20 Simple Ideas for Christmas Decorating on a Budget 

Most of the Christmas decor in our 1920 beach cottage didn’t come from a store’s holiday aisle. It came from the yard, thrift stores, the back of a closet, or a box marked “Xmas” that I’d forgotten about since last January.

A cozy, festive house doesn’t need a big budget. It needs a few good choices and a little patience. Here are the budget Christmas decorating ideas I actually use, from free greenery to dollar thrift finds.

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If you’re looking for more ways to decorate your living room, trees, mantels, and vignettes, you’ll find them all in one place in my 32 Christmas Decor Ideas for Bringing Comfort and Joy Home.

How Can I Decorate My House for Christmas Cheaply?

The cheapest ways to decorate for Christmas are to bring in greenery from outside, use seasonal fruit and dried oranges, restyle the decor you already own, and shop thrift stores and after-Christmas sales for the rest.

Spend your money on a few good things that make the biggest difference, like twinkle lights and a good candle, and let natural elements do the rest.

Free and Nearly Free Christmas Decor Ideas

1. Bring In Greenery from Outside

This is the first thing I do every December. Cedar, fir, holly, and pinecones from the yard cost nothing and make the whole house smell like the holidays. Use them in wreaths, swags, garlands, centerpieces, or stuffed into a pitcher.

For more ideas, read my guide to using natural elements for cozy Christmas decor.

2. Display Seasonal Fruit

You’ve gotta love decor you can actually eat, like this bowl of pomegranates on the table. Apples, oranges, cranberries, and pomegranates all bring rich holiday color for the price of a grocery run.

3. Make Dried Orange Garlands and Ornaments

Dried orange slices are my favorite cheap Christmas decoration. A bag of oranges becomes garlands, tree ornaments, gift toppers, and wreath accents. They’re also pretty enough to save from year to year.

Slice oranges about ¼ inch thick, pat them dry, and bake at 200° F for 3 to 4 hours, flipping every hour. See my full tutorial on how to make dried oranges.

Other easy homemade ornament options are salt dough cutouts, paper snowflakes, and cinnamon sticks tied with twine. Pick up inexpensive craft supplies at the Dollar Store, Hobby Lobby, or your local craft store.

4. Shop Your Own House

Before buying anything, walk through the house. The “everyday” things you use can do double duty in December.

5. Decorate With Family Heirlooms

Your grandmother’s glass ornaments, a nativity set, or a stocking someone knit decades ago are all pieces that make a house feel like yours at Christmas, and you already own them.

Give them a front-and-center spot instead of burying them in the back of the tree.

6. Use Wrapped Gifts as Decor

Wrapped presents under the tree or stacked on a chair count as decor. Use kraft or butcher paper, reuse last year’s ribbon, and top each one with the sprig of greenery or a dried orange slice. Empty boxes work too.

7. Lean on Small Touches

A handful of candy canes in a jar on a kitchen shelf or paper snowflakes taped to the windows are small, cheap, and make a room look like someone was thinking about Christmas. For more, see how to create Christmas vignettes in 5 minutes.

Easy DIY Christmas Decorations

8. Make Your Own Christmas Wreath

A store-bought fresh wreath can run $50 or more. Making your own costs a wreath form, a spool of floral wire, and whatever you cut from the yard. Add pinecones, ribbon, berries, dried oranges, or a few ornaments.

9. Decorate With Vintage Sheet Music and Book Pages

Old sheet music and worn-out books turn up for pennies at thrift stores and estate sales.

Roll pages into scrolls and tuck them into a dough bowl, fold them into paper stars or rosettes, and make a simple book page tree topper.

10. Turn Mason Jars into Luminaries

Set tea lights or LED candles inside empty jars, wrap the necks with twine or ribbon, and line them up on a windowsill or down the center of a table. A fairy light strand stuffed in a jar works too.

11. Sew Simple Handmade Stockings

Felt, ticking, or burlap stockings come together with basic sewing and a template. Add names, buttons, or appliques. Or skip sewing entirely and stuff plain stockings with greenery like I did here.

Thrifted and Secondhand Christmas Decor

12. Shop Thrift Stores and Antique Malls

Thrifting is my favorite way to decorate for Christmas on a budget. Vintage ornaments, Santa mugs, brass candlesticks, ironstone, and old scales all turn up if you keep looking.

An ironstone bowl on a vintage scale, filled with greenery and berries, costs less than most new centerpieces.

So do brass candlesticks, a wooden dough bowl, and a stack of old books on the coffee table.

Watch for old sleds, ice skates, and wagons for the porch. My best thrifted Christmas find was an old sled I paid only $5.00 for. Browse more vintage Christmas decorations.   

13. Check Facebook Marketplace and Yard Sales

People clear out holiday decor all year. Marketplace and yard sales turn up ornaments, wreaths, festive dinnerware, and even pre-lit trees for a fraction of retail. Search “Christmas lot” or “vintage ornaments” and check often.

14. Host a Holiday Decor Swap

Invite your friends to bring decor pieces they’re tired of, like ornaments, garlands, table linens, and tree toppers. Everyone shops everyone else’s pile, and you go home with something new for free. Add hot cider and cookies, and it’s a party.

15. Shop After-Christmas Sales

The week after Christmas is the best time of year to buy Christmas decor. Stores mark down ornaments, lights, wreaths, and wrapping paper by 50-90 percent.

Make a short list of what you wished you’d had this year and go shopping. See more planning tips in my guide to 9 Ways to Prepare in Advance for the Christmas Season.

Budget Christmas Decor That Makes a Big Difference

16. Choose a Small Christmas Tree

A small tree costs less, and so does everything on it. Fewer strands of lights, fewer ornaments, less space. Set it in a vintage basket or crock. See my favorite Christmas trees for small spaces for more ideas.

17. Add Twinkle Lights

If I could only buy one thing, it would be lights. Drape them along the mantel, wind them through a garland, or tuck a battery-powered strand into a jar.

They make a dark December evening feel warm, and a strand lasts for years.

18. Light a Holiday Scented Candle

Christmas is a smell as much as a look. A Christmas-scented candle in gingerbread, vanilla, or peppermint does a lot for not much. Group a few candles of different heights on a tray with greenery for an easy centerpiece.

19. Swap Your Throw Pillow Covers

Covers cost far less than new pillows and store flat in a bin. Swap a few on the sofa or kitchen window seat and the room changes instantly. I find inexpensive ones at Home Goods and Target every year.

20. Keep It Simple

You don’t have to decorate every surface. A wreath on the door, a jar of rosemary on the counter, and a few candles can be enough. Fewer pieces mean less to buy, store, and pack away in January.

My Favorite Places to Shop for Budget Christmas Decor

Christmas Decorating on a Budget FAQ

Final Thoughts on Christmas Decorating on a Budget

Start with greenery from outside, a strand of lights, and whatever is already in your cupboards. Then go thrifting. You’ll be surprised how far that gets you.

Until next time,

Happy Holiday Decorating!

More Early Holiday Ideas and Inspiration

How to Make an Easy Red Bird Christmas Wreath // Southern Crush at Home

Simple and Neutral French Country Christmas Decor Ideas // Robyn’s French Nest

12 Creative DIY Christmas Tree Stand Ideas to Try This Year // WM Design House

Simple Ideas for Christmas Decorating on a Budget // Shiplap and Shells

Mesh and Ribbon Christmas Wreath: A Stunning Holiday Decoration // White Lilac Farmhouse

DIY Tartan Plaid Photo Frame: A Pottery Barn Look Alike for Less // Cottage in the Mitten

Items to Get You Excited to Decorate for the Holidays // Pasha is Home

How To Set Up A Beautiful Seasonal Beverage Station // A Stroll Through Life

Easy Greenery Christmas Wreath // Willow Bloom Home

Easy Christmas Simmer Pot Recipe For A Cozy Holiday // Midwest Life and Style