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Christmas/Holiday Decorations

It's just around the corner!  Since this is our first year in our new home, I am very excited to put up some outdoor decorations.  H has more conservative taste then me, but we've agreed on white lights on some of our landscaping, a wreath on our door, and perhaps decorative stakes of some sort in the ground.  We'll also put "candles" in all of our windows.  My mom has lots of extra that she's willing to give us, which is really nice.  

Those of you who have been homeowners for a while, where have you found the best deals on outdoor holiday decorations?  

Re: Christmas/Holiday Decorations

  • SmrBrd2012SmrBrd2012 member
    100 Comments Second Anniversary 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited November 2014
    I can't speak to outdoor decorations specifically, but the Christmas Tree Shops always seem to have affordable stuff.
    Anniversary
  • I can't speak to outdoor decorations specifically, but the Christmas Tree Shops always seem to have affordable stuff.
    Good call.  I always forget about that place for some reason!
  • Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Michaels or other craft stores especially when they have coupons, Ocean state job Lot
  • It won't help with your vision for this year, but I usually wait until after Christmas and buy those kinds of things on clearance. 
  • We always stock-up after Christmas. Although white lights go fast, best to snag those when you see them.  I like the stuff marshalls/TJMaxx/Homegoods has, lights are usually a Target/Home Depot purchase.

    I'm a fan of the live wreath and live tree (my family owns a tree farm)...so we get one of each every year. I get a naked wreath and decorate it myself. 
    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
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    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • My suggestion won't help for this year either, but garage sales are great places to find those things.  Many people buy them with intentions of putting them up every year, then it doesn't happen.  So garage sale they go.

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  • If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.

  • Erikan73 said:

    If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.

    Thanks for the suggestions all!  I can definitely wait until Black Friday; I don't tend to decorate before TG.

    @GDaisy I'm with you, real tree and wreath all the way!  They're expensive but now that I work with a bunch of foresters I'm hoping I can find a good deal or hook up somehow.
  • Wow, talk about ask you shall recieve.  Right after I typed my last post the wife of one of our board members walked into my office and offered me a free handmade grapevine fall wreath.  
  • 40% coupons for michaels and hobby lobby are great.  We need to get a new winter wreath and mantle piece for the house and I will be going to hobby lobby for those.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Erikan73 said:

    If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.

    Thanks for the suggestions all!  I can definitely wait until Black Friday; I don't tend to decorate before TG.

    @GDaisy I'm with you, real tree and wreath all the way!  They're expensive but now that I work with a bunch of foresters I'm hoping I can find a good deal or hook up somehow.
    I know my family does Cut-Your-Own for about $35/tree and undecorated wreaths are not too bad...I want to say $15-18. you can get pine cones and decorations at craft stores and come out a little ahead (I spent several years decorating wreaths all of thanksgiving weekend...once you get the hang of it it's really easy (use hot glue to secure everything but the bow...hot glue will melt the bow) plus a lot of the bigger decorations can be pulled off and reused. 

    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • vlagrl29 said:
    40% coupons for michaels and hobby lobby are great.  We need to get a new winter wreath and mantle piece for the house and I will be going to hobby lobby for those.
    We just had a Hobby Lobby open up in our town but I have yet to go there...How is it?? cheap or reasonable?
  • vlagrl29 said:
    40% coupons for michaels and hobby lobby are great.  We need to get a new winter wreath and mantle piece for the house and I will be going to hobby lobby for those.
    We just had a Hobby Lobby open up in our town but I have yet to go there...How is it?? cheap or reasonable?
    I love Hobby Lobby for craft supplies.  They have weekly flyers that rotate sales.  Virtually every section of the store goes on sale for 50% off for a week on a rotating basis.  I shop there when my "section" is on sale (usually fabric, paper, and scrapbooking supplies).  They also have 40% off coupons on a regular basis and you can almost always get one online if there's something full-priced that you really need.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Gdaisy09 said:




    Erikan73 said:

    If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.


    Thanks for the suggestions all!  I can definitely wait until Black Friday; I don't tend to decorate before TG.

    @GDaisy I'm with you, real tree and wreath all the way!  They're expensive but now that I work with a bunch of foresters I'm hoping I can find a good deal or hook up somehow.

    I know my family does Cut-Your-Own for about $35/tree and undecorated wreaths are not too bad...I want to say $15-18. you can get pine cones and decorations at craft stores and come out a little ahead (I spent several years decorating wreaths all of thanksgiving weekend...once you get the hang of it it's really easy (use hot glue to secure everything but the bow...hot glue will melt the bow) plus a lot of the bigger decorations can be pulled off and reused. 



    Wow, $35 a tree is really low! I've never seen it that low around here (granted I avoid Home Depot, roadside stands, etc.). Maybe I need to research a bit more!
  • Erikan73 said:

    If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.

    Thanks for the suggestions all!  I can definitely wait until Black Friday; I don't tend to decorate before TG.

    @GDaisy I'm with you, real tree and wreath all the way!  They're expensive but now that I work with a bunch of foresters I'm hoping I can find a good deal or hook up somehow.
    I know my family does Cut-Your-Own for about $35/tree and undecorated wreaths are not too bad...I want to say $15-18. you can get pine cones and decorations at craft stores and come out a little ahead (I spent several years decorating wreaths all of thanksgiving weekend...once you get the hang of it it's really easy (use hot glue to secure everything but the bow...hot glue will melt the bow) plus a lot of the bigger decorations can be pulled off and reused. 

    Wow, $35 a tree is really low! I've never seen it that low around here (granted I avoid Home Depot, roadside stands, etc.). Maybe I need to research a bit more!
    I know you're new england, I don't remember where....I PM'd you my family's webpage

    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • vlagrl29 said:
    40% coupons for michaels and hobby lobby are great.  We need to get a new winter wreath and mantle piece for the house and I will be going to hobby lobby for those.
    We just had a Hobby Lobby open up in our town but I have yet to go there...How is it?? cheap or reasonable?
    It's great quality.  I like their wreaths better than Michaels.  I also think they are reasonably priced, but I never buy anything there without a coupon. That's the only way I shop.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Cool! We haven't gotten a flyer from them yet, only a postcard with a 40% off coupon, I'll have to get there and check it out!
  • Gdaisy09 said:



    Gdaisy09 said:




    Erikan73 said:

    If you can wait two weeks wait for black friday & go to Home Depot or Lowes if they have stuff on sale. We found an awesome trick to black friday shopping at Lowes. You can go and order the stuff on line for black friday prices & do store pickup & you can do it before the store opens. So the staff goes & grabs your stuff for you & you just go to the service desk to pick up & pay and you can pick it up at any point of the day, like after the crowds die down.


    Thanks for the suggestions all!  I can definitely wait until Black Friday; I don't tend to decorate before TG.

    @GDaisy I'm with you, real tree and wreath all the way!  They're expensive but now that I work with a bunch of foresters I'm hoping I can find a good deal or hook up somehow.

    I know my family does Cut-Your-Own for about $35/tree and undecorated wreaths are not too bad...I want to say $15-18. you can get pine cones and decorations at craft stores and come out a little ahead (I spent several years decorating wreaths all of thanksgiving weekend...once you get the hang of it it's really easy (use hot glue to secure everything but the bow...hot glue will melt the bow) plus a lot of the bigger decorations can be pulled off and reused. 

    Wow, $35 a tree is really low! I've never seen it that low around here (granted I avoid Home Depot, roadside stands, etc.). Maybe I need to research a bit more!


    I know you're new england, I don't remember where....I PM'd you my family's webpage



    Thanks! I'm in RI but have family in NH and head that way periodically.
  • Cool! We haven't gotten a flyer from them yet, only a postcard with a 40% off coupon, I'll have to get there and check it out!
    go to their website - they have a 40% coupon online you can print off too.  It expires the 15th.  
    Unfortunately we are out of town this weekend and I don't have time to use it.  Also it's 40% off one item regular price - you can use it on everything you buy so print out multiple coupons and do separate transactions on each item because you can't use more than 1 coupon per transaction.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Actually, the most MM thing to do is to wait until AFTER Christmas and buy the stuff very much on sale for next year. I know it's not as fun! But it saves $$$!
  • The big thrift stores are stocked with holiday decorations this time of year! Some of it's a bit dated, but then again, for Christmas decorations, there's a fine line between "dated" and "classic", lol. You can find a lot of cute stuff for interiors especially.

    I buy things like wrapping paper after Christmas, but I do find that lights tend to go on clearance before as well (at least here at Canadian Tire they do). They're just not returnable past the 24th usually, which makes sense.

    We make some tree ornaments and things like paper snowflakes, and I give each of the kids one new ornament per year. I used to buy those packs of like 100 ornaments in a package all in the same colour scheme, but I realized not only are they very cheap construction, they're also rather bland and soulless, imo. I gave some away and used other pieces strung to fishing line for window, rather than tree, decoration.
  • als1982als1982 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited November 2014
    Kahlyla said:
    The big thrift stores are stocked with holiday decorations this time of year! Some of it's a bit dated, but then again, for Christmas decorations, there's a fine line between "dated" and "classic", lol. You can find a lot of cute stuff for interiors especially.

    I buy things like wrapping paper after Christmas, but I do find that lights tend to go on clearance before as well (at least here at Canadian Tire they do). They're just not returnable past the 24th usually, which makes sense.

    We make some tree ornaments and things like paper snowflakes, and I give each of the kids one new ornament per year. I used to buy those packs of like 100 ornaments in a package all in the same colour scheme, but I realized not only are they very cheap construction, they're also rather bland and soulless, imo. I gave some away and used other pieces strung to fishing line for window, rather than tree, decoration.
    This is so smart.  Also, a few years ago I bought two rolls of brown craft paper and a stash of silk ribbon on sale in different colors.  Customize the bow color for the season/reason, throw in some jute and colored baker's twine, and you've got a Pinterest-looking package for less than the cost of Hallmark wrap.
    HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  
  • als1982 said:
    Kahlyla said:
    The big thrift stores are stocked with holiday decorations this time of year! Some of it's a bit dated, but then again, for Christmas decorations, there's a fine line between "dated" and "classic", lol. You can find a lot of cute stuff for interiors especially.

    I buy things like wrapping paper after Christmas, but I do find that lights tend to go on clearance before as well (at least here at Canadian Tire they do). They're just not returnable past the 24th usually, which makes sense.

    We make some tree ornaments and things like paper snowflakes, and I give each of the kids one new ornament per year. I used to buy those packs of like 100 ornaments in a package all in the same colour scheme, but I realized not only are they very cheap construction, they're also rather bland and soulless, imo. I gave some away and used other pieces strung to fishing line for window, rather than tree, decoration.
    This is so smart.  Also, a few years ago I bought two rolls of brown craft paper and a stash of silk ribbon on sale in different colors.  Customize the bow color for the season/reason, throw in some jute and colored baker's twine, and you've got a Pinterest-looking package for less than the cost of Hallmark wrap.
    I really like that wrapping idea!  I'm officially stealing it.  
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