35 Practical Holiday Decorating Tips To Save Time & Money

Looking to decorate for the seasons & holidays this year? Me too! These holiday decorating tips & tricks will help you save time and money on seasonal decor.

I know it feels like a lot of effort to decorate the house for a holiday. But you know what? Once the decorations are on display it looks so good and gets me into the spirit of the season.

When it’s time to take everything down, it can feel like a chore. But over the years, I’ve come up with a good process for storing seasonal decor and getting out the next round of decorations.

These holiday decorating tips will help you to do the same!

Holiday Decorating Tips

Use these tips for decorating for the holidays around your space. These tips for holiday decorating will work well if you have a house or a small apartment. Even the smallest spaces like dorm rooms can be decorated for the holidays.

Holiday Decorating Tips On A Budget

1. Use Decor You Already Have on Hand

It’s tempting to want to buy a bunch of new decor each year for the holidays & seasons. But honestly, it’s much cheaper to reuse the decor you already have before you buy something new.

I like to look at my holiday decor as a collection. I add new things to it as I go and only buy things that I truly enjoy. This helps keep the spending down. Plus you might not even remember what you have stored since you only see it during a specific time of the year.

2. Budget for New Decor

Take the time to budget for new decor that you might want to buy for the upcoming holidays. Some decor items will cost a good bit of money (such as a new Christmas tree) and it makes sense to save up.

Other times you might see something you like, but don’t have the funds for it right at the moment. If you’re big into decorating, set aside money each month for new decor items. That way, you’ll have cash on hand for purchases and won’t go into debt.

3. Make a Shopping List

It can be hard to remember that you wanted to buy a new seasonal decor item for a specific area in your home. Or maybe you saw a good decorating idea on Pinterest and need to remember to buy the items for it.

Keeping a decorating shopping list handy helps you remember what you need to buy for each holiday & season. For a printable shopping list, check out my seasonal decor calendar planner. It has a shopping list plus lots of other goodies!

4. Shop Second Hand

One of the best seasonal decorating tips for budgeting is to shop for second hand seasonal decor. It’s fun to scout for items in thrift stores, flea markets & antique stores. You never know what you’re going to find!

Online shops sell second hand decorations as well. Try eBay, Etsy and Mercari for good deals on used holiday decor items. Don’t forget to check out local sites such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp for items nearby.

5. Shop Clearance Sales

As the seasons & holidays change, stores are looking to change out their inventory quickly. You can find some good deals on holiday decor when you shop at clearance sales.

For a schedule of when to shop for clearance decor, check out my printable seasonal decor schedule! It’s has listed all the major clearance times throughout the year.

6. Shop Early

Sometimes it’s better to buy a seasonal decor item right when you first see it. If it’s something you’ve just got to have, buy it before it sells out.

A lot of companies that make seasonal decor only make one batch of a particular item. Unless it is a best seller, they won’t make it again the next year, they’ll make something new instead. So buy items you love up front so you don’t miss out.

Seasonal Decorating Tips

7. Use a Color Scheme

Many of us just buy decor items at random, hoping it all works well together. If you want your decor to look like what you see in magazines or on social media, you need to use a color scheme.

Pick a few colors that work well together and stick to those within your holiday decor. You can change up your color scheme from year to year to keep things interesting.

8. Use a Decorating Theme

Does you house have a decorating theme or two? For example, my house is a combination of glam and mid century modern decor. There are lots of different decorating themes you can use for your home’s interior.

When decorating seasonally, keep your decor style in mind. A cute farmhouse holiday sign that looks nice at the store might clash with your home’s vibe.

9. Get Crafty

If you like to do crafts, consider making seasonal decor items. This is a good way to be creative while at the same time making something that you can show around the house.

Some holiday decor craft ideas include:

• Ornaments
• Floral arrangements
• Wreaths
• Wall Art
• Figurines
• Garland

10. Less Is More

Sometimes putting up just a few items for a season or holiday is all you need. To do this, pick an area or two in your house that you see often. Set out your seasonal decor items there and enjoy them as the days pass.

This is one of my favorite holiday decorating tips to help you save time and money.

11. Go All Out

On the other hand, sometimes more truly is more. If you love a particular holiday or season, don’t be afraid to go all out with your decor. Maximalism is just as much a trend as minimalism in the decorating world.

Many of the top designers recommend using a quite a few decor objects to get a certain look and feel in a space. You can apply this concept to your seasonal decor items too.

12. Use Interchangeable Seasonal Decor

Interchangeable seasonal decor items are a great way to save some time and money while decorating. These are decor items where you just swap out a specific piece from one season/holiday to the next.

Things like wreaths, signs, pillow cover, ribbons, etc. all make for easy interchangeable seasonal decor.

13. Switch Up Fabrics

Another way to change up your decor from season to season is to swap out various fabrics around you home. Pillow cases, table runners, throw blankets, quilts and door mats can all be changed out for the different holidays.

14. Switch Up Florals & Greenery

Have vases around you house with various greenery & florals? Don’t be afraid to change up the greenery (real or faux) as the year progresses. Here are some ideas to use for seasonal greens:

• Spring decor – tulips, daffodils, peonies, pastel colored florals, light colored greenery
• Summer decor – sunflowers, petunias, geraniums, bright color florals, tropical greenery, boxwood greenery
• Fall decor – dried flowers, dried greenery
• Winter decor – poinsettias, amaryllis bulbs, evergreens, boxwood, holly, white/metallic greenery/florals

15. Switch Up Everyday Decor

Just because a new season is coming, doesn’t mean you have to decorate for it. It can be a good time just to swap out your everyday decor. Or rearrange decorative items on a bookcase or coffee table.

One good seasonal decorating tip to follow is if you have lots of everyday decor items, rotate them throughout the year. Showing everything at once can be a bit cluttered.

16. Decorate a Tiered Tray

One of my favorite holiday decorating tips is to change out decorative items on a tiered tray as the year goes by. You can find tiered tray decorations sets online that contain a bunch of different items.

Tiered trays work well for people that live in apartments as the decor items are small and don’t take up much storage space.

17. Decorate a Sideboard Vignette

Do you have a sideboard or TV stand in your home or apartment? This is a perfect area to decorate for each season and holiday!

In fact, any flat surfaces such as coffee tables, bookcases, dining room tables, kitchen counters, etc. make for the perfect area to set out seasonal decor items. Don’t feel like you have to decorate every space however. Pick an area in your home that you see frequently and makes a statement.

18. Decorate a Fireplace Mantel

If you have a fireplace and mantel in your home, then chances are this is the focal point for you room or space. The focal point (point most noticeable) makes the prefect spot for seasonal decor items.

For more ideas on how to decorate a fireplace with candles and other objects, check out this post: 20 Simple Ways to Decorate a Fireplace & Mantle with Flameless Candles

19. Decorate With Wreaths

Your front door (or any door for that matter) makes for the perfect place to display holiday decorations. You can find beautiful wreaths for all occasions. Or consider using one basic wreath with different ribbons and decorative items as the seasons change.

Not a fan of wreaths? Limited on storage? Greenery garland and swags can also be hung from a door to decorate for a holiday. These items can take up less space but still allow you to decorate.

20. Add Lighting

String lights, fairy lights, flameless candles, projection lights and even lamps can help enhance your seasonal decor. These lighting effects aren’t just for Halloween or Christmas.

Use lights throughout the year to give a nice glow to your space and showcase various decorations. Lanterns work well too for seasonal decor.

Holiday Decorating Tips For Take Down & Storage

22. Get Rid of Clutter

Taking down holiday decor is also a great time to get rid of clutter and organize your space. The house will already be a mess while you change out the decorations, so it’s a good time to clean things up and make a change.

Don’t forget about holiday decor clutter too. If there are decorations you no longer want to display, set them aside instead of putting them back into storage. These items can be donated or trashed.

23. Stretch

I know I tend to pull a muscle or tweak my neck when I’m putting up or taking down holiday decor. You’re moving your body in different ways than you might be used to.

Now I’ve learn to take some time to stretch a bit before I start to decorate for the holidays. It might sound silly, but it really helps!

24. Take Pictures Before Changing the Decor

If you really liked how your seasonal decor turned out, make sure to take some pictures of it before you take it down. This way, you’ll remember what you did for the next year.

25. Gather Everything Into One Place

When you take down your seasonal decor, it’s best to start by gathering all of your decor items into one place. I like to use an open area in my living room for this. This makes it easy to pack away your decor items.

26. Pack & Store The Previous Season

Once everything is gathered together, you can sort things for storage in a way that makes sense to you. Here are some ideas:

1. By season or holiday. For decor that only gets used for a particular season or holiday (e.g. Easter decor, Halloween decor, Christmas decor), I like to store these items together in plastic storage bins, totes or the original box. This makes it very easy to get out & put away all the Halloween decorations for example.
2. By type. For decor that can be used across multiple seasons & holidays, I find it’s easier to sort it by type. For example, storing all my LED candles together, or storing all of my solid color ribbon together works well.
3. By color. You can also sort things by color. This works well if you have a lot of one type of decor. For example, if you have a bunch of ribbon, you can store it all together and sort it by blue ribbons, green ribbons, gold ribbons, etc. This really helps you think creatively when coming up with new seasonal decor looks each year.

27. Use Inventory Sheets

As you pack away your decor items, I like to track my holiday decor using inventory sheets. This really helps when I’m trying to remember what decor I already have on hand.

Need inventory sheets? My printable Seasonal Decor Calendar Planner has some that you can download and use today!

28. Use Storage Containers

One of my biggest holiday decorating tips is to use the box the decor item came in for storage. This is especially true for oddly shaped items or fragile items. It’s also a cheap way to store seasonal decor.

Never had an original box? Got rid of the box? Box is too flimsy or damaged? Need waterproof storage solutions? Then it might be time to invest in containers specifically designed for holiday decorations.

Christmas Storage Containers

Christmas Collectible Storage Box

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Christmas Decor Storage Bin

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Christmas Gift Wrap Storage Organizer

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Christmas Storage Tote

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Christmas Wrapping Paper Storage Container

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Rubbermaid Roughneck Christmas Storage Totes

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29. Use Box Labels

Once you have everything stored in boxes, make sure to attach a quick label to the box so you know what’s inside.

You can make your own box labels or use printable ones like these: Holiday Decor Storage Box Labels

30. Rearrange Your Furniture

Not sure about you, but I like to rearrange my furniture every so often. It keeps the house looking fresh and is pretty easy to do.

I find that decorating for the different seasons is the perfect time to rearrange the furniture. Sometimes you might have to rearrange the furniture anyway to make room for an artificial Christmas tree or other large decor item.

31. Deep Clean

One of my favorite holiday decorating tips is to deep clean your space while you have everything out and are starting to redecorate. Vacuum under the sofa, wash the windows, etc.

It’s extra work, but your space will feel even more refreshed when it’s done.

32. Take Breaks

If you use a lot of decorations for various holidays and seasons, it can be a ton of work to put them up, take them down and clean/organize in between.

It’s important not to get overwhelmed. Take breaks, get help and try to enjoy the process. It’s a good chance to be creative.

33. Stay Safe With String Lights & Electrical Decor

I wanted to mention a few safety based holiday decorating tips too. It’s important to stay safe as you change up your home decor.

As you decorate or put away decorations, it’s a good idea to double check string lights and cords on electrical decor. You don’t want to risk a fire hazard, so make sure to replace any frayed or damaged cords.

34. Keep Cords Out Of The Way

No one wants to trip over a cord, so it pays to be mindful of them while you a setting up decorations. For cords that might be visible while the decor is on display, use electrical cord covers to keep them looking neat and preventing accidents.

35. Be Careful With Ladders & Step Stools

It’s tempting to want to get the holiday decor up and down quickly. But make sure to take your time when using ladders or step stools. It’s not worth risking the fall!

For setting out decor on very high surfaces such as Christmas lights on the roof, it might be best to hire a professional to help.

Get organized for seasonal decor this year with this FREE printable seasonal decorating schedule. Keep track of when to decorate for holidays & when to shop for decor. Sign up below for an instant download!

Have any more holiday decorating tips that have worked well for you? Share them below in the comments!

More Seasonal Decor Ideas

For more info on how to decorate for the seasons & holidays, check out these posts:

• A Simple Seasonal Decorating Calendar Printable For This Year
• {Free Printable!} Seasonal Decorating Schedule For This Year
• Seasonal Decor Storage Ideas That Are Surprisingly Simple
• Popular Decorating Ideas For Each Month This Year
• When To Change Seasonal Decor – The Best Times Of Year
• Christmas Organization Ideas To Quickly Reclaim Your Space

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