If you are on a budget this year or you simply just don’t have the money to spend on Christmas tree decorations, there are plenty of ways that you can have a beautiful Christmas tree without spending a lot of money.

In fact, there are even some Christmas decorations that can be completely free. Or, spend as little as $10 to decorate your tree this year.

Here are 5 inexpensive Christmas tree decoration ideas that can save you a ton of money this holiday season.

1. Look Outdoors for Your Christmas Tree Decorations

You may have to do this before the snow starts falling and actually the middle towards the end of fall is a great time to start collection pretty items from nature that can work to decorate your tree.

Just some free nature items that you can collect outside include pine cones, acorns, and twigs.

You can fasten twigs into things like stars and snowflakes with some twine and you have instant decorations. For acorns and pine cones you can simply hot glue a ribbon on them to hang them on a tree. You can even make garland out of these materials as well.

If you are looking for some color on your tree, you can also buy some cranberries that would fit in perfect with a natural themed tree and make a bright red garland for your tree. This should only cost a few dollars at the most.

2. Make Paper Ornaments for Your Christmas Tree

You most likely have made paper snowflakes in the past, so why not use them to decorate your Christmas tree? You can use simple white paper or use different colored paper or even use inexpensive scrapbook paper that you can find for pretty cheap at a local craft store. You can even use cheap wrapping paper from the dollar store to make the ornaments as well

You can make more than just snowflakes though as you can also make stars, hearts, flowers, and fun 3D swirling ornaments.

To give you an idea of what kind of paper ornaments you can make for your tree, check out my DIY Christmas Ornaments board on Pinterest.

3. Go for Non-Traditional Christmas Ornaments

When you think of Christmas ornaments you may just think of the simple ball or bulb ornaments that you see sold at all the stores. But, you can have an absolutely beautiful Christmas tree without those traditional ornaments.

For example, check out your local craft or floral supply store for clearance items now through Christmas time. You can find things like all kinds of fake flowers, twigs with berries, fake fruit, and even ribbon. These items are great for decorating a tree as simple fillers all along the tree. You can place them where you want to add splashes of color and patterns to the tree.

If you shop the clearance section you may just be surprised at how many great items you can find for really cheap that would go great on your Christmas tree.

4. Use Ribbon to Decorate the Christmas Tree

During the holidays I’m able to find Christmas themed ribbon fairly cheaply at my local craft supply store. They even send out coupons so I can get the ribbon even cheaper.

If you have a smaller Christmas tree it may not take as much ribbon as you think to wrap your tree to add some color and design to it. If you plan on doing this, I do recommend that you use a ribbon that has a wire edge so it can easily be molded and folded to where you want it to go.

Check out this video on how to weave the ribbon around your Christmas tree for ideas. (In the video she uses very wide ribbon garland, but for a smaller tree you can easily use a regular wide ribbon)

5. Shop At the Dollar Store for Christmas Ornaments

You may be surprised at what kind of ornaments you can find at your local dollar store. The ornaments may not last you several years, but they are nice for a few years and you can definitely get out of the store for less than $10 and have your whole tree decorated.

Look for larger ornaments that take up more space as well as packages of multiple ornaments for the most bang of your buck.

If you get creative and you aren’t afraid to spend some time on making some ornaments you can easily decorate your Christmas tree without spending a lot of money. In fact, if you get really creative, I bet you can decorate your whole tree for under $5-$10 and save money for Christmas gifts instead.