Debt-Free Holidays: Eight Ways to Decorate on a Budget

Getting your home ready for the holidays can really put you in the spirit of the season, but not if those displays are putting a crimp in your budget. This year, why not stay debt-free when decorating for the holidays? Whether you're hosting a house full of relatives, inviting friends over for some bubbly or just enjoying a quiet night by a crackling fire, our tips for festive decor can add to your enjoyment of the holidays without leaving a hole in your pocketbook.

"Use natural products," says Peggy Johnson, owner of Redesign + More. "Right here in our backyard, we take pine cones and get creative." One idea: Johnson likes to combine pine and holly boughs with pine cones and artificial garland, then spray with aerosol "snow" to give her creation a unified look. When it's finished, no one will know that the display gracing your table or mantel didn't cost big bucks. Even if you're a city slicker, you can hang on to the boughs you lop off your tree to fit it into the stand, then use them to decorate another part of your house, like the mantel.