Cheap Thanksgiving Decorations

Finding a way to decorate frugally for a Thanksgiving dinner can be a challenge, and especially after buying the turkey and "all the trimmings," you may want to save as much money as you can. As the saying goes... the best things in life are free and you really can decorate your home for Thanksgiving for almost free.

Look to nature and things you already have, add some of your own creativity and you may be surprised at the festive way you can decorate without paying out a penny.

Take a stroll through a wooded park, down a country lane or maybe just down your street and watch for fallen leaves, dried weeds and plants. Put them in plastic bags and carry them carefully to keep from crushing them.

Once you have a good collection, fill glass bowls or baskets or any interesting container with the leaves and put a bright candle in the midst of them. Make bouquets from the plants, tall ones and short ones and in between ones, and put them into a variety of glassware - anything from canning jars to cups and vases. Group them in a Thanksgiving centerpiece for the table. Use them to decorate a platter or tray that will fit by grouping them on it, then scattering leaves to camouflage it. If you put it all on a platter or tray, it helps define the decoration and makes for an easy clean up.

Small stones or even larger ones with interesting colors can be a part of a decorative tray like this. Don't overlook anything, but don't be afraid to toss them out once you have them home and they don't look right.

Fall food itself is decorative. Display nuts (whatever is most abundant or cheapest) in glass bowls, baskets, small crocks, a bucket or whatever your imagination comes up with. Put the nutcracker and a few nut picks upright in the center. Apples are plentiful this time of year and a simple bowl of bright apples is warm and inviting. Don't overlook vegetables like winter squash or matured peppers. They're often bright and interesting to decorate with and they're not limited to the kitchen.

Got kids? Use their drawings or craftwork to decorate for your Thanksgiving celebration. Cover a window or dedicate a wall with it. Stick them up with pieces cut from the sticky part of "post it" type notepads and they'll come off easily without damage or residue.

If you've got a few minutes, make cloth Thanksgiving napkins. They will last many Thanksgivings into the future, so you will never have to buy paper napkins again. Simply cut squares from autumn colored and/or patterned material and hem them. You can embellish with embroidery or applique, or leave them plain.

Need placemats for the Thanksgiving table? Again, make them from hemmed rectangles cut from patterned or colored material. Use two pieces held together and sew two or three seams across them to hold them together. You can make the seams randomly or make a pattern with them. All that's left to do is hem the edges.

You can decorate without spending much (or ANY!) money and that's part of the fun of Thanksgiving or any holiday.