Budget Friendly Christmas Decorating Tips With Things You Can Get From Ikea

Christmas is only a month away!  I’m really looking forward to Christmas as it’s my favourite time of the year.  The weather’s cooler and people appear to be happier (probably because of the school holidays and year end bonus ~hee).  The end of year also spells new resolutions to be made and to see what I’ve accomplished thus far.  It’s also a time where the office tends to be more relaxed and everyone’s less stressed.  I’m hoping to have a Christmas luncheon or dinner with the family and close friends.  Hopefully, they will be celebrating Christmas in Singapore.

Here are some tips to ‘deck the halls’ using stuff you can get from Ikea (my fav shop):

1. Use those Christmas cards which you’ve kept over the years and form a collage.  You can use them as part of a decoration on your wall or as place mats (laminate them with adhesive wrap – those that you cover your books with or get it laminated professionally.)  Alternatively, you can use beautiful wrapping papers from Ikea.  A KOTTE 48-piece gift wrap and label set costs SGD $12.90; KOTTE gift wrap roll costs SGD $4.90 / SGD $1.90.
2. Instead of buying baubles or decorations for your Christmas tree, why not use your pastry cutter as decorations?  I know Ikea sells them at SGD $7.90 for a set of six.  Hang them after you’re done baking your Christmas cookies.
3. Give your throw pillows a Christmas feel by wrapping them in ribbons (as if you’re wrapping a present/package).  Tie matching ribbons on your drapes to complement the theme.  I bought the SNOA BAND curtains recently for my living room.  It’s red and white which gives it a festive look.  You can use the remaining ribbons as decorations for your tree.  Polyester KOTTE ribbons (set of two) at SGD $9.90.
4. To soak into the Christmas spirit, try lighting candles around your living room.  It gives a cosy, warm glow and feels almost like you’re sitting in front of a fire place?  You could get JULROS scented candles that come in lovely decorated glasses at SGD$6.90 each or JULROS block candle at SGD$5.90 each.  Otherwise, you could also burn some Cinnamon oil or burn Cinnamon scented candle.  I bought a glass of Cinnamon scented candle from Ikea previously…love the smell!

Sharing a little sunbeam today…Cheers!

Ways to Save Money Without Forgoing Your Creativity

Do you wish to add your personal touch to any event without having to pay more?  Budget over creativity – that’s what many of us have to sacrifice especially for big events like weddings, full-month celebrations etc.  Here are some ways which I’ve learnt that could help save you some $$.

1. Do It Yourself: I like to check out bridal magazines like “Wedding & Travel” for DIY ideas and tips.  The magazine usually has a section for theme weddings that you can create for yourself.

2. Ask for help: For my wedding, I’ve gotten my mother-in-law and auntie-in-law to create the flowerpieces for church.  We’ve bought the flowers from a wholesaler and vases from ikea.  I’m sure your family love to be involved in your wedding preparations as well.

3. Don’t assume: Many parents assume they have to use the provided templates when they order their baby’s full-month packages.  The fact is, most of these vendors allow their customers to design their own baby announcements.  You just have to provided them the announcements in JPG format and they will help print them without additional cost.

4. Do your math: Check out the prices of  “ala-carte” services and compare it with the package.  Sometimes, a package may not save you much either.  See whether the perks/extras a package provides is something you want or require.  For my wedding, I took on a package because it was cheaper and we’ve managed to reduce the price by doing away with some of the extras we didn’t need.

5. Presents don’t have to be expensive:  Use your creativity and you could get a wonderful gift for your friends and family.  For instance, I’d use a theme to to buy different related knick-knacks and bundle them together as a gift for my friends.  It saves cost and you’re able to mix and match the items together.  This Christmas, I intend to design and create a one-of-a-kind calendar for my friends and family.  It’s much more special because you can’t get them off the racks.

Spreading a little sunbeam today…