There are tons of free DIY Christmas decoration tutorials that you can tr out. They are perfect for decorating on a budget and will save you a lot of money. You can buy a plain, undecorated Christmas pine wreath and decorate it to your liking. You can even make small DIY Christmas trees to put on the table or in your bedroom.
Try Second-Hand Christmas Decorations
As you know, one man's trash is another person's treasure. You can tour the local second-hand shops and look for Christmas decorations. People often decide to drop their unwanted or old Xmas decors at trift stores. You can find some perfect and new Christmas ornaments where you least expected. Ebay and Amazon are also an option if you want second-hand Christmas decorations.
Decide What Type of Christmas Tree You want
The debate about what type of Christmas tree to decorate this year is really old. There are people that stick to the traditions and buy a real Christmas tree, while others decide to go for the convenient fake trees. Real Xmas trees may be a bit expensive, but nothing beats the cozy feeling they bring and their fresh pine aroma. Artificial Christmas tree may be cheaper and you can use them for a few years.
However, most people often believe in the common misconception that fake trees are eco-friendly. Thousands of real Christmas trees may be cut each year, but for each cut tree, three new ones are planted. On the other hand, artificial trees are made from non biodegradable plastic materials and metals and can't be recycled. If you leave them in the dumpster, they will remain in the landfill forever.
You have to make the right choice when it comes to Christmas trees. They may cost you extra money, but this way you will support local nurseries and Christmas tree farms. There are a lot of Christmas tree companies that offer service packs that include delivery, installation and recycling at good prices. This will save you the hassle of installing and then taking the Christmas tree to the local recycle centre.
Re-use Old Christmas Decorations
Don't throw away perfectly good but old Christmas decorations. Even if you don't want to use them this year, you might want to do next Christmas. You can also try to remodel them or use them as part of Christmas gift wraps or to decorate a Christmas wreath. This will save you money on Christmas decorations that you will buy, but will throw away after the holidays because you don't like them anymore.
If you want to get rid of them so much you can bring them to a jumble sale, or swap mart, and exchange them for other items. You can find treasures in these places. All you have to do is bring your old, unwanted things and swap them for other things that people don't need.
Stick to Simple Christmas Room Decorations
Remember that less is better. Your neighbours may have decked the whole house with bright Christmas lights and have Santa on the roof, but this doesn't mean that it looks good. You can decorate your home for Christmas without spending a fortune on tacky ornaments and millions of lights. If you think ahead of time and prepare for Christmas decorating earlier, you can save a lot of money and you can concentrate on all the little details that will make it a perfect Christmas.
