Christmas tree looking a little bare? You don’t have to spend a lot to make it beautiful and full of happy things. Just take a look at the following ideas that will help you decorate your tree for free (or almost free). Some of these ideas are taken from traditional Christmas Tree decorating traditions from folks who know what it is to live frugally, while other ideas have a more modern spin. Enjoy!
Here is an idea that an old friend and I used to decorate his tree when we didn’t have much to work with in terms of cash. We went out to a local wildlife area and gathered together armfuls of fallen pine cones. We took them home, spray painted them with gold spray paint and tied them to the tree with gold ribbon. We supplemented the gold pine cones with inexpensive burgundy bows. The tree looked beautiful.
You can always find free compact discs and DVDs. We get them in the mail, they are stacked up at the post office and at retail stores. Glue two discs together, shiny side out. Thread a pretty ribbon through the hole and make a loop to hang them. I’ve seen these discs used indoors and out.
Why not decorate with a traditional popcorn string or a cranberry string (or mix the two) popcorn and fresh cranberries are both relatively inexpensive, so you won’t pay much for your decorations at all.
For a cozy country look, make some construction paper chains. If you want a more modern take, use colorful Christmas scrapbook paper (it is often sold in blocks and on sale right now), aluminum foil, the comics, junk mail, magazine pages and more. Use whatever you have around for a unique decoration.
Make a tree of words, such as PEACE, NOEL, JOY, SANTA and more. Just take some card stock and print or rubber stamp the words. Cut them out and decorate them with glitter and or beads, or leave them plain.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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