It’s so easy for expenses to stack up over the festive season – gifts for loved ones, elaborate cooking aspirations, Christmas markets, and much-awaited holidays. Avoid the financial woes of Christmas (and a seemingly infinite January) by giving Thriftmas a go. It’s really simple: recycle, shop sustainably, and leave old-fashioned wrapping traditions in the past. Have a look at our top budget-friendly Thriftmas ideas.
ALSO SEE: 12 Easy Ways To Recycle Paper This Christmas
Make your own Christmas cards and gift tags
Let’s be honest, most loved ones toss their Christmas cards out the first chance they get. So why not cut back on that unnecessary spending by printing your own at home?
Get into the arts-n-crafts mood by buying a few sheets of textured paper, load them into your trusty printer, and press ‘print’ on some really cool, freely downloadable, customizable designs. Print onto A4 paper and simply fold in half – voila! A homemade Christmas card in minutes!
Otherwise, if you’re more interested in gift tags, simply resize the templates and print up to eight tags on an A4 piece of paper. Once printed, cut them out, punch a hole at the top, and thread some ribbon through for that special finishing touch.
Here’s a stylish card we made in a minute:
Set your table the natural way
Your budget will benefit from a glamorous, yet natural, table setting at Christmas. Nature’s bounty is abundant, all you have to do is have a look around you.
Simply collect flowers and greenery from your garden, and keep an eye out for pine cones (which you can spray paint silver or gold to match your decor theme). Homegrown flowers also often smell sweeter than store-bought alternatives, and you definitely couldn’t buy floral arrangements any fresher.
When setting serviettes, roll them into cylinders and use some string to adorn them with fresh home-sourced greenery:
- Roll serviette into cylinder
- Use string to tie a bow around cylinder
- Tuck a few fresh sprigs snugly behind the bow
Save money this Christmas by using lush greenery to add a pop of colour and some freshness to your table.
ALSO SEE: Four tips for making your money stretch this holiday season
Ditch old-school wrapping paper
Minimalist wrapping is chic, on-trend, and saves you a whole lot of money. Gone are overly-complicated, gaudy gifts. All you’ll need is some brown paper, string, and foraged delights (like twigs, greenery, or even hardier flowers like fynbos).
If you want to add some extra pizzaz, decorate the brown paper with gold or silver star stickers or splashes of festive glitter. This wrapping is sure to leave both gift recipients and your budget happy.
ALSO SEE: How To Be A Lot Less Stressed At Christmas
Stylish DIY tree decorations
Gather the family and get snipping. Decorating your Christmas tree with paper snowflakes is a fun family activity and won’t leave you breaking the bank.
The dreamy white-frilled ornaments can also be replaced by colourful, glittery, or textured paper snowflakes. This means that these decorations can be tailored to fit your theme and festive look.
Once you’ve cut your wondrous decorations, thread some string or ribbon through one of the points and decorate your tree.
If you’re not keen for all that cutting, consider hanging little pine cones by some ribbon or string for that homely Thriftmas feel.
By Features Writer, Ashton Kirsten
