Shop For Transitional Seasonal Items

The Christmas season seems to stretch many people's budget even tighter than it is already stretched. I know that's true for my personal situation. One way that I have reduced holiday expenses and the cost of future holiday decorating is by learning to be more crafty, more frugal, and more creative with decorating. When choosing Christmas decorations I look for items that can be transitioned into upcoming holidays or seasons. I take advantage of after Christmas sales to get really good deals on items I can use in the upcoming year.

Red is a popular color during Christmas. It is also a color that is used for Valentine's Day and for numerous patriotic holiday decorations. By shopping with future holidays in mind, I can find tablecloths, napkins, paper plates, ribbons, baskets, serving trays, and many other red items that are on sale after Christmas. I always look for red stars and red hearts because they transition easily to other holidays. Stuffed animals, such as teddy bears and dogs that are frequently on sale after Christmas, can be used for Valentine decorations or gifts.

White, gold, and silver can be incorporated into various other holiday decorations. Christmas tree lights are always on sale after Christmas. These can be used in a variety of ways in the upcoming year. Simply placing mini lights inside of a glass jar gives you a quick, easy start on a beautiful tabletop display for any holiday.

One way to cut costs at New Year's is to purchase an assortment of prepackaged Christmas gift boxes such as meat and cheese gift sets, gourmet popcorn gift sets, holiday cookie and cracker packages, and various other food related gift sets at the after Christmas sales. I use these items to inexpensively create impressive looking snack trays for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Seasonal sales and after holiday sales are ideal times to find items that I can use and reuse in a variety of ways to decorate for various holidays. Living on a small budget requires that holiday decorations and celebrations be kept simple. Smart shopping and creative decorating keeps each holiday celebration affordable, enjoyable, and memorable.

By VeronicaHB from Asheboro, NC

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