Here’s How To Decorate for the Holidays on a Budget, According To a Magnolia Network Star

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year, whether you’re dealing with relatives, deadlines, or year-end budget issues. Either way, decorations are probably the last thing on your mind. Fortunately, DIY expert and star of Magnolia Network’s “Makeover by Monday” Jenni Yolo has a few affordable holiday decoration ideas. 

“I think there’s this pressure for a lot of people to buy new stuff every holiday,” Yolo said during a recent interview with Apartment Therapy. “And I think there’s so many ways to reuse items that you already have and then also to go to thrift stores.”

Yolo’s top recommendations were to incorporate ribbons and boxwood wreaths, which are often found at thrift shops or other budget-friendly stores. The items are flexible staples of the season that can be used in several ways. 

“There are so many fun projects you can do with ribbon, as simple as tying a bow around a piece of art and kind of making a painting that’s a gift and hanging it on your wall,” she said. “I always love the dried preserved boxwood wreaths because they look or are real, but you can use them for many years and not feel like you need to get new, fresh wreaths every year.”

Ornaments are a classic decoration for a reason, and Yolo suggested repurposing old ornaments that you already have laying around the house or buying cheap ones. People can simply redecorate old ornaments or try something slightly more elaborate, like a mercury glass DIY. “I’ve just been seeing a lot of fellow DIY-ers reinvent old ornaments in really fun ways, and that’s just a really fun, cost-saving way to do that,” she said. 

“I think the internet can sometimes make people feel like they really have to reinvent the wheel every year,” she added. “[But] using what you have in different ways is really fun.”

“Makeover by Monday” airs Saturdays at 12 p.m. ET on Magnolia Network, discovery+, and the Magnolia app.