Guest Post: Holiday Home Décor on a Dime

Holiday Home Décor on a Dime

The holidays bring joy and cheer, a bright light at the end of twelve long months. The season of giving brings food, friends and family into your home to make memories and share in traditions. For busy frugal moms, this means hosting dinners and guests while trying to present a festive atmosphere and watch your bottom line at the same time.

The halls aren’t the only things that get decked during the holiday season, your home is front and center as a showpiece as you host seasonal parties and get ready for the big day. Bring some joyful cheer of your own by sprucing up your home with a little tweaking. A few small touches can add the perfect topper to your seasonal home décor, and needn’t eat into the family budget.

Family Heirlooms
Is it the first time your mother-in-law has given up the reindeer reins and is letting you host the meal? If it’s your first time hosting a holiday dinner at your house, try starting a new tradition to distinguish old gatherings from this new one. Does Grandma still have the ornament she was given for her first Christmas? Ask each guest to bring along their favorite ornament or Christmas decoration. Spend time going around the table asking each guest to describe what it means to them, and display them all proudly together either as a table centerpiece, or on a buffet table. Not only do you end up with a beautiful table full of meaningful memories for the evening, but your guests will feel included and cozy in your home.

Your Dining Room
The responsibility of hosting a holiday meal doesn’t just begin or end with the dinner. It’s also your job to create a festive and holiday themed environment, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend lots of money buying trinkets to garnish your home. The biggest event is around the dinner, so focus your design dollars on the dining room. Dining room chair covers are inexpensive and add a finishing touch to a holiday feast. They come in stain resistant fabrics should anyone spill their eggnog, and are easy to launder. Fabrics come in ruby reds and skirted styles are available, which are great for bringing an elegant, coordinated look to those extra chairs that you may have dug out as extra seating for the big day.

Craig’s List or Freecycle
Every year more and more products and goods are made in anticipation for the holidays. Shoppers go on a buying frenzy seasonally, and it not only becomes expensive, but it’s not eco-friendly to become hypercomsumers simply because Santa has donned his red suit. Instead, try a few new ways to decorate your home by using Craigslist and Freecycle. Craig’s List is separated regionally, as is Freecycle, and you’ll find many secondhand décor pieces for sale, or even for free.

It’s not easy to keep a handle on seasonal spending, but with some creative thinking you can do it and have a festively decorated home as well. Enjoy a happy holiday season with you and yours!

This is a guest article from Caroline Smith. Caroline loves finding ways to save money when preparing her home for the holiday festivities. She runs a website that sells all sorts of furniture covers that can be used to give your couches and chairs an instant new look for the holidays.