Cheap and Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas on a Budget

Transform your home into a winter wonderland without breaking the bank with these Christmas decorating ideas on a budget. Explore cheap and easy ways to add a touch of coziness to your home this holiday season.

It is officially the most wonderful time of the year with Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and Christmas less than one month away! 

Yikes…writing that makes me realize I need to get a move on my Christmas shopping!!! 

As a blogger & content creator, our halls have been decked for Christmas for over a month now. But, I know most of you do not start decorating your home for the holidays until after the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. 

If you’re starting to pull out your Christmas decor from storage, or are shopping online retailers looking to purchase the latest Christmas decor trends, hold on! 

In this blog post, I am going to get you in the holiday spirit and show you cheap and easy Christmas decorating ideas on a budget. 

It doesn’t matter how big or small your budget is, you will find tips and tricks in this post to either repurpose decor you may already have, or save money by utilizing everyday items in your home!

Bloggers’ Best Holiday Home Tours

To usher in the holiday season, I am joining 35+ blogger friends on a week long tour of gorgeous homes decked out for the holidays.

I love taking a peak inside someone else’s home and finding inspiration! This Bloggers’ Best Holiday Home Tour is hosted by Kelly at The Tattered Pew.

If you are coming here from The Country Peony, welcome! Elizabeth shares beautiful and unique crafting ideas that are easy enough for anyone to do. I know you will love the holiday tour of her studio where Elizabeth’s crafts are made. She has the most adorable pink tree in her studio, check it out here!

You can find links to the other home tours at the end of this post.

Cheap Christmas Decoration Ideas

Who’s ready to decorate for Christmas in a budget-friendly way?! 

Let’s chat about 10 creative ways to achieve a festive and cozy holiday home without breaking the bank.

Reuse & Repurpose the Christmas Decor Your Already Have

An easy way to decorate for Christmas without spending a lot of money is to reuse and repurpose what you already have. 

In all honesty, most of the Christmas decorations you’ll see styled in our home, are items we have had for years. Each year, I might style something a little differently or use a piece in a new way. 

Reusing and repurposing decor you already have is the perfect way to save money and is less wasteful. 

This wreath is a perfect example of taking something old (that I was honestly going to throw away) and transforming it into something that is fresh, new, and current.

I created this Anthropologie dupe wreath from an old evergreen wreath that had been sitting in a closet for years! I simply removed the embellishments from the wreath, added a little spray paint, and then attached small wooden houses & bottle brush trees. 

This is one of my favorite seasonal DIY’s to date!

The best part about this DIY wreath? It cost me less than $30 to make, which is far less than the $198 price tag of the original Anthropologie wreath…I call that a win!

Create a Dried Orange Garland

If you have been here for any length of time, you know one of my favorite things for the Christmas season is dried orange slices.

Dried oranges are an easy Christmas decoration, and they cost only pennies to make. You can read this blog post on how to make oven dried orange slices.

Once your orange slices are dried, you can use them multiple ways. From ornaments, stovetop potpourri, embellishments, and garlands. 

This dried orange garland is so easy to make. I took some brown twine and threaded that with a needle through the dried orange slices. Then, I placed the orange garland on top of a faux cedar garland. 

I love how the oranges add a pop of color and a nice natural touch to the faux garland beneath. 

Simple, natural, cozy decor is my absolute favorite!

Tie a Ribbon On It

I tie a ribbon to anything and everything during the festive season…I should say anything that doesn’t move! Actually, I’ve been known to tie a ribbon on Eleanor but I digress.

Ribbon adds a fun, whimsical touch for Christmas and dresses up just about anything. I love to use velvet or satin ribbon for the holidays in either a thin or thick width (depending on where the ribbon is being used).

On our Christmas tree, I added a thin 3/8″ khaki velvet ribbon, along with a cream cotton “Noel” ribbon. I tied a length of ribbon onto a branch in a simple bow, and left long cascading ends.

I added ribbon to our living room dresser by tying it to one of the dresser handles as well as to the hanging Noel sign. You can read more on what inspired the decor around the dresser, here.

Even a lamp in the kitchen cannot escape ribbon! Here, I used the same velvet ribbon from the living room.

Use Spices Like Star Anise in Your Holiday Decor

Have you ever thought to decorate your home with a spice?

I hadn’t either. Until one day I was adding a few whole star anise to a stovetop potpourri, and thought, “These are so pretty, how I can I use this in our Christmas decorations?”

The answer…in wreath form! 

I took a gold hoop, hot glued whole star anise to that, and then attached that to a faux juniper wreath I had in storage. I hung that from the pegs in our kitchen, and the star anise wreath has filled our home with it’s delicious, subtle licoricey scent. 

Remember when decorating for Christmas or any other time of the year, to utilize what you already have in your home. 

Decorating on a budget doesn’t have to limit you. It can be fun because it makes you creative and thinking outside the box! 

Make a Popcorn Garland

I have found memories of making popcorn garlands with my family as a little girl. It was something we did each Christmas while watching Christmas movies on the television.

I had not made a popcorn garland in many years, but decided to give it a try this holiday season. This will definitely become a yearly tradition for me, I loved the childhood memories it evoked. 

However, next year I will make sure Eleanor is not at my feet eating each kernel of popcorn as I strung it onto the garland (that was fun to discover after about 5 minutes)! 

This garland cost me nothing to make, and looks so adorable on the small tree we have in the kitchen!

Here’s how I made this easy holiday decor:

What You’ll Need to Make a Popcorn Garland

• Popped Popcorn: I air popped the popcorn I used for our garland. You could use already popped popcorn but it should not have any seasonings or butter on it.
• Fishing Line: You want to use a clear, flexible string or line so that the garland can easily be hung and manipulated on a tree.
• Sewing Needle: A small needle is best to poke through the popcorn.
• Fresh Whole Cranberries (optional): I had some in our fridge so decided to add a pop of red to our popcorn garland.

How to Make a Popcorn Garland

1. Cut a piece of fishing line to about a 4-5′ section. I do not recommend working with fishing line any longer, since it can easily get tangled. You may need to make multiple garlands depending on the size of your tree.
2. Tie a knot on one end of the fishing line, large enough that the popcorn won’t fall off. Thread a needle through the other end of the fishing line.
3. Begin threading the popcorn onto the fishing line by poking the needle through the popcorn and pulling the popcorn to the end of the line.
4. Continue adding the popcorn until the entire line is full. If using cranberries, place the cranberries an even distance apart (I just eyeballed it, but you could count and add 1 cranberry for every 5-10 pieces of popcorn).
5. Tie a knot at the end of the line, and place garland on tree!

Use Wrapped Gifts as Festive Decorations

You’ve spent all that money on Christmas gifts so why not use those gifts as part of your decor?!

Christmas is the one time of year I believe the outside of the package is just as important as what’s on the inside. So, instead of throwing your thoughtful Christmas gift in a bag filled with tissue paper, wrap it in beautiful wrapping paper and display it under your tree. 

Use that present as decor!

I like to choose 3-4 coordinating wrapping papers to wrap our Christmas gifts. Then, I tie our gifts with bows and add one or two fun embellishments to make each present festive and unique. 

Yes, this will take you a little bit of time to wrap each gift. However, I promise the extra time you took to wrap the gifts will be noticed and appreciated by your gift recipients! 

Also, you can admire your beautiful gift wrapped presents all month long when their placed under the tree.

Grab my collection of Christmas printables that include Christmas gift tags and a Christmas gift planner when you subscribe here.

Use Everyday Items to Decorate for Christmas

Using everyday items that you already have in your home is an inexpensive way to decorate for Christmas.

My family loves pomegranates, so we always have an abundance of them this time of year. Not only are they delicious, they also make great Christmas countertop decor! 

Instead of throwing them in the fridge, add a bunch of red pomegranates to a bowl, and you have easy and beautiful (delicious too!) holiday decor.

Have a collection of Santa mugs or mugs in general? Take them out of the cabinet and display them on a shelf or hutch for the holidays! 

You can also decorate for Christmas with fresh cranberries. Cranberries are the perfect colored fruit for the holidays with their deep rich red, maroon, and burgundy hues. 

Use them in a popcorn garland, or like I styled here; on a plate with a fresh rosemary, and a Christmas scented candle. 

Mix Old and New Christmas Decor

This is my favorite way to decorate all year long. I love a combination of old vintage pieces mixed with new pieces in our home decor. 

Decorating this way adds character and a story that only our home can tell.

If you are looking to start adding antique pieces to your home, Facebook Marketplace and your local thrift stores are a great way to begin searching for and collecting those pieces. 

This vintage sled was an accidental find last year while out antiquing. I love the character it has with it’s old chippy paint and metal runners. I also used this sled as a base for a hot cocoa station, you can see that here. 

Vintage mercury glass Christmas ornaments are one of my favorite things to search for when thrifting. The light of the tree sparkling off the ornaments is just so darn gorgeous! 

This vintage wooden dresser is so fun to decorate for the holidays. The rich wood tones of this dresser add warmth and character to our living room.

Use Nature for Holiday Décor

Mother Nature provides the most beautiful decor right in our own backyards! 

Natural elements will add a cozy, freshness to your home for the holidays. And really, is there any better scent than freshly cut evergreen?! Last year, I made this fresh evergreen wreath with tree branches and pine boughs from our backyard and mixed in a few fresh cedar stems from the store. 

Here in our downstairs bathroom, I placed a small bouquet of roses and a few fresh pine boughs onto the sink. This small arrangement added a lovely, fresh scent to this small space.

Fresh greenery is not just for the inside of the home! 

I love to create Christmas planters filled with greens, winter berries, and pine cones that I place on the front porch of our home. It’s such a beautiful way to welcome guests into our home for the holidays. 

Don’t throw away those miscellaneous pine pieces from trimming the tree! Save those and add them to a stovetop potpourri! 

Download Free Christmas Printables

Who doesn’t love free?! I know I do! 

I love finding free Christmas printables on Pinterest that I can use in our home. There are beautiful signs, tags, lists, and so much more that are free to download and use.

I created these free printable tags that are perfect for labeling jars of hot cocoa toppings for a hot cocoa station. Download your free hand-made tags, here.

For access to more free Christmas printables, click here.

Where can I shop for inexpensive Christmas decor?

If you’re looking to purchase holiday decorations, these are some of my favorite budget-friendly retailers.

Amazon is a great place to start. The selection is enormous and most of the prices cannot be beat. If I find something I like on another website, before purchasing, I’ will’ll check Amazon to see if they have the same item at a lower cost. This is a great way to save a few dollars when you can!

Target’s home decor year round is amazing (in my humble opinion), but their Christmas decor is absolutely amazing! There are multiple collections to shop from (Target Dollar Spot, Threshold, Studio McGee, Hearth & Hand With Magnolia), all at very affordable prices. Most of the new Christmas decor pieces I have purchased this year are from Target. 

Facebook Marketplace, local antique stores, and flea markets are some of my favorite places to shop for second-hand Christmas items. 

Some of my other favorite retailers for inexpensive holiday decor; Wal-Mart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, & Joann Fabrics.

Christmas Home Tour

Merry Christmas and thank you for taking a tour of our holiday home! 

I hope I inspired you to be creative when decorating your home for Christmas in an affordable way. 

I’d love to have you follow along with me as I share more budget friendly DIY’s and home decor inspiration! You can join the ERH community, here.

Now head over to Emily of LeCultivateur for her gorgeous holiday home tour! 

Shop My Favorite Products

Shop my favorite home decor & lifestyle products here, my LTK sources here, and my Amazon Storefront here. By making a purchase with one of my links, I earn a small commission which helps me continue to create meaningful content for you! 

I look forward to sharing more of my home with you and inspiring you to have a well loved home! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LIKEtoKNOW.it.

xoxo, heidi

Bloggers’ Best Holiday Home Tours

This week I am joining some of my blogging friends for the Bloggers’ Best Holiday Home Tours 2022. Thirty-five talented and creative women will be opening their homes up for you to tour all week long. You can visit each Christmas home tour by clicking the links below.

Monday’s Tours

The Tattered Pew // Cottage On Bunker Hill // StoneGable // My Wee Abode

Open Doors Open Hearts // Cottage In The Mitten // My Thrift Store Addiction

Tuesday’s Tours

Midwest Life & Style // She Gave It a Go // Sand Dollar Lane // Bricks n’ Blooms

Pasha Is Home // Robyn’s French Nest // The Ponds Farmhouse

Wednesday’s Tours

Shiplap and Shells // White Arrows Home // This Is Simplicite // White Lilac Farmhouse

Peacock Ridge Farm // Cloches and Lavender // Simply2Moms

Thursday’s Tours

County Road 407 // Country Peony // Eleanor Rose Home // Le Cultivateur

Thistle Key Lane // My Family Thyme // Follow The Yellow Brick Home

Friday’s Tours

Southern Crush At Home // A Life Unfolding // Southern Home and Hospitality // WM Design House

Dabbling and Decorating // Lora Bloomquist // Vintage and Grace Living

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