Sobremesa Stories

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Six Ways To Decorate For Christmas Without Spending Money

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When I shared our Christmas home tour on Monday, a comment I saw many times is that people just didn’t have the money to buy decorations this year. If they couldn’t decorate for Christmas without spending any money, they felt like they couldn’t decorate at all.

First of all, I totally hear you on that one.  Store-bought decorations are SO expensive and honestly, aren’t always even that cute.  But friends, you do NOT have to spend all your hard-earned money on decorations to make your house cute (especially if you’re like me and would rather spend that money on overpriced holiday coffee drinks – gingerbread lattes forever!).  There are so many ways to decorate with what you already have or find a few, cute pieces at secondhand stores.  These six tips below are my tried and true methods for decorating cheaply and I hope they help you make your house beautiful and cozy without breaking the bank!

Cheap, easy ways to decorate for Christmas with things you already have around the house!

6 Ways To Decorate For Christmas Without Spending Money

1) Stick with a neutral color palette and some pops of bright colors.

I’m biased on this one because I love the look of neutral palettes for just about everything. But really, if you’re trying to save money, this is one of the best ways to get a beautiful decorative foundation without breaking the bank.  Choose a base color like white, gold, or silver that goes with the decor you already have and then choose one more accent color to go with it.  Finding elements of white and gray around your house will be much easier than trying to find a million little knick-knacks in red and green, and it will also help balance out your decor and make it feel more tied together.  You can also use whatever neutral pieces you find as a base for decorations in other seasons too! I leave that dusty blue shutter and those white candles on our mantle year round and just add fun pieces to them based on the season.

Beautiful Christmas home tour with neutrals, vintage touches, and pops of red and green! So many pretty and easy ideas!

2) Books, books, and more books!

Once I found some neutral items around the house I could move around and use as a foundation, I started looking for anything red (my chosen accent color) we had around our house.  And the main thing I could find? BOOKS.  We had so many random red books, both old and new, that I could pull of shelves and stack in various places around the house to add pops of color.  These are simple, beautiful, and the perfect combo of vintage and Christmassy.  When the holidays are over, you can just stick them back on the shelf and you’re good to go!

Beautiful Christmas home tour with neutrals, vintage touches, and pops of red and green! So many pretty and easy ideas!

3) Make crafts out of paper.

I bought a few old books and an old hymnal at a thrift store a year or two back and they have provided endless crafts. I made this fall sign out of the pages of an old hymnal in October, and I used that same hymnal to make the bunting over our mantle.  I also used the pages of a book (and lots and lots of hot glue) to make this pretty wreath.  There are SO many ways to use paper to make everything from ornaments to garlands, you just have to be willing to put a little time and elbow grease in.

Beautiful Christmas home tour with neutrals, vintage touches, and pops of red and green! So many pretty and easy ideas!

4) Use glass, metallics, and anything that sparkles.

We’ve accumulated lots of random little votives, sparkly glasses, bottles, and other glass pretties from thrift stores over the years, and these can be a great way to add a little sparkle to your decor.  Find anything sparkly around your house, pull it out from wherever it’s hiding, and put it somewhere more visible! I used a bunch of random ones on our dining room table and they’re simple, pretty, and easy.  Throw some little votive candles in them and they’re even prettier!

Beautiful Christmas home tour with neutrals, vintage touches, and pops of red and green! So many pretty and easy ideas!

5) Find free printables on Pinterest.

There are so many free downloads out there with GORGEOUS hand-lettered Christmas quotes, songs and verses.  Print one of these out, put it in a frame you already had, and hang it back up on the wall. Voila! The perfect way to add a little Christmas touch (even if you do have to use your work’s printers to do it – woops!). I’ve found tons of great printables on Pinterest, saved them to my Christmas Pinterest board (see below) and then printed them out later.  So easy!

Follow Lauren @ Sobremesa Stories’s board Christmas Ideas on Pinterest.

6) For anything else, scope out thrift stores and clearance racks.

Some of my favorite decorations are things we found at thrift stores or on sale after Christmas.  We had a $30 Christmas tree from a thrift store until this year, and even though the lights didn’t work and it had its Charlie Brown qualities we loved it.  We actually sold it for $40 on Craigslist this year and bought a new tree on sale at Target, but our Craigslist wheelings and dealings are a whole different story! 😉 The things I’ve mentioned above like books, glass and metallic knick knacks, and paper can be found in just about any thrift store for less than a few bucks, as can lots of wreaths, garlands, and other Christmas pretties.  Keep an eye out year round and you’ll find all sorts of good stuff!

Beautiful Christmas home tour with neutrals, vintage touches, and pops of red and green! So many pretty and easy ideas!

This typewriter was a fun thrift store find a few years back!

Decorating is a fun way to bring some spirit and joy into your home, but friends, please don’t let it overwhelm you or put you into debt.  Find a few pieces you love (no matter what anyone else thinks), call it beautiful, and enjoy it without worrying about Pinterest or other people’s opinions.  Whether it’s sock monkeys, neutral color schemes, or bright pops of Christmas color, enjoy your home and the people who live in it (because ultimately, they’re the ones that matter).

What are some of your favorite ways to decorate your home without spending too much?

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Comments

  19. Seriously great tips! I love sticking with a neutral palette that I can use every season and then just add colors and small items for each season. I also try to stick with things that aren’t super trendy so I know it won’t go out of style.
    Lexi recently posted…Home Tour: Christmas EditionMy Profile

  21. We are cut from the same cloth! I’m all about thrifting and using items from in the home in a new way. Your decorations are lovely