In this economy, decorating for the holidays can be quite costly. This season, create your very own unique and charming Christmas decorations and save money at the same time. Here are 5 cost-saving Christmas decorating ideas for this year.

1. Green is in - Why not go green this Christmas by using natural elements from outdoors that are totally free? Use evergreen or pine cuttings, nuts, dried flowers, pine-cones, colorful branches and berries. Explore your options and see what you have available in your backyard.

2. Reuse and recycle - Another way to decorate your home on a shoe-string budget is to recycle and reuse items you already own. Be sure to scour nearby yard sales, thrift shops and flea markets for inexpensive items you can use in your Christmas decorating.

3. Buy early - buy your Christmas ornaments early. Many stores will begin selling Christmas ornaments as early as July. Buying your Christmas Ornaments before winter begins is a great way to save money. You could fill your house with beautiful holiday decorations every year for a small fraction of what they originally cost!

4. Family affair - When it's too cold to play outside, ornament crafting is a fun, cozy way to spend an evening. Get the family together for a craft night. Or invite a few friends over, turn up the holiday music, fire up the glue gun and get creative.

5. Don’t rush - Don’t try to get all your tree ornaments in one year. Remember, it took your parents some years to collect all those precious ornaments you see each Christmas. Old ornaments carry many memories and add old-school charm to your tree.

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