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Dec 8, 2008 6:54 pm US/Eastern
Cutting Corners: Decorating On A Budget
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Decking the halls this holiday may not be in the budget for many families.
"We're scaling back, I'm supposed to be retired this year, but when it comes to Christmas there are some things that you must get," Lourdes Diaz told
CBS4 Your Money reporter Gwen Belton as she shopped for decorations at a T.J. Maxx store.
With money being tight this year for many families, shoppers are turning to off price retailers to stretch their dollar without sacrificing the holiday cheer.
"I'm here to get some ideas and see what I'm going to do," said T.J. Maxx shopper Verlinda Hadley.
"It's a great place to go because you're getting first quality material merchandise at 60 percent off," said T.J. Maxx lifestyle expert Erinn Valencich.
When decorating on a budget, Valencich says look for pieces that can be incorporated into what you already have. For example, Valencich says, if you have lots of silver trying bringing in some green for festive decorations; for gold decorations, try burgundy colored items.
"I love to use (Christmas) balls all over the house piled up in tall glass vases or scattered down the dining table brings a nice 3-D element and they're really inexpensive," said Valencich.
Other simple ideas to consider when decorating on a budget include checking out thrift stores for used decorations, an inexpensive but good looking artificial tree with decorations, and use colorful fruit, Christmas cards and ribbons to decorate throughout the house.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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