How To Save Money On Christmas Decorations

*This post has been reviewed by an Illinois Registered CPA. However, when making important financial decisions, it's best to speak with your financial advisor.

Last Updated on August 25, 2022

Saving Money On Christmas Decorations

For some people, Christmas is the best time of the year (for others it may be Halloween). It is an excellent occasion to take a break from daily hassles. It’s also the time of the year to reunite with family and friends, but there’s more to it.

For many people, Christmas is also a frenetic shopping period. You need to buy presents, cook lavish meals and decorate your home. Do you want to spend less next Christmas? Then, you might want to cut your decoration expenses. Learn how to save money on Christmas decorations efficiently.

How to Save Money on Christmas Decorations by Shopping Smart

You may shop for skis in the winter and bathing suits in the summer. That is when you need those items. Why waste time looking for them beforehand, right? But what if you change this mindset?

How about shopping for Christmas items before the holiday season begins? You might get better deals on these products if, for example, you shop in November. If you want to plan ahead, look for Christmas decorations even before autumn.

A quick search on Amazon is enough to get some ideas of what you could find. This article was written in July. At the time of its writing, there were many Christmas decoration listings on Amazon. The products were also diversified. You could buy decorations such as

• Snow globe lanterns
• Santa Claus stocking holders
• Artificial Christmas trees
• LED Christmas lights
• Hanging decorations and Christmas balls

Some of these items had discounts of up to 30%. Christmas decorations prices will probably grow as winter approaches. That makes sense as the demand for them also rises. To get the best deals, you might want to buy them way ahead of time. This strategy can help you save money and prevent you from stressing over the decorations you need.

Purchasing these items right before Christmas can be daunting. That is when the shops are full as everyone buys things. If you order online, you might face shipping delays due to the high number of orders. Shopping before the holiday season starts can be more economical and practical. It can bring lower prices and a more relaxed shopping experience.

How about last-minute deals?

If you’re a last-minute deals buyer, apply the opposite strategy. Let everyone do their shopping. Don’t rush to go to the stores a week ahead of Christmas. Wait until a few days before Christmas. Then, check out what is left on the store’s shelves.

Chances are you might find many beautiful decorations at discount prices. This is the case when shops want to eliminate this merchandise from their stock. Instead of keeping it one more year, they might offer it for less than its previous price.

Should I buy decorations right after Christmas?

The same inventory clearance rule can continue after Christmas day. Stores might want to eliminate all those Christmas items taking up so much space. As a result, their prices could drop.

You might not want to wait until after Christmas to decorate your home, so use these items for the following year. Alternatively, use the old decorations before Christmas. Then, enhance your setting with the new ones bought at discount prices.

Saving Money on Christmas Decorations with Secondhand Products

Thrift shops are an excellent alternative to buying new products. You can shop in these stores for anything from clothes to furniture and Christmas decorations. The advantages of buying second hand Christmas decorations at thrift stores include:

• Lower prices
• Unique items you can’t find elsewhere
• A more eco-friendly approach

You could find beautiful Christmas decorations in second hand stores. Some might be old enough so that manufacturers no longer produce them. This makes them unique compared to mainstream decorations in department stores or supermarkets.

You’re also doing something good for the environment by purchasing preloved items. Of course, the biggest advantage reflects in your pocket. Check out the deals at thrift stores before Christmas. Their products should cost less than new ones.

Check out garage or estate sales

You might also find good deals for Christmas decorations at garage or estate sales. On these occasions, people try to get rid of excess stuff. They might want to move or sell their house and keep only the essential items.

You can find decorations and other household items at these sales. The prices should be low, similar to those at thrift stores, or even below. You can even negotiate to pay less, especially if you buy more items.

Use Generic Decorations

Christmas decorations are products that don’t benefit your budget or savings goals. These non-essential expenses are useful for a limited period of the year. You pay for them and only use them for two or three weeks. The Christmas tree is something you might not want to give up, yet this item only stays in your living room for a short time. Instead, you could use more generic decorations such as

1. White or red candles you can reuse for other decoration purposes.
2. White lights you can set up on the porch in the summer.
3. Pine boughs that can decorate your home throughout the winter.

These items are worth the money as they prove more useful over a longer period.

Get Help From Family and Friends

If you’re wondering how to save money on Christmas decorations, how about borrowing them? Christmastime is all about getting together with your beloved ones and celebrating. You could take advantage of these gatherings and borrow some decorations from friends or family.

Not everyone will have an extra set of Christmas lights or lots of ornaments they’re not using, but some families, especially those living in the same place for years, might have these extras. Living in the same house and redecorating it every Christmas may mean accumulating lots of items over the years.

Ask your parents or close friends if this is the case. If yes, you can visit them and ask them to lend you some of their old decorations. Also, see if any friends are moving, and ask if they have any decorations to offer.

Saving Money on Christmas Decorations with DIY

This strategy is not for everyone, but if you’re handy and love DIY, why not try it? There are different Christmas decoration DIY ideas you could apply. Some are easier, and some are more difficult to put into practice. You’ll find plenty of DIY Christmas decoration tips online. You could try to make your decorations by:

• Creating woodcraft items
• Sewing, knitting, and repurposing old textiles
• Using natural evergreen tree branches
• Using other items such as candles, jars and paper

Doing it yourself helps save money on Christmas decorations as you just need the raw material. For example, you can create small hanging trees from wood and paint them. You could also repurpose old decorations. Take old Christmas ornaments and repaint them.

DIY might take more time than shopping for decorations, but if you’re passionate about it, it could be fun and relaxing. You might even want to turn this talent into a lucrative one. Next year, you could be selling your DIY Christmas products online.

Buy Cheap Christmas Decorations Online

There is a retail concept called showrooming you can leverage as a buyer too. Showrooming involves checking out products in physical stores before purchasing them online. This is just a strategy to get inspiration. You look at the products displayed there and can even take notes. Write down the brand name and the products that interest you.

Then, go home and check them out online. You might find that they cost less online. This is due to the lower expenses virtual stores incur. Unlike brick-and-mortar ones, they don’t pay rent. They might also have fewer employees, so they afford to offer the same products at lower prices. Take advantage of this possibility to pay less for your Christmas decorations.

Pros and cons of shopping for Christmas decorations online

Here are some of the main pros and cons of doing your Christmas decorations shopping online.

Pros	Cons
You could find good deals online.	You can’t touch and test the products.
There are plenty more products to choose from.	The colors might not correspond with the photos.
You don’t waste time going to the shop.	You have to wait for the package to reach you.
It’s possible to get free shipping for your order.	The returns process might last and cost extra.

Choose a Theme and Make a Shopping List

Choose a theme to make it easier to buy decorations this year and spend less time shopping. This could simply refer to a predominant Christmas decorations color. It could also refer to a specific style.

For example, you might like retro Christmas decorations, wooden ones, or more modern ones like transparent ornaments. Regardless of your preferences, choosing a theme first can help save money. You know what you want to buy and don’t risk getting too many different products that don’t work well together.

For the same reason, you might want to make a shopping list. Many people ask themselves why they can’t save money, but they fail to apply simple money-saving tips such as a shopping list. There are three main advantages to having a shopping list

1. You can budget for your shopping
2. You spend less time shopping
3. The risk of spending extra money is lower

A shopping list is a basic form of budgeting. Write down all the items you’ll buy first. Then, write down the correlated approximate amounts or allocate a fixed budget to your entire shopping list.

That way, you don’t risk spending more on items not included in the list. If you are also wondering what real budgeting means, here are some strategies to help you budget. They can work out for you if you want to save money or simply be more organized while shopping. They could even help you fix your credit as fast as you can.

Budgeting Strategies to Save Money on Christmas Decorations

1. The 50-30-20 method

It advises saving 20% of your budget. From the remaining amount, 50% goes into necessities and 30% into wants. You could use this strategy to save money one or two months ahead of Christmas for your decorations. The 20% amount of your income should be enough to decorate your home this Christmas.

1. The digital envelopes system

This is a budgeting method you can apply via budgeting apps such as Mvelopes. The app helps you create different envelopes or separate accounts for different expenses. You can have one for rent, one for gas, etc.

With Christmas approaching, you might want a separate envelope for this expenditure. The point is to allocate a fixed amount to each category. Only spend what each envelope contains without going over the budget.

You can further expand this strategy and tailor it to Christmas expenses only. Here is an example of a four envelope system for this occasion.

Christmas decoration budget	$300
Artificial Christmas tree	$150
Christmas ornaments	$40
Christmas lights	$70
Other Christmas decorations	$40

1. The half-payment system

Budget-conscious people usually use this method for monthly payments such as bills or a mortgage. It aims to split these recurrent bills into two equal installments. You have to put aside money from each paycheck for one installment. You’ll have the full amount at the beginning of the month. You can apply this strategy to Christmas decorations after establishing a budget for this purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I avoid buying new Christmas decorations?

If you don’t want to invest any money in new decorations this year, check out your old ones. Go through all the closets where you might have Christmas decorations. Use all you can that is still in good condition. You could even borrow decorations from friends and family.

How can I save money on Christmas decorations by shopping with others?

You can team up with your friends or family to get better deals on Christmas decorations. These may apply to larger orders you place online. You could also buy decorations in bulk to pay less per item.

Can I save money on Christmas decorations at specialty stores?

Specialty stores often offer exclusive products. These stores usually appear around Christmas, offering beautiful but expensive decorations. To pay less on Christmas products, you might want to check out the offers online and in big-box stores first.

Sources:

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (1982). Christmas decorations. Amazon. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.amazon.com/christmas-decorations/s?k=all%2Bchristmas%2Bdecorations

Team, C. (2022, April 5). 25 DIY Christmas decoration ideas you can make at home. My Clever Mind. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.myclevermind.com/diy-christmas-decorations/

What is showrooming – definition, meaning and examples. Arimetrics. (2021, November 23). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.arimetrics.com/en/digital-glossary/showrooming

Team Acquira (2021, October 18). Brick and mortar vs. online businesses: Pros and cons. Acquira. Retrieved August 3, 2022, from https://acquira.com/brick-and-mortar-vs-online-businesses/