Decorate For Thanksgiving in $20 Or Less

After spending all my money on Halloween costumes and candy, then having to turn right back around and fork over a fortune for Christmas presents. It can become very easy for Thanksgiving to get lost or pushed to the wayside.

This has never been more evident than this year with stores opening on THANKSGIVING DAY for "Black Friday" sales (which I'm not Okay with, but we wont get on that soap box).

So, with such tight budgets and very little time, what can we do to make decorating for Thanksgiving a pain free thing (on both us and our wallets) but still grab onto that wonderful fall/Thankful feeling? That's where I come in.

Cheaply decorating for holidays has become one of the things I pride myself on over the years. And this year, because you've been such great readers, I thought I would share with you some of my tips and tricks for creating some great Thanksgiving  decorations in under $20 that will have the in-laws salivating (and who doesn't like to get compliments from the Mother-In-Law?)

• One of the biggest tips I can offer for you comes a little late for this year, but will make life so easy comes this time next year. When you buy decorations try to find ones that are season themed instead of holiday themed. That way you can add the holiday pieces to the seasonal pieces and it still looks nice, but you haven't had to pay the money decorating for 2 holidays.

•  Something else I do every year is to try using things I already have around the house. From ribbon to popcorn seeds, pine cones and acorns from the yard. Even candle holders. If I've got something sitting around the house that I think will work, I try to use it.

• If you go through the holiday section at any department store (especially the higher end stores) you'll notice that those wooden "quote" signs are really big this holiday season. Well, I don't know about you, but finding the money in my budget for those signs isn't really an option. At least not until they go on clearance at the end of the holiday. So to get the look of the wooden signs without the price tag, I turn to Pinterest. If you search for Free Thanksgiving Printables on Pinterest you will find a plethora of items that can be printed, cut, and framed. (Or you can just hop over to my Thanksgiving/Fall board and use the ones I have, which I found here and here.) The best part? You don't have to feel guilty next year if you find one you like better!

• Hitting the clearance section at the department store is also a great way to get the nicer decorations you like with-out paying the larger price tag. And this year, more so than others, those items seem to have gone on clearance really early. Making it nice for adding to your Thanksgiving decor right away!

•  One thing I did this year that has, I think, really made my decorations "pop" was to hit the produce section of my grocery store. There I found some great pumpkins, gourds, and squashes that look wonderful in my decorations without paying big prices for them. I got some pie pumpkins 2 for $3.00 the day after Halloween! (And Bonus: Since my grandmother loves to make pies and casseroles with this type of produce, they wont go to waste when I'm done with them!)

• And finally, my go to stop for anything decoration is the Dollar Tree. As I've said before, I love this store for easy and cheap decorations any time of the year. They always have some great stuff that when put together correctly looks like you bought at one of the more expensive home decor stores. Can you tell what I've bought there?

So there you have it! I think sometimes people think it costs a small fortune to decorate for the various holidays, but I'm here to tell you that they are wrong. Over the years I've learned that I don't have to spend more than $20 to have my home look like a hundred bucks and these are the tricks I use to get it that way.

What are some things you do to make your home festive without using all your Christmas present money? Send me some pictures! I'd love to see!