We all love looking at the beautiful holiday decorations each year. Sometimes, we even pull out our own and help warm up the neighborhood with holiday cheer. Unfortunately, decorating can be expensive in a lot of different ways. There is such a wide selection of decorations that it is often overwhelming when choosing what suits the household. This can cause a lot of financial stress as we might need to over indulge or we may even choose something that might cost a lot of money to light up throughout the season. Of course, like many decorating projects there are numerous ways to avoid huge costs while still keeping up with your seasonal traditions. With these ten tips you’ll be the star of the neighborhood with your amazing holiday display.
1. Switch to LED
If you’re looking for new lights for your home this season then you might want to avoid the classic string up lights and move right on over to the LED section. You might wonder how exactly these lights will save you money as the price tag is usually quite a bit higher than the average light set, but you’ll notice a difference as soon as you get your electricity bill. Each strand of LED lights can actually save you up to $3.60 on your monthly bill. This can really rack up the savings, especially if you’re a fan of lighting up the neighborhood each holiday season. LED lights actually tend to last a bit longer than the typical light too. Thus, you’ll get a lot more use out of them and by the second or third holiday they will have already paid for themselves by reducing your electric bill. You may even find that the LED lights tend to go a bit further when it comes to lighting up your home for the holidays.
2. Timer
One of the major problems with holiday lights is people tend to leave them on for too long. The bill rises more and more by the hour which can cause your monthly bill to skyrocket before the holidays are over. If you tend to find yourself falling asleep before you turn off your lights or just forget they’re on then you may want to invest in a time. This allows you to set a time for the lights to come on as well as a time for them to go off. Thus, if you’re looking to save a lot of money you can run the lights for only a couple hours without ever having to touch the power button. This is also perfect for anyone who is going away for the holidays. The timer will give the home the illusion of being occupied which may help keep burglars away from your area.
3. Battery Power
There are a lot of battery operated decorations on the market today, which is a huge benefit when it comes to your power bill. From wreaths to light up or noise making decorations you can really save big when you buy this battery operated devices. When you have battery operated items you tend not to have to run a whole lot of power to your decorations. It also means you have to worry less about leaving items on as the batteries tend to last through the season. Of course, if you’re worried about having to keep replacing batteries or you just want to save as much money as possible then you may want to switch to rechargables. This will give you a boost of batteries in the home, especially for all of the kid’s gifts that will need them, so you won’t have to worry about using the electric for everything holiday oriented.
4. String Your Own Tree
If you tend to go for the plastic tree during the holidays then you may want to go for one that doesn’t come with lights already on it. Sure, stringing up a Christmas Tree every year can be a total hassle, especially when you have to spend hours untangling the lights and checking to see if they still work. With all of your work you’ll get a great financial reward though. Typically purchasing a tree can save you up to $200 on the final cost of an artificial tree. It also gives you the opportunity to pick out which lights are best for your household. So, instead of having a tree that drains an extraordinary amount of electricity you can buy LED lights and other energy efficient decorations for your holiday tree. With the proper selection of lights and a light up schedule you’ll notice a huge difference in your holiday season electric bill.
5. Trade Ins
Most people have a pretty good collection of old holiday lights lying around in storage. Whether you’re saving them to harvest lights for other strands or you just haven’t upgraded to LED then you may want to grab them all and take them to your nearest store. There are so many different stores that are now excepting these lights as a trade in program. Home Depot is one example of a store that will take in all of your old lights and give you a pretty good discount when you pay LED lights. This is a great way for stores to help out with the environment while getting good business on new lights each year. Of course, you might want to call in and ask before you head to the store with all of your lights as not all stores are participating in this trade in program. You may be surprised by how many stores are actually willing to help you recycle your old lights while also giving you a little treat for upgrading.
6. Less is More
One of the biggest issues with holiday decorations is people overdoing it. There are so many choices now that people tend to buy too much and end up with a very cluttered yard. This is not only ascetically displeasing, but it also horrible on your energy bill. So, stop shopping for new items and be a bit more selective. Most yards look good with one or two decorations, or a simple theme, so don’t try to create an entourage of holiday figures but create a nice display that people can enjoy as they drive by. This is one of the best ways to win or even place in a lighting contest which could earn you more cash towards your holiday budget. A simple design means less of a bill for you though, which can really make the holiday season a lot easier.
7. Display Later
There’s no law saying that you have to have your holiday décor out the moment Thanksgiving is over. Instead, let the month of December set in a little while before you get ready for the next big event. The less you have your holiday decorations out the less you will end up paying for the electricity they will use throughout the season. Try to aim your decoration task for the middle of the month, which will give everyone plenty of time to enjoy your display without cramping up your financial budget. When the holiday is finished then try to get the decorations up before the New Year so you can enjoy spending less and less each holiday season. Doing this each year will also help keep your outdoor decorations in better shape so you can use them longer. You may even find that you enjoy the holiday a lot more since you won’t end up celebrating it for the entire month.
8. Small Pieces
Choosing decorations can be one of the key points to saving the most money on your decorating. You should always look for pieces that are a bit smaller as they tend to be cheaper to light up and are easier to store. Small pieces add a classic touch to your lawn while not taking away from the beauty of the lights. If you aren’t too sure about buying smaller decorations then you may want to look at how much it cost to power up one of the huge inflatable decorations for just one hour. You may find a renewed love in the simple look of a light up tree or reindeer. Of course, in this day and age your selection isn’t exactly limited even if you are only buying smaller pieces. With any luck you’ll find something that is small and at a fantastic price so you save money on all levels.
9. Coupons/Rebates
There’s nothing like a good coupon deal to make you feel great about spending money. As the holidays grow closer and closer you’ll find there are coupons that will help you take off quite a bit from your initial purchase. The longer you wait to look for your decorations the easier it will be to find some pretty exciting deals on your holiday purchases. If you’re looking at greener purchases, such as LED lights then you may even be lucky enough to find a great rebate on the purchase. A lot of cities want to push residents to go for a more green friendly decorating scheme as it saves the city money and also help reduce the carbon footprint we leave on the Earth. Thus, so many companies will actually give you money back just for buy LED lights. You may even find these rebates on lawn ornaments and other cool holiday decorations. So, make sure you do a little investigating before you choose just what you want to decorate with.
10. Be Patient
Tis the season to exercise your skills in patience. Although it may be tough to keep your cool in the holiday lines patience is a rewarding part of the holiday season. So, instead of going on a spending spree for your décor you may want to refrain from doing any major shopping until the holiday is over. Typically the day after Christmas you’ll find a whole lot of amazing decorations and lights on sale at prices that will make you wonder why you ever shopped before Christmas in the first place. From expensive decorations to huge displays you might be lucky enough to get up to a 75% discount on some of the items you had your eye on during the holidays. Sure, you might not get to use the items this year, but they’ll look absolutely fantastic in your front yard come next season. You may even be able to find some energy efficient replacements for some of your older decorations or lights too, which will help you get rid of some of your holiday money pits that you couldn’t part with before!
It is often hard to say no to decorating when the holidays roll around. With all of the neighbors beautiful décor as well as the holiday mood in the air it could prove to be impossible to keep from decorating even when the budget doesn’t exactly allow it. With these ten tips you’ll not only be able to keep your lights on but will help improve the way you shop for your household’s holiday look. So, get ready to watch your neighbors marvel over you display, enter competitions and simply enjoy having your home as part of the holiday tradition without having to stress about your bills. After all, this fun only comes around once in a year, so you might as well enjoy it!
