Christmas Lights and Trees On A Budget

Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!

As soon as Thanksgiving ended, Christmas season began. Though we don’t go all out on decorations like some people, we do put out lights and a few key decorations in and outside the house. Here are two tips we’ve found useful in saving money on Christmas decorations:

Go with budget LED string lights

After trying a number of options, we settled on Ollny Christmas lights (note, this is not an advertisement). Specifically, in front, we use two sets of basic plug-in 262ft LED string lights, which cost us less than $40 each.[1] There are often deep discounts on these, with the Amazon price history ranging from $28 to nearly $60.

They are very bright but low-wattage LED lights, with the entire string of lights using a mere 6 watts, less than a single light bulb. We use the included timer for aesthetic reasons, but even keeping them on 24/7 for the entire month of December would use less than $2 of electricity.

In back, where we don’t have an outlet, we use multicolor solar-powered string lights, which cost us less than $25 for a two-pack. They’re battery powered, charge from a small solar panel, and aren’t nearly as bright as the lights in front, but still look cute.

In all, our lights cost less than $150, use almost no electricity, and can be used year after year.

Consider a (nice) artificial Christmas tree

For years, we bought real trees at considerable expense and inconvenience, rather than a cheesy-looking artificial tree. But over time, artificial trees have gotten much nicer, with the newest models looking great and often including built-in lights. We use trees from National Tree Company, which are very reasonably priced and have lasted us multiple seasons.

You might be able to get a real tree near you for a reasonable price, but compare the cost per year of a fresh vs. artificial tree. Of course, if you love the experience of cutting down your tree or the smell of fresh pine, stick with what you love. It’s all about making informed, thoughtful trade-offs.

It’s debatable whether real trees are better for the environment than artificial trees, but real trees generally find their way to a landfill each year and involve shipping/transportation each year. So from a convenience and mess perspective, we’re happy with our decision to go with an artificial tree.[2]

And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:

If you enjoy jazz, Veronica Swift is an absolute revelation. I loved these two performances.

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I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.

[1] I recommend warm white rather than cool white, which can look too bright and unsightly at night. Your neighbors will appreciate it.

[2] The NYT also opined on this subject recently with Before You Buy a Christmas Tree, Can These Converts Sell You on a Fake?