It’s not just your imagination, shoppers are increasingly spending a bundle on everything from gifts to decor to get their homes ready for the holidays. You might be surprised to learn how much you’re spending on the holidays every year. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent an average of $767.27 on holiday gifts, decor, and more in 2013 and saw those figures increase to $802.45 by 2014.
Spending too much money on gifts may sound like a reasonable pinch in your bank account, but dropping a few hundred on holiday Christmas decor you won’t use again starts to sound steep. You can get in on the DIY movement and reuse your Christmas decor with a few fun ideas and save money at the same time. Here are four projects to get started.
Wreath Recycling
There are a few ways you can recycle and upcycle old wreaths without throwing them out. First you need a quality wreath and garlands. If you’re using a silk wreath that doesn’t need to be tossed, use as a centerpiece with a votive in the middle as a table centerpiece. And if your wreath is real, use the dried needles to make potpourri bags. You can also unwrap the wreath from its florist wire and use the wire to create an Easter or spring wreath for the coming season. Use the greenery to line your flower beds to keep frost off precious buds.
Mason Jar Votives
It’s hard to go wrong in a DIY project with a good set of Mason jars. Christmas seems to bring out Mason jars out in droves, whether neighbors are putting jams and jellies into them or you’re using them as snowglobe crafts. Once they’re empty, you can do more than just put them in a cabinet until next year.
Woman’s Day features a fun jar craft you can do at home with a few jars and chalk paint. Choose from red or green and cut a Christmas tree or snowman out of heavy tape and lay over the jar. When you’re done painting, peel off the tape-shaped tree, and you’ll end up with a set of totally charming jars. You can also use the same concept for an upcoming holiday like Valentine’s Day. Fill up the jars with a little Epsom salt and top with a votive candle to create the illusion of a winter hideaway.
Broken Decor
We all have them. Boxes of broken Christmas lights and shattered decorations seem to litter our basements and attics. Believe it or not, you can turn those broken bits into something beautiful without much effort.
Here’s a fun way to recycle broken ornaments from The Secret Yumiverse. Take a clear ball ornament filled with mod podge and fill with broken ornaments and glass through the opening. You may need to even smash up the broken pieces into smaller bits with a hammer. Throw them all into a bag to make sure the mess is contained. Once all of the pieces are back inside the clear ball, you just shake and let glue to enjoy a beautiful and unique new ornament.