Tuesday Tips-Make life easier (and more fun)!
Today’s tip is to check your thrift store for holiday finds. I enjoy celebrating holidays, but I don’t enjoy spending money on things just to throw them away. My solution: find creative alternatives at the thrift store that can be re-used.
Now is a great time to find items for 4th of July:
Sometimes you have to think creatively:
The white metal basket in the center had handles and hooks that I didn’t need, so I simply removed them. (A pair of needle-nosed pliers comes in handy!) I will be placing our Star Spangled Chocolate Covered Pretzels in this container.
The red metal basket is actually an office organization basket, but it works great with a cloth napkin as a basket liner. Now our chips can be displayed in style!
I’m recycling these Christmas ornaments ($.39 each) to use as 4th of July table decorations. I’m going to use the back side to keep the decorations clean and simple.
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, you can also find Christmas items very cheaply right now. I found the ornaments sets on the right (which originally came from Target) for $.39 a pack or $.13 for each ornament. We will use them as decorations on gift wrapped boxes and gift bags. The heart shape and the colors are generic enough that we can use them on birthday gifts too.
The red charger was $.99 and will be perfect for a centerpiece or side table decoration with some candles, pinecones or Christmas ornaments. Red items are great because they can be used for Christmas, Valentines and the Fourth of July.
Gift bags and wrap can usually be found at thrift stores, but just make sure that you don’t pay more for them than you would at a discount or dollar store.
WARNING: Christmas ornaments and decor are plentiful, so you have to be careful to only buy what you will actually use and to keep an eye so that your inventory doesn’t overflow.:)
How do you celebrate holidays frugally? Leave a comment. 🙂
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I love shopping for decorations at thrift stores…sometimes I see really cute things but don’t know just how they will work for me…then I get home after NOT purchasing them and see exactly how I could have used them. Ugh I love searching the net to find ideas to spark my creative juices before going “scavenging”! Then I don’t pass up as many great deals or ideas! Thanks for the ideas on picking colors that can be used multiple holidays by simply changing out the “extras”.
You know Victoria, I don’t know which is better–to not buy something because you don’t need it, or to buy something because it might work and potentially waste the money if it doesn’t. I think with thrift store prices, maybe it’s better to go ahead and get the item if you have the money. I know exactly what you mean about passing something up and then wishing I had not. 🙂
I bought those exact heart ornaments!!! We used them for Valentines Day though. The colors are ones that are popular my daughters and their (especially the green and blue). They used “gems” that we already had in our craft cabinet and made personalized Valentines for their closest friends!
They had a great time doing it and even made some for each other!
They are so cute and that is a great idea Holly!
I love this article 🙂 Last year I stopped in at a local Goodwill Store and found these two 2 foot tall wooden reindeer’s for $3 total. I added a few gold bells and some garland around their necks and placed them on my Christmas mantle decorations. They were gorgeous.
That sounds like a fun find!