DECORATE YOUR HOUSE THIS HOLIDAY WITH HOMEMADE CRAFTS ON A BUDGET

It’s that time of year again when we start to think about Christmas baking, Christmas gifts, Christmas Tree Decorations Ideas, Christmas theme ideas and all of this costs money. Lots of money, especially if you don’t budget for the holidays. You’ll certainly feel the crunch come January though when the bills come due.

You can eliminate a chunk of the holiday financial stress by making homemade Christmas gifts including DIY Christmas Decorations. If you’re already tight for cash don’t go out and spend your money on Christmas decor that you can make at home for a fraction of the price.

To be honest I really like homemade Christmas decorations over store-bought. One of my fans was showing off her DIY Christmas holiday frames that she’s made. I would have never have thought to re-purpose a picture frame with some spray paint, bows with sparkly Christmas balls dangling. Brilliant idea.

There are some pretty cool Christmas decorations you can buy that are outdoor but you’ll pay big bucks for them unless you wait until the end of season. On Boxing Day consumers flock to the stores to grab deals as high as 75%-90% off Christmas Decorations. This is the time when you want to be standing out in the cold with a hot cup of coffee waiting to scoop up the deals for next years Christmas decorations event at your house.

Related: How to save money shopping at the end of season sales

If you’re not one to get up early on Boxing Day then your next best bet is to create your own easy Christmas decorations that are budget-friendly and look fabulous. I went looking around the web to save you the hassle to find eleven DIY easy Christmas Decorations tutorials for all of you crafty fans out there.

I found a few fun Christmas decorations that the kids could participate in making with the help of adults. If you live in a small space and don’t have room for a traditional Christmas tree check out the DIY Fake Christmas Tree on a Budget and the Build A Tree Wall House below.

Christmas tree decorating is fun and our son who is now two will enjoy it even more than he did last year when he was put on my shoulders so he could attempt to put the star at the top of the tree. We’ve had a look around The Christmas Store in a small village near us which is lit up with Christmas bulbs and holiday decor as far as the eye can see. The problem with this kind of boutique shopping is you must have the budget to pay the prices.

Sure you’ll find some glamorous Christmas decor but it depends on how much you are willing to pay for it. The return on investment with Christmas decorations is slim and most of it ends up at a garage sale or second-hand shops for a fraction of the cost.

Easy Christmas Decorations that are homemade

Check out these remarkable DIY Easy Christmas Decorations below that look like they are boutique purchased when in fact they are homemade.

Fake Christmas Tree on a Budget from DIY Home Decor Guide

Holiday Tablescape from Le Zoe Musings

Birch Log Tea Light Holder from Make+Haus

Paper Towel Christmas Stars from Blog ala Cart

Magazine Christmas Trees By Tara Dennis

Car in a Jar Snow Globe from Mason Jar Crafts

DIY Stocking Hangers from Decorating Your Small Space

Build a Tree Wall Shelf by Ana White

Pine Cone Christmas Trees from Scissors and Spoons

Baby Food Jar Snow Globes from Craftaholics Anonymous

Melted Crayon Art DIY Christmas Ornament from The Heathered Nest

I hope you enjoyed my 2016 Easy Christmas Decorations picks and if you do make any of them let me know. I’d love to see photos which you can share on my Facebook page or email them to me at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca

Discussion Question:

Do you create and DIY easy Christmas decorations at your house?

What are they and how much does it cost you to make them?

CBB inside scoop

This week was all about finishing up the Fall yard work even though it was starting to feel like summer was sticking it’s head back into the weather updates. Last year we knew one string of our Christmas lights on the house were burnt out by the end of the holiday season. We bought the lights from Zehrs after Christmas about 7 years ago but one strip had enough and quit on me.

I made a trip to Canadian Tire after researching online to see what stores had the best deals on lights that were LED and not going to cost me a fortune. I was lucky to find reels of lights at Canadian Tire for $29.99 with a savings of $20 each reel. I bought 3 reels which did the entire house.

I also put up our massive wreathe that lights up in a soft white that matches the house lights. The majority of the Christmas lights that were on the house were put on the trees in our yard since there were a few strings that were working fine. Now all we have to do is get our big Red Bows and a few other bits and we’re set outdoors. I have everything on a timer as well which helps control the utility costs.

Mrs. CBB wanted to find a small strip of lights to put on our front window so I’ll keep an eye out for a good deal. Ideally buying end of season is what we want so if we don’t find a decent price we’ll just wait and continue to build our holiday outdoor decor the frugal way.

The Christmas tree is next on our list and we’ll have to sneak out to buy our son his second Christmas Tree Ornament that we want to get engraved every year as a tradition. The wife and little guy will be making some Christmas crafts at home so we bought a bunch of arts and crafts products from the Dollar Store. This post today was timely as I’ve saved a few leaves for some holiday decor and we will be doing some kid inspired decorations to hang around the house.

That’s how my week went… how was yours?

Mr.CBB

CBB Published Posts

If you have a question that you would like to ask me fill out the Contact Mr.CBB form on the blog home page and I’ll do my best to reply to each question.

If you would like to share a story via a Fan Question please ensure that there is minimum 500 words and lots of details…we love details!

Contact me for more info at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca

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Making a difference (MAD)

Welcome to the 2016 Making A Difference series! Join the networking movement of Personal Finance Bloggers around the world. If you are a personal finance blogger and would like your blog to be featured simply drop me an email.

I’m currently booking for December 2016/January 2017. Today lets welcome Adrian from the personal finance blog, Investor Tuition.

Hello fellow Mr. Canadian Budget Binder readers,

Firstly, a massive thank-you to Mr CBB for this opportunity to tell you about my blog.

My name is Adrian and I live in Sydney, Australia. The name of my blog is Investor Tuition. If someone had said to me 5 years ago that I would be involved in the blogging world I would have laughed. Having spent most of my working life in the financial advice industry either as a practitioner or teacher of same, the thought of committing to a regular regime of writing on the topic was the last thing on my mind.  But here I am and loving every minute of it!

When I embarked on this blogging journey the easiest part was actually selecting the subject to write about. Having lived and breathed all things financial for so long, personal finance was the obvious and certainly the best choice for me.  I decided on Investor Tuition for a title as it certainly conveyed what I see as the purpose of my writing; a resource that assists people to increase their confidence with all matters financial.

My aim is to share education, information and opinion in an interesting way that is not mired down with financial ‘claptrap’ and jargon. I’d like my blog to convey that the financial world is neither complex nor difficult and can be easily mastered by anyone willing to take the time.

So what prompted this move into the blogosphere?  Primarily it is my response to the deplorable conduct of the very industry I have been in and enjoyed for so long. In fact what has recent revelations in Australia have shown an industry that is lacking in both honesty and integrity, and a willingness to put their clients last in any transaction.

With this in mind, I decided it was time for me to make a contribution, albeit minor, to at least try to give people some access to ideas and concepts that are usually the exclusive terrain of licensed advisers. I certainly don’t want to deter anyone from consulting with a professional adviser, but rather, when they do, they will be far more knowledgeable and therefore much less likely to have the “wool “pulled over their eyes.

It is early days for Investor Tuition but in the near future I am very keen to add some instructional content specifically about the steps to building a long-term investment portfolio. I envisage this to be a key piece of the blog ongoing.

In addition, I would also like to add some question and answer facility to give people the chance to run investment ideas through an independent set of ears – mine! And yes I am fully aware of the legal issues of this type of facility! And there is plenty more I have on the drawing board.

So I hope you will visit soon and I look forward to seeing you there.

Regards

Adrian

Weekly fan brag

Hey CBB fans…

If you have a brag that you want to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca with a photo and small write-up of your deal. It can be anything you saved money on that you are excited about.

If your story gets featured you get two ballots in the yearly draw for a PC Financial Gift Card and at least one ballot for emailing me your entry. Either way, you get a ballot in the draw.

Check out this awesome Brag from CBB fan Jen Peacock who is the Queen of spotting pricing errors like this one.

Hi everyone!!

Here is a Scanning Code of Practice deal that I got at Food Basics the other day while grocery shopping. I noticed a sign that stated these Orchids were $9.88. It just so happens that they rang up at $9.97 and I mentioned it to the cashier and voila, FREE! 

Spotlight on finance

I like this quote because too often we forget that about appreciating what we have instead of being angry that we don’t have more or jealous that others have more. Be happy with what you have and you’ll soon see that you won’t need anything more.

Top finance post

I stumbled upon the personal finance blog The Money Wizard this week and enjoyed reading about how You Don’t Have To Be Homeless To Retire Early. After being featured on CNBC about a crash course on how to retire early the comments came rolling in and now he’s here to share some of what he learned about himself from people he doesn’t even know. It’s quite funny and educational at the same time.

Here’s a look at #1 but before I go might I add that I’ve also been subject to such comments in the past but what some people don’t realize is that it is possible to retire early is learn about all the smart ways to save but still enjoy the finer things.  Enjoy the read!!

1. “You Must Live Like a Hobo if You Save More Money Than Me.”

This was a common one. Here are a few direct quotes from the comments sections:

• “Even the welfare live better than his frugal lifestyle.”
• “Why save and live like a homeless pauper? Enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
• “He’s not a Money Wizard, he’s just a miser.”
• “Secrets [to saving $150,000]: 1. Be a miser. 2. Lie to others about your financial condition. 3. Be a jerk.” 

Frugal recipe box

Food is a big part of any budget and a struggle for many which is why it has been important for me to create frugal recipes for my fans. I have a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot where I exclusively share recipes from Food Bloggers around the world.

Since we are officially in Christmas Holiday season I’ll be sharing recipes that you can make at home just in time for special gatherings, celebrations and gift-giving.

Check out the Free Recipe Index on CBB compiled of frugal recipes that are 100% tested and accepted by family and friends! This week I stopped by the blog, Daily Appetite because I spotted a gorgeous tray of Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies.

Everyone here knows how much I love shortbread cookies and I know these would be perfect on any Holiday table, Christmas gifts, Bake Sale goodies etc.

What goodies will you be baking for the holiday season? Check out all of my holiday cookies and balls in the free recipe index.

Search term giggles

Always begin and end your day with a SMILE!- Mr.CBB

Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog.

Most times funny, Sometimes serious.

• Dollarama Pregnancy Tests Used To Work Great Now They Are All Negative :  Haha, they either predict that yes you are or no you are not. They work so if it says no you likely are not pregnant. If in doubt talk to your doctor.
• Ask a Millionaire For Money Canada: Wrong Guy
• Standard Grocery List– What the heck is a standard grocery list
• Scanning Code Worst Offenders– Haha, Sounds like a television program
• How Many People Have A Million Dollars To Their Name In Canada?– Yes, because you’ll find that number on the internet. Try again.

That’s all the fun for this week, thanks for dropping by and we’ll see ya all again next Saturday!

Mr.CBB

Don’t forget to Follow me on Social Media and Subscribe to the blog

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