Mumfluencers are revealing how to save £290 on Christmas decor with these saving hacks.
Mothers can find Christmas to be one of the most expensive times of the year. It’s easy to spend too much on Christmas, spoiling our children with gifts and eating out with friends.
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This December, help your parents save some pennies.Little-Loans.comhas rounded up some saving tips from Instagram Mums on how to decorate the home for less.
Their tips and hacks can save mums up to £286.50 which should make Christmas spending that little bit less stressful whilst keeping your home looking like a Winter wonderland.
Emma Stretton is a Manchester mother-of-2 and savvy-saver. She has a keen sense for fashion and interiors, and she knows how to decorate her home for Christmas.
“It’s hard not to get pulled in by all the shiny new Christmas decorations this time of year, but I actually really enjoy being creative and think it makes your home unique when you make a few things yourself,” said Emma.
Emma shares her top tips for saving money, including how to reuse glass jars to decorate tables and how to save money on Christmas decorations.
Swap fancy wrapping for simple brown parcel paper – save £10
“A 6 metre roll of brown wrapping paper costs £1 at The Works. I can get two rolls of this to cover all my Christmas presents. The beauty of this is you can then decorate each present individually. I use some simple string or cheap balls of yarn, or even the kid’s craft supplies to make my presents look festive. You can also get the kids involved and ask them to draw Christmas pictures on the presents, making them really unique and personal.”
Save glass jars for table decor – save £20
“Next time you’re dishing up dinner using a Dolmio jar or similar, peel off the label, wash it out and keep it for Christmas. I decorate them using old bits of ribbon that I’ve saved from gifts or with different coloured yarn and then put tealights, acorns or pine cones in the bottom. It’s a really simple way to dress a table or a fireplace and much cheaper than buying Christmas candles you only use once”
Fill up your tree with snowballs to spend less on baubles – save £25
“Decorating the tree can get expensive so over the years we’ve come up with a few ways to fill it up without overspending. One of my favourite things is the fake snowballs we put on it every year. A bucket of 20 costs £5 and we dot them all over the tree to make it look less sparse. We’ve also accumulated several Christmas teddies over the years. These get stuffed between the branches and the kids love seeing Kevin the Carrot peeking out at them.”
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Sharon Hunter, mum to twin boys, from Devon upcycles unwanted clothes. She shares simple tips and tricks on how to do the same.
Sharon stated: “I’ve made cute Christmas tree decorations from an old tartan scarf and Christmas bunting from leftover fabric I had after making my niece some patchwork dungarees.”
Sharon is able to save a lot of money on Christmas by recycling everything, from her wreath to her gift tags.
Upcycle bags for life to make decorative Christmas gift bags – save £30
“I recently found a beautiful quilt in a charity shop for £2.99 and will make little trinket bags from it. If sewing is tricky they can simply be glued with fabric glue, which I like to get my twin boys involved with. For larger gift bags, I repurpose supermarket bags for life. They are nice and sturdy for present holding and you can use faux fur to cover it and make a really fun gift bag that also looks great under the tree.”
Create a DIY rag Christmas wreath – save £30
“This year, I’m going to make a Christmas wreath using rags. I’ve been saving the offcuts from my sewing projects and will buy a wireframe to wrap them around. There are loads of tutorials and I love that it’s something a little different and uses things that would otherwise be thrown away. It’s also much cheaper than a shop-bought wreath and I can add to it each year to freshen it up.”
Use old Christmas cards to make personalised gift tags – save £10
“My twins will be helping me out this year by making gift tags with me. I kept some of last year’s Christmas cards which will be cut into shapes to make new tags, adding stickers, paint, whatever they fancy to customise them. Then just a hole punch at the top and a bit of string or wool and you have your own homemade tag.”
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Karen Ford, mother-of-two, loves to save money on Christmas decorations that can be reused.
“You’d be surprised at how much you can save on Christmas decorations whilst still making your home look like a Christmas paradise!” Karen said.
Karen’s tips focus on second-hand thrifting and DIY creations which look the part and don’t break the bank.
Make your own chocolate tree decorations – save £2.50
“I’ve always made my own chocolate tree decorations, my mum taught me this trick and I do it with the children every year. Our personal choice is usually coins, but you can use any wrapped type. Simply push a threaded needle through the sweet, then create a loop by tying the ends together to your chosen length. You could go really bright or more traditional with your choices according to your tree’s theme and colours and it can save you a few pounds whilst feeling way more bespoke and special.”
Choose second-hand decorations – save £30
“I keep an eye out for any decorations in the charity or second-hand shops and Facebook local selling groups in the build-up to Christmas. They often put out saved stock and we have found some really good quality items this way over the years, saving us some money and the bonus of knowing you’re recycling something.”
Create a DIY pinecone centrepiece and garland – save £24
“I collect any pretty pinecones, tree vines or sticks we come across while out on walks in local woodland. Simply give them a wash and create your own table centrepiece or garland using a glass bowl and some ribbons or fairy lights.”
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Commenting on the tipsLittle-Loans.com’s Personal Finance Expert, Paul Wilson, said: “Christmas is probably the easiest time of year to get carried away with spending. Though it’s important to treat yourself and others, it’s important to find the balance with savvy saving.”
“We love these tips from real mums who know exactly what it’s like to feel the financial pressure over the holidays. Their advice just goes to show that you don’t have to lose any of the Christmas magic in your home whilst cutting back financially on decorations! Paul added that little ones will not know the difference.
I’ve made cute Christmas tree decorations from an old tartan scarf and Christmas bunting from leftover fabric I had after making my niece some patchwork dungarees.”
Sharon Hunter
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