As someone who absolutely adores Christmas and everything that comes with it I completely understand the urge to go over board with decorations come December. As a result this can of course mean spending a lot of money, but it doesn’t have to. From affordable trees to simple touches that give your home a festive feel, here are ways to decorate for Christmas without breaking the bank.

Find an affordable tree

The centre of most homes at Christmas is the Christmas tree. There are two options when finding one of course, real or fake. Buying a real tree can often be the cheaper option however it will only last the month before needing to be thrown away. Fake trees, whilst not quite as realistic, can be stored away and kept for years to come. This is where it’s best to do a bit of research and figure out which is the best for you.

After taking a quick look around I have noticed that Home Bargains are selling real trees this year for £9.99. They may not be the bushiest, however they are a fantastic option if you are on a tight budget. You can also find very affordable artificial options in many shops and online. I’ve found this one on Amazon for just £19.99 and it is 6ft tall!

Add finishing touches to budget items

Often I’ll spot cheap wreaths and garlands in the shops which are a great price, but look a bit bare. There is such an easy trick to solve this. Instead of leaving it as is, buy a few extra finishing touches to add to your decorations that will really bring them to life.

As an example, last year I bought a plain wreath from a budget shop. I then purchased some pine cones, berries and ribbon at £1 each along with some wire. It only took me around twenty minutes to add these to the wreath, fluff out the foliage and then finish it with a bow. I had only spent around £10 in total, which was still a lot less than the more expensive shops were charging and now I have a beautiful wreath for my front door that I can use year after year.

You can do this with essentially any decorations and it makes such a difference. If you’re not naturally creative, have a quick nosey on places like Pinterest and Youtube. You can find some great ideas and “how to” tutorials.

Stick to a colour scheme

There are two big benefits to choosing one colour scheme that you love. Firstly, having one or two colours throughout all of your decorations will pull them together and really make your room or home look more full and complete. I always stick to green foliage with red and gold accents in the form of baubles, berries and lights. Many of the shops even do large sets of baubles like this one here which should be enough to cover an entire tree.

Secondly, if you stick with the same colours year after year you won’t have to buy new decorations each December. Having spent around £150 in 2017 on our decorations I was worried about our potential spends this year. In fact, we have only spent £6 on a couple of baubles from trips we have taken. If you look after your decorations well and store them properly throughout the rest of the year they will last you a long time.

Never underestimate the impact of a few candles

The flicker of a candle flame can have such a huge impact on a room. So much so that the Danes have a name for it; Hygge. A candle brings so much cosiness and, paired with a few simple decorations, can bring a real feeling of Christmas into your home. If you choose to opt for a scented candle, you will add that extra layer of warmth. My favourite has to be apple and cinnamon. Of course, some people prefer not to have an open flame in their home. In this case faux candles like these ones, paired with a room diffuser would give the same cosy effect.

Hang up your Christmas cards

Before decorating my own home for the first time last year I worried how I was going to fill one particularly blank space of wall in our living room. As our Christmas cards began to arrive however, it occurred to me that they would be the perfect solution. I found some twine that I had been using to wrap presents with and a couple of pins and strung them up in two rows. The room felt more and more complete as they dropped through the letterbox each day. As a bonus, I wasn’t getting annoyed with them all falling off the shelves and sideboard as I normally would!

Make your own

Last but not least, home crafting is another fantastic way to decorate without spending a lot of money. You might in fact have many of the things you need to decorate in your own back garden. Take a moment to go outside and see what you can forage. Sprigs of holly and berries could be added to a flower arrangement, whilst pine and conifer might be the perfect foliage to create a fireplace garland. Inside the home you might even have some spare paper to make paper chains, a simple but classic touch to add to your living room.

As I have mentioned before in my other Christmas posts, this is a wonderful time of year but it is not worth causing yourself financial problems over. There are always budget friendly solutions and often the items that we have worked on ourselves are the ones we hold on to most fondly for years to come.