Decorate Your Home for the Holidays Without All the Overspending or Clutter

But buying decorations doesn't have to break the bank, and neither does storing all the goods after the holidays have passed. Thomas Holt/Dreamstime/TNS

By Alex Chhith From Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

MINNEAPOLIS—Since October, many Americans have been cycling through decorations.

Jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, turkeys for Thanksgiving, reds and greens for Christmas, blues for Hanukkah, and more. Depending on cultures, religions, and calendars, holidays are prominent in the final months of one year and first few of the next.

These busy times are also some of the most expensive, with one of the main costs going toward decorating homes for the festive occasions.

Total spending on Halloween decorations grew from $2.6 billion in 2019 to $3.8 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, NRF estimates spending to be at about $902 per person this year, with about a third of that going toward decorations and other seasonal items like food, candy, and greeting cards.

But buying decorations doesn’t have to break the bank, and neither does storing all the goods after the holidays have passed. Here are some expert tips for how to decorate and organize on a budget.

Buy Early

Planning out next year’s decorations can save the buyer more than 50 percent off regularly priced items, said interior designer Jordan Willaby, who owns Willaby Way based in White Bear Lake. Stores like Target, West Elm, and Pottery Barn slash prices on holiday décor the day after Christmas, giving people the perfect opportunity to grow their collections.

If people want a bit of cheer in their house before the big holiday in two weeks, thrift store finds can give a space a “curated and collected” feel, Willaby said. She suggested looking for $1 mugs and sets of holiday dishes for under $20.

“It depends on what types of pieces you’re looking for. Thrift stores are a good place to buy curated vintage pieces,” she said. “You can get all you need for $100 or less.”

Another trick: buying pillow covers rather than holiday designed pillows. It’s not only cheaper but also easier to store, she said. Cheap red ribbons—bought on sale after the prior year’s holidays from craft stores like Michaels—tied on cabinets or bannisters can also be a good way to brighten up the space.

Use Nature

There’s also plenty of materials for free outside, like pine cones. Those not only visually enhance a space but give off a piney aroma associated with winter holidays.

Willaby, who has a freshly cut pine as her Christmas tree this year, repurposes fallen branches from it as extra garland and places pieces in jars around her house.

Family Heirlooms

Repurposing old pieces from relatives gives long-treasured pieces that would otherwise collect dust new life. It’s also a way to honor past family times while making new memories.

“I have a couple of pieces that were my grandma’s, and it makes me smile and brings me so much joy whenever I’m looking at it,” she said. “If your loved ones are willing to part from them, it’s a great way to build your own collection.”

Recycle

Repurposing decorations from holiday to holiday not only saves storage space but can create a whole other level of festivity around incoming holidays, said professional organizer Cori McDougald.

An artificial Christmas tree, for example, can become a Valentine’s Day tree and later an Easter tree, McDougald said. Faux garland can be wrapped around rafters in the garage or kept on stairs to bring in a bit of green to the living space during the warmer months.

“One of our organizers has their Christmas tree up all the time,” she said. “They love the happiness and joy of having a lit tree in the house, and in the summer, it can be a woodsy décor piece that gives off a really homey and comforting vibe.”

Store It All

After the holidays, it’s important to organize decorations when putting them away for easy access next year.

One option if you’ve run out of room in your closets: a storage unit. Minnesota has more than 850 self-storage facilities, according to the Minnesota Self Storage Association. U-Haul currently offers 18,452 rentable self-storage units in Minnesota, according to Lucy Aveen-West, president of U-Haul Co. of northern Minnesota. Recently, U-Haul announced the company acquired five self-storage facilities in northern Minnesota. It is also opening three new self-storage facilities there, plus another one in the metro area in 2026.

U-Haul units start at $24.95 a month and the price increases based on size, location, and amenities like heating and drive-up options.

The self-storage industry grew substantially during the pandemic and demand remains strong, though growth has cooled, Aveen-West said.

“Self-storage units provide an economical alternative for people wishing to keep their assets and belongings in a secure location that’s protected from the environment and easy to access,” Aveen-West said. “Storing decorations and other items can help keep things better organized and limit the amount of space being taken up at ... home.”

Clean Up

Anecdotally, McDougald said she’s seen a huge uptick in Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving decorations through the past five years among her clients at Twin Cities-based Meat & Potatoes Organizing.

She recommends her clients throw out or clean up their home storage spaces before renting out a unit.

“As a last resort, I would go for a storage unit,” McDougald said. “It can take a lot of time and effort to drive and get your decorations. And if it’s too much to go through, you might not be decorating to the fullest anyways. It’s best to make decorations easy to grab and get out so you can decorate and love your space.”

The first step to revamping décor storage is to be honest, McDougald said.

“You have to consider how much space do you realistically have at your house, and that determines how many holiday items you can have to store,” she said.

Then it’s best to pull everything out and figure out what stays and what goes, she said.

“People get in a pickle when it comes to old, memory-specific decorations that they have an attachment to,” she said. “But maybe you’ve bought decorations for a newer trend that you’ve added to your collection. You have to figure out what you like decorating with and what you actually use.”

A Working System

Once the purge has finished, it’s time to determine a storing system that works.

Separate everything out by type, storing everything by look (contemporary or classic) and by color, McDougald said. Instead of storing everything in its original packaging, buy special ornament boxes (around $15 to $60, depending on size) and boxes that hold wrapping paper (about $20). That keeps everything nice and contained, McDougald said.

McDougal also suggested buying special Christmas tree bags for about $15 from places like Ace Hardware or Amazon and labeling everything.

“I love transferring trees into those bags,” McDougald said. “Plus, they can sometimes fit multiple trees.”

Hire a Professional

For those truly feeling stuck, an expert like McDougald can help.

Time to Organize, a Twin Cities-based company, offers a three-hour new client session for $195, with additional time costing $70 per hour. There are also discounted rates for purchasing 15- or 30-hour packages, according to the company’s website.

“When you open the door to your storage room, and you close it right away because it feels overwhelming, that’s a great time to call us,” she said. “We have lots of clients that like decorating but think the last thing they want to do is organize.”

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