The Best Decking the Halls on a Shoestring

You don't have to have an interior design degree to come up with some fun and festive Christmas decorating ideas but what if you really can't afford to go all out? Don't worry, you can still have a fully decked out home without breaking your budget. They're simple ideas that just need a little time and creativity.

Dried fruit- It might sound strange at first but dried fruit smells and looks beautiful if you put it together right. Combine equal parts sugar and water and bring to a soft boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Thinly slice apples and oranges and soak them in the syrup over night and then bake them at 325 for about 15-20 minutes. Sting them up as garland or as ornaments on your tree. For an extra festive punch sprinkle the apple slices with a bit of cinnamon and the orange slices with crushed cloves right before baking. Another great decorating idea with fruit is clove studded oranges. Take several regular oranges and punch a hole through the center stem area right through to the bottom. Run a piece of ribbon through the hole and tie a big bow at the bottom to keep the ribbon from pulling through when it is hung. Now pierce the flesh with dozens of whole dried cloves. They look beautiful and make your home smell like the holidays

Rags or miscellaneous ends of yarn- For a fun trim over the hearth or extra ornaments on the tree cut out tiny mitten shapes out of brightly colored cloth or knit/crochet simple mitten shapes with leftover yarn. String them up in rows or rest them in the boughs of your Christmas tree. They're cute and festive and can be made out of things that you have sitting around the house.

Natural wreaths and Boughs- Stroll around your neighborhood until you find a nice pine tree and cut off a few nice sized boughs (you'll want to ask permission if this tree is in someone's yard!) You can shape the boughs into round wreath shapes or simply tie them together with bright ribbon and use them as a Christmas scented center piece. To add to the decorative flair, take a needle and thread and sew a few fresh cranberries into the boughs to give it that look of fresh holly branches.

As you can see, you really don't have to have an interior design degree to spruce up your home for the holidays, and nor do you need a wad of cash. You just need a little imagination and the desire to bring the holidays into your home.