This holiday season, give your family the world - without breaking the bank

(BPT) - Everyone has special holiday traditions, from heirloom decorations to secret recipes passed down from generation to generation. Whether your holiday celebration means an intimate family gathering or an elaborate house-filled party, why not add something new to your festive mix? Many authentic holiday traditions are just a grocery-store-trip away – and you may discover a new family favorite from a faraway land.

Adding some international flair to your holidays can be easy, enjoyable and educational – an opportunity to feed minds young and old during the school break. The whole family can get in on the experience: young children can learn holiday phrases from the countries whose foods you are featuring – and teach other guests. Older children can head to the library to get international holiday music, adding another dimension to the new experience. Those preparing the goodies should also be prepared to share some history about what they are serving.

Money-saving expert Cindy Livesey, founder of LivingRichWithCoupons.com, uses smart shopping strategies to add festive flair to her family’s celebrations. Here are her tips on bringing the world to your holiday table without breaking the bank.

1. Start simple – with cookies! Why not try Christmas cookies from the country that started the tradition of the Christmas tree? Gingerbread lovers will adore Pfeffernusse – these German spice cookies are so popular in Germany, they have their own holiday on Dec. 23. Rather than purchasing all the fine ingredients, pick up a pack these small, round cookies from Bahlsen, Germany’s leading cookie brand. And since they’re gone after the holidays, “Grab any Bahlsen holiday cookies you see remaining in the cookie aisle right after New Year’s Eve,” suggests Livesey. “They may just be on sale ... and you won’t have to wait a year to enjoy them again.”

2. Start saving before the holidays. It pays to be prepared for the indulgent holiday season. Keep an eye on sales and specials leading up to your celebration and stock up on international ingredients. In anticipation of her family’s traditional Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, Livesey buys seafood when it’s on sale. “I scored frozen stuffed clams a few months ago for free – so that part of my holiday shopping is already done!”  she says. Combining seasonal coupons with sales can help stretch holiday budgets.

3. Drink up some new flavors. Make your international menu more interesting by trying a new spice or type of produce. To capture some festive Mexican flair, add a little cayenne pepper to hot chocolate – you probably have both of those in your pantry right now. A nice fruit punch (with or without rum) adds unexpected tropical fun, channeling a Caribbean Christmas. “Keep frozen mango and other fruits in your freezer so you can add them to punch even when they’re not in season,” advises Livesey.

4. Assign each family member a part of the menu. The cost burden of a big family dinner can easily be lifted by sharing the cooking responsibilities. Choose an international region and assign different dishes to different family members – and decoration-making to young ones. When it’s time to eat, the meal will be complete because the family is together – and there will be plenty to talk about as each person proudly explains his or her contribution. “Some of the best gifts really are free, and sharing something new as a family is one of those gifts,” says Livesey.

It’s easy to experience the holidays from around the world without emptying your wallet. Spice up the traditional and try something new with an international affair. You might discover a completely new tradition that will have your family celebrating together for years to come.

Keep Decorations Clean with Airtight Containers

Storage Containers Down, Decorations Out
When it's time to start decorating for Christmas and your kids are tugging at you to get the decorations out from storage, remember that the earlier you start the more time you have to enjoy your decorations. The time you invest in caring for your decorations will help you enjoy the season all the more.

Depending on where you store your Christmas decorations, throughout the year they can become dusty, which is why it's important to keep your decorations in storage containers until they're ready. 

Last year I remember taking decorations down from the shelf in the garage. Because we had done some work in the garage in the summer the boxes and decorations were covered with fine silty dust. It was a mess trying to get them ready to bring into the house. I promised never to let this happen again and since then I bought airtight storage containers to keep the decorations dust-free.

This year the decorations were in containers, kept clean, and ready to put up, so that just leaves the problem of figuring out how to make sure all the kids share in the fun.

Break the Job into Smaller Tasks
For example, when taking out ornaments you might want to have your children separate ornaments by type or size. If you are also decorating outside of the house, some of the children can help outside while others help inside. This is another way to break up the tasks.

Take Turns, Rotate Stations
Then you'll be prepared for the next step: putting decorations on the tree. Some of the rules that apply to preschool also apply to decorating your house at Christmas; in addition to giving your kids a task, you'll also want them to take turns and rotate stations. 

Taking turns can be as simple as letting one child do one task, while the others complete another job, ensuring that they all are busy adding decorations to bookshelves, the living room, or another area of the house.

And finally remember one other rule that we all learned in preschool: share and share alike to enjoy the spirit of the season to the fullest.

Home Decorating on a Budget

As the seasons change, many times your local thrift and consignment stores will have a change in inventory. So, be sure not to miss out on decorating supplies, furnishings, accessories, paint, wallpaper, and fabrics that can be found at many thrift stores. But, before you go shopping, make a plan that incorporates items you already have into your decorating task. The best strategy in budget decorating is to always inventory and use what you have on hand before buying decorating supplies. Be sure to check out the garage, attic, and/or basement for useful materials or furnishings that can be recycled into a new decor.

Shop in your own home first! Consider moving items from one space to another. Sometimes pulling items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough to jazz up a room. Add a fresh coat of paint, different window dressings and rearrangement of furnishings, and WHA LAH! You have a new room.

Need some paint? If you can be flexible about color, check the mis-mixed table at your local home improvement, hardware, or paint stores. You can find high quality paints for a fraction of the original retail cost when colors don't turn out exactly as they should have. Sometimes you can find a slight variation of just the color you've already picked that will work just as well with your selected color scheme and save you lots of money.

I buy these mis-mixed paints (usually for $2-3 per gallon or less) throughout the year and store them appropriately for later use. This way I go shopping in "my own" paint department first to see if I can accommodate the decorating plan I have chosen. Planning ahead and grabbing these types of decorating supplies when they're a bargain is a great way to maximize your home decorating savings.

Collecting fabrics for future use is also another great idea. Even unwanted clothing can be used to create small window dressings, pillow covers, and accessories. Many people give away scraps of fabrics or sell them at yard sales. Be sure to check clearance and end piece items at sewing and fabric shops. It's really so simple to make a curtain or a pillow. Usually only requires sewing simple seams. For more complicated tasks, if you can't figure it out for yourself, you're sure to find a how-to book at any library or search on-line for free information.

I've found some excellent ideas for decorating on a budget, do-it-yourself projects, and decorating theme ideas from television, how-to books, and online home decorating sources. Benefit from some of the wonderful ideas and projects offered by professionals. You can get some great ideas for areas of your home that you just don't know what to do with.

Before you make your plans, check out several books at the library on home decorating. You will find no shortage of books on the subject of do-it-yourself home decorating. Glance through them and grab ideas to incorporate into your own decorating task. If you have a specific challenge to overcome, likelihood is someone else has already encountered it, conquered it, and written a book or web page about it. Use their knowledge! It will save you time and frustration of figuring it out.

Make your own accessories. Learn to make swags and wreaths. Swags and wreaths bring texture and color into a space and can be fairly simple to create. A simple how-to book is all you need to create a few decorative pieces. Wreaths can easily be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. And, handmade ones are a fraction of the cost of those purchased already made. Swags are sooooooo easy to make once you have the right supplies and tools. Like wreaths, they have a basic structure that can be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. Once you become an experienced swag or wreath crafter, you can whip together an accessory for any decor in a matter of minutes.

Tip: Some people grow to love the craft of wreath making and it becomes a useful hobby. They make great gifts!

Don't over accessorize. If you have collections, group them together for the best displays. Your trinkets and treasures will look less like clutter and more like valued collections.
Happy Decorating!

Five Simple Changes To Your Home Decorating

Home decorating, ever wanted to try it, but hesitated because of time constraints or budget concerns. The following ideas will not only give instant results, but more importantly fit into any budget.

1. Changing the Look of Your Walls

Adding a new color or changing the texture, can give the room a completely new appearance and that may be the only decorating change that is necessary.

The easiest option is to paint, and with the color choices available, the possibilities are endless. Another consideration would be wallpaper; the only problem you may have is choosing a design.

If on the other hand, only a little something extra is needed a simple stencil design might just do the trick. Any of these ideas can be used either individually or in combination with each other.

2. Look to Your Windows For a Whole New View

Changing your window treatments is probably the easiest of any home decorating projects.

The choices range from styles that include drapes, tab-top, cafe and shears, backgrounds of solid colors, floral and stripes, fabrics that include silk, cotton, lace or velvet.

The most economical is ready-made; they are very affordable therefore giving you the opportunity to make changes more often.

3. Accessories Make Your Decorating Complete

Some of the more common are area rugs, wall art, lamps, pillows and cozy throws.

Items for the kitchen make beautiful additions, for example; canisters, dinnerware, dishtowels or decorative bottles filled with oils and vinegar.

Add a little whimsy with oversized ceramic figures like roosters, or the adorable pigs holding chalkboard menus.

Bathrooms are another area for pretty accessories like decorative soaps placed in a bowl or basket; towels come in so many colors and designs now that they alone make great accessories.

Last but not least do not forget candles and bowls of potpourri

4. Collectibles Bring a Personal Touch to Home Decorating

Collectibles can be anything involving three or more of the same thing, or items that are related.

This can include porcelain dolls, Christmas villages, collector plates and who can resist those adorable little faces of Boyds Bears.

Maybe items with a nostalgic feel like tin lunch boxes, cookie jars or salt & pepper shakers stir up special memories of childhood

5. Updating Your Furniture

One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is with slipcovers; they come in a large variety of colors and patterns.

Pieces like end tables, hutches or even a dinning table and chairs can be refinished for a new look.

One way is with paint. Pick a color to coordinate with your room or choose something bright and whimsical. Another option would be to use stain, stains come in a multitude of shades; they can also come in colors.

So, if you are ready to give some decorating a go, try these basic changes to start. Over time, more things can be changed but for right now, simple changes can make a big difference.

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Three Ways to Freshen Up a Room for Less Than $15

by Michelle Davidson

There are many great budget decorating products and tips out there, but when it comes to freshening up a room for under $15.00 nothing tops the following three items. The beauty of each of these selections is that they are multi purpose purchase that can be used in a multitude of ways.

A Quart of paint Paint is the unsurpassed winner in budget makeover projects and a quart of paint typically cost between $9.00 and $13.00. The cost is low and the uses are infinite. A quart of paint can easily cover Powder Room walls giving a room an entirely new look. Additionally, you can paint existing furniture items such as tables, chairs and dressers. Painting furniture can make an old item feel new. Kitchen and Bathroom cabinets when painted receive a welcomed facelift. Other items to think about painting include lamps, baskets, planters, and other accessories.

A Flat Bed Sheet Shop discount stores and clearance centers for flat bed sheets and you can find steals on these paying less than $15.00 a sheet. This can be the most lovely pattern fabric for the lowest cost around. Use this fabric to make throw pillows for a sofa or bed. Flat bed sheets can also be used as drapery panels for a no sew project. Other applications in which you can use the sheet it to make custom shower curtains, chair covers, table clothes, placemats, and nearly anything that involves using fabric.

Blank Artist Canvas For under $15.00 you can purchase a stretched artist’s canvas in a large array of sizes. Typically made of cotton duct and stapled on a wooden frame, these canvases can be easily turned into custom works of abstract art, and you do not need to be an artist. Please note, abstract is the key word. Go to your local library and find pictures of abstract art with broad expanses of color and simple lines. You can then replicate the masterpiece on your canvas. Or if you would rather come up with your own version of a masterpiece, you can use foam brushes to make wide stripes of colors allowing drips and paint build up to add to your piece.

Try investing $15.00 or less in any of the above items. Each one (paint, bed sheet, and an artist canvas) offer unlimited opportunity to decorate your home for a small amount of money.