How to Buy Holiday Decorations

Well-preserved second-hand decorations can translate into monetary savings.

If you are a fan of holidays, then you probably get excited to decorate your house for each one. Shopping for the decor each holiday can prove overwhelming, especially because there are so many ways to shop these days. Shopping for holiday decorations can also get expensive, but there are ways to get what you want without breaking the bank.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Search your local second-hand stores. These are great places to find all types of holiday decorations for significantly lower prices than new. Most of the items at second-hand stores have been donated by people within the community or by local department stores that had items that never sold. Nearly all second-hand stores have a holiday section, so it is easy to find what you need.

2. Buy a local newspaper and search the ads for garage and estate sales, specifically ones that are selling holiday decor. Garage and estate sales are great ways to find holiday decorations because typically the items are in good shape but are being sold because the sellers are moving, downsizing or looking to buy all new items themselves because of style changes.

3. Wait until the day after any major holiday, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day and Halloween to purchase decorations. All department stores mark down holiday items significantly in order to move old merchandise to make room for the next big holiday or season. Though these decorations will have to be stored for the following holiday, waiting until the day after a major holiday can save you 50 to 75 percent off each item.

4. Browse the Internet for holiday decor. There are many online companies that sell and ship (for an additional cost) holiday items all year round. Get on your favorite search engine and type in exactly what you need. For example, if you are looking for Christmas items, just type in "Christmas decor," and hundreds of sites will come up. Visit the reference below to see an example of an online holiday store.

5. Plan ahead if you will be traveling and check on specialized holiday stores in the area you will be visiting. Buying holiday decorations as souvenirs is a great way to bring holiday customs and personality from places around the world into your home. For example, type into your favorite search engine, "Christmas stores in New York City" and multiple businesses will come up. Call ahead of time to get more information as well as directions to the store.

Tips & Warnings

• Many brick-and-mortar stores also have websites you can browse to view their merchandise.

References

• TerrysVillage.com: Holiday Decor
• TheChristmasCottage.com: Online Store