For many people, Christmas is a very expensive period and if you don’t have a lot of money or you don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice Christmas. In fact, the sport of purchasing at a competitive price and working with some creativity makes it a sport for a growing group of people. What are the possibilities?
General
When it comes to decorating the house, it actually starts earlier in the year. The dump shops that buy in large quantities already display Christmas items in October. The materials to decorate a tree are cheap precisely because of this large purchase. There is still plenty for sale, so separating the wheat from the chaff in terms of quality is useful. But there is still plenty for sale in these dump shops a month or so before Christmas. If you are sensitive to that, you will not easily find the trendiest colors. But it increases your possibilities to be very creative.
You can also be creative when it comes to food and drinks and that usually requires some attention to the advertising brochures. When it comes to your outfit, it has more to do with the festive element than with a new outfit.
Different than usual
The shops and department stores that sell Christmas materials always have the latest trends on their shelves. Logical, because then for those who want something different every year, new items can also be purchased every year. And that’s what the shopkeepers make a living from. Although there is nothing wrong with that, not everyone can afford these relatively expensive Christmas items or you simply do not want to spend the money on them. This means that you have to work in a different way and give your creativity space and possibly a small dose of courage. The same applies to what you are going to eat and drink, so buying everything shortly before Christmas is not the cheapest solution. Think forward
Some ideas
- Buy different colors and materials, as much as possible. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the rest of your living room, but make it a colorful tree with all those different colors and materials. Since it is likely to be a busy event, it is not advisable to hang or place many other Christmas items. In addition to a large tree, a small tree (for example on a table) may be an option. This little tree can be quite busy. By concentrating on these one or two places, your tree also becomes a real eye-catcher. If you have any Christmas items lying around, please combine them as well.
- Choose everything in one color and divide all the items nicely throughout your home. If you have a lot, you may even wonder whether a tree will enhance the atmosphere even more. This is very personal, because while one person doesn’t think Christmas is Christmas without a tree, the other is concerned about the cozy decorations, this can also be done without a tree.
- Buy a tree that doesn’t look like a tree should look like. These are always a lot cheaper and you may be able to get some money off when you sell them. These trees usually remain. But the nice thing about a non-standard tree is that if you hang it full, it will either be just as beautiful a tree as that much more expensive perfect tree, or because of the decoration you won’t even see the strange “twist” of a tree. If you want to make it very daring, emphasize the “twist” in the tree. Is the tree a bit crooked, are the branches strangely divided or is part of it a bit bare? Emphasize the crazy thing about the tree with something fun. For example, on a somewhat bare spot you hang something relatively large and on a curve to a certain side you emphasize it by attaching something in the tree that points to the side of the curve.
- No tree but green? Then take some large branches and hang some Christmas stuff there. You hang up the branches or lay them down. Cheap and very cozy.
- When it comes to good food, this does not mean that expensive meat necessarily has to be on the table. You can also check what is in the commercial a few weeks in advance and start freezing it. See what you can do with fresh and frozen vegetables (and keep an eye out for offers here too). You can also dress up a simple dish with simple, nicely seasoned minced beef. It’s not just about what’s on your plate, but also how you deliver it.
- A cheerful or chic table setting, nice napkins (which are available all year round in all kinds of fun prints) and a simple candlestick (possibly decorated with some Christmas items for the tree) quickly make a table festive.
- You can make simple pudding or custard festive with some homemade whipped cream and the decoration for a cake. Nice chocolate leaves, brightly colored balls or some icing sugar over chocolate custard make it immediately festive. A fresh strawberry with the green leaves still attached completes it.
- You make soup from a chicken you bought earlier (when it was on sale) with what you have left of the vegetables for the main meal and prepare it the day before. Pour the chicken/vegetable soup into heatproof containers, place a puff pastry “cap” over it and place it in the oven. A festively decorated cup of soup. You no longer need to serve baguette or something like that with this.
- Look at what nice clothes you have in your closet, find everything of one color together and only buy an accessory in a contrasting color. If you happen to have a shoe in that color, you’re all set.
- You can also achieve the festive effect of your clothing by placing an emphatic accent on something. For example, simple clothing with a striking piece of jewelry or something special in the hair. Plenty of options to look festive without buying expensive clothes.
Finally
Last but not least, it is not the new and especially expensive things that make a pleasant Christmas, but being with the people you like to be with. The preparatory work in the form of looking for bargains and being creative is often so much anticipation that you also prepare for Christmas more consciously. Lots of fun!