Happy Monday, everyone! It's officially December and I'm so excited to get into all of the Christmas posts I have scheduled. Decorating for Christmas is my all time favorite - I'm not ashamed to admit that I started decorating October 31st. Safe to say our apartment has been a work in progress ever since. This is Tyler and I's first place together and we had very little Christmas decor, which meant this year was going to be the year we splurged a little. I've been in and out of Michael's a million times 😂 However, I tried to save us as much money as possible throughout the way. Tyler swears we spent we a boatload on decorations, but when it boils down to it everything was purchased at a steal. If you're still in the process of decorating for Christmas, here are some tips on how to do it on a budget.

Pick a theme. Pinterest was my best friend a couple months ago. I had no idea where I wanted to go with Christmas decorations, did I want to do the traditional red and green theme? Blush tones? Blue? I mean, the options were endless. I recommend creating a Pinterest board with your ideas and creating a theme from there, it helps to know what colors you should be shopping for. 

Make a list. 100% make a list! After I finalized my theme I looked around our apartment and thought about what I would want/need. It also helps to take pictures of the space so you can look back while shopping. If it weren't for my list I probably would have purchased a bunch of unnecessary things.

Know when to splurge and when to save. I purchased a lot of Christmas decor this year but all of it, minus our tree, was purchased on sale. Obviously we won't keep our Christmas decorations forever, but I hope to get a few years, maybe more, out of this years selection. So of course splurging is ok, but I wouldn't so much spend $100 on that pink tree you're feeling so much this year. 

Neutrals. Tyler and I chose a neutral theme this year for our Christmas decor and while this may not necessarily save you money this year, it will in the upcoming years. Neutrals are your best friend. A neutral theme may not be everyones cup of tea but every theme uses those neutral elements. Next year if Tyler and I decide we want to go traditional red and green, we can use all of our current decorations and only buy a few pops of the red and green. 

DIY & Repurposing. Again, they will be your best friend if you're looking to save money. Looking around my apartment I repurposed half of the things in our place. A few money savers I did were:

- We created a hot cocoa bar and I reused jars I had other things in for the toppings, saving me a little money on jars.

- For a bar decoration I borrowed a vase from my mom and filled it with wine corks that I already had and purchased some $3 fake Christmas greenery from Michael's to put inside.

- Put leftover fake greenery I had in a vase for side table decor. 

- Purchased Christmas pillow covers (cheap) instead of actual Christmas pillows (expensive). 

- Used unused pillows and blankets as an alternative for a tree skirt. Not everyones cup of tea, but I love the cozy look.

I mean, I could go on and on..

Less is more. This is just a personal opinion. We may have a lot of decorations, but they are very minimal. I personally just hate a cluttered looking space, so I didn't want to keep buying things and placing them in random spots on the house. In my opinion, less is always better when decorating your first home. You get a feel for what worked, can make notes for what you want to do next year, things like that.

Xo, Alyssa