Save it for Later

If you love to decorate for holidays and special occasions as much as I do, you know that it steals pennies from your bank no matter how economical you try to be!  But since it makes me happy to create those whimsical spaces in my home AND save money, I really try to find ways to keep my projects within a budget!  Luckily, I have three helpful suggestions on how to do this!  One of my favorite ways is to recycle!  reusing past party or holiday decor always helps to stretch the dollar!  Another is to scavenge all the after-holiday sales and clearance sections every time you visit your favorite shops…and not just the first day after the holiday!  Often times seasonal items will be priced up to 90% off at the very, very end of the sale!  Of course, at that point the shelves will be pretty picked over but you still might stumble upon just the right item at the perfect price…practically free!  My suggestion in shopping clearance is to only buy it if you REALLY love it or might ACTUALLY use it…not just because it’s cheap!  Because when the same holiday comes ’round the following year, you can be certain that you’ll find an entire new array of decorating goodies just begging you to buy…so you want to give your last year’s sale item a fighting chance!  And lastly, I find it helpful to stock up on certain supplies…like staples in a food pantry, you’re stocking your party pantry!  Over time you can collect an inventory of common items that you’ll use over and over again!   Now the only obstacle is finding easy storage.  We all have different storage situations…some have plenty of extra spaces and some of us, not so much.  So I really try to find cute storage options just in case it needs to sit out in the open!  And having storage that’s easy to access also helps you to not forget what you’ve got tucked away!  Today I’d like to share some of my favorite supplies and the ways I hide them until I’m ready to use them again!  This way I can buy what’s on sale and save it for later!  I hope you find some inspiration that will work for you!

tuck it away…recycle and reuse!

my favorite storage containers are simple, cardboard, office-style boxes!  they usually come in plenty of sizes and shapes so they can hold just about anything!  not only are they inexpensive but now you can find so many fun colors and patterns you can compliment any style!  my preference is for white so they’ll blend into multiple rooms in my home…and these from Ikea are my first choice  picks!

they’re great for stacking so you can organize all your goodies…and these on my shelf are about the size of a shoe box so they don’t take up too much space!

most of my boxes hold generic supplies…but i do hang on to a few banners and picks, just in case!  like the “white elephant” from my Christmas exchange and my Thanksgiving bunting might find themselves useful next year…and since they’re stored in my office space i can go through them periodically and reevaluate whether i should keep them or not!

what’s in my “party” pantry…

one of my favorite things to keep on hand…twine & ribbon!

and i love to save all my wood clips!  they really come in handy along with the twine for hanging banners, poms, and holiday decorations or holding tags on gifts!  AND most cost less than $1-$2 a package!  like the other decorating supplies, i can go through them every now and again and get rid of the ones i don’t use or look shop-worn!  a great time to do this is when i find a new bargain addition…when something comes in, often times something else has to go!  and if it bothers you to trash the stuff…gather all the things that still look good and donate them!  i bet the school art teacher wouldn’t pass up some extra supplies!

i keep some larger versions of these boxes in our spare bedroom…which also serves as a Giggle works space.  they still look cute and house my bigger supplies and some of my Giggle inventory.

but i always save one for holding extra decorations that i’d like to hang onto a little longer!  paper globes and banners can be disassembled and stacked carefully as well as accordion-style paper decorations…like the Chinese New Year dragon.   next year i can hang him somewhere new and no one will notice!  and laying on top of the paper dragon are some sweet football drink holders i got for a steal after the big game…i bet you can guess what will be on my Super Bowl treat table next year!

another storage option in my house is the bottom drawer of a dresser in my dining room.  taking place of a traditional buffet, i use this dresser to hold everything i might need for serving meals at the table…plus some extras!

one of my must-have party pantry staples is a supply of candles and tea lights!  and also in the drawer, along with some miscellaneous items, is another go-to decoration…fairy lights!  once you’ve invested in a couple i bet you’ll use them all the time!  they can add light or sparkle anywhere…and just look so enchanting!  and hanging on my dresser are the recycled pink tassels that i plucked from my Valentine garland!  in my attic i keep a peg board that allows me to hang old tissue tassels and tissue poms in good enough condition to save.  once they look tattered i toss ’em–but until then i might be able to stretch their purpose!

something pretty & useful…

my mom brought me this old tool box last fall…and i absolutely LOVE it for storing paper and crafting supplies!  all the little drawers are perfect for hiding small but useful items and it looks so good doing it!

in the top compartment…paper punches, scissors, twine, and glitter!

and all the tiny drawers keep all kinds of goodies i’ve collected to help me craft and decorate!

most of this stuff is obviously geared toward my personal needs…but a couple more recommendations i might suggest having on hand–TAGS!

not just for gifts, tags can be used for food labels, place cards, and even transform into a garland!

WASHI TAPE!  so great for crafting but i also use it all the time to hang decorations since it won’t pull the finish off furniture or the paint off walls!

if you can find a spot or two to store your decorations and supplies…you might save yourself some time and money on your next celebration! and let me tell you that it feels great when i can go to my boxes and drawers and pull out something perfect without spending ANY money!   find what you love and make it work for organizing your recyclable treasures!  then you’ll always be ready when you find that next big sale…

so you can save it for later!