Because I want to save my money for food.
That should be a life lesson or something or BIG WORD ALERT an edict.
I hereby proclaim that from now on, we shall not blow our wad on honeycomb brown centerpiece turkeys!
No more orange leaf garlands and tan napkins!
Save your money to get the good turkey, the brand name Stove Top stuffing, the corn with the salt added!
Put down the Restoration Hardware chair covers.
Step away from the World Marketplace cardholders.
Just say no and head to your local dollar store.
The first plan? Going in with a plan.
If you go to the dollar store without a budget or an idea of what you want, you will end up with what will look like Mardi Gras in your cart.
Beads, bows, and crap.
Go in with a plan.
I knew I wanted a simple place setting.
I didn’t want it to look too leafy, fall, pumpkiny.
I wanted items I could repurpose or reuse for Christmas.
I also bought items for my Christmas table as well and this is why: I am cheap.
And I like things easy.
AND if you buy these things early enough, you get the ability to be both cheap AND easy.
Wink, wink.
I used a white plastic tablecloth as a runner, added a simple ribbon on top of that, both of them from the dollar store.
The tray, rocks, candles, and candleholders were all a dollar each.
The chargers, I bought at Walmart four years ago after Christmas for a buck each, the white china plates from the dollar store three years ago.
The glass bowls and plates on top of the dinner plates?
Dollar store.
I love how vintage and clean they look and I want to make out with the fact that I only spent a dollar apiece on those bad boys.
The cardboard letters are from the craft store, I got an entire box of letters for $2.99 less 50% off.
Total spent on this table?
24 dollars.
That is for EVERYTHING, including each individual plate and dish.
Here is another idea…..
Using tissue paper as a placemat.
I bought the above paper at a craft store near me for 99 cents.
I see the wrinkles, so if you don’t like wrinkly things, set this out the night before and let it naturally flatten out.
I took black river rocks bought at my local dollar store and placed them on the corners of the tissue paper.
You could add little pieces of chalk tied up with raffia to this place setting so your guests could write on the rocks.
You know, words like GRATEFUL or THANKS or LOVE.
But in my home, the chalk would be used to write words like FART or SPORK or CARCASS.
We like weird words that sound like swear words.
It’s fun, try it.
So pretty.
Wait!
Yes, that’s more like it.
Here are some dollar store standbys that I swear by:
– silverware. If you are hosting big dinners or potlucks for the holidays, these are great. If you lose them, give them away, drop them in the dog dish? Who cares! Two pieces for a dollar and if you know how much silverware costs full price, you will know that is a good deal.
– dinnerware. I have had those white china looking plates for three years. I have used them for three Christmases, one Thanksgiving and two Easter’s.
One dollar per plate.
I love these so much. They don’t carry this style of plate year-round so keep your eyes out for special plates around the holidays. I also use their other plates for plate racks in my home or for fun parties that you don’t want to invest in an expensive dinnerware change.
– plastic tablecloths. NO ONE CARES IF IT IS FABRIC. Repeat that. Because at the end of a big dinner, the last thing I want to think about is stain treating a nice fabric tablecloth. I also don’t want to spend it doing butt tons of dishes but no one has invented really beautiful disposable dinnerware/ bakeware.
Yet.
So this year, spend extra on the yummy food, not the table where you will eat it.
And save some carcass for me.
Spork.
Fart.
This post contains affiliate links.
I think I love you. That is all.Spork.
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I will be trying all day to work the words fart, spork, and carcass into a single sentence.
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Love, love your dollar store ideas! And how did he go from Patrick Swayze killer to "Well hello Mr. President"?!
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He is a very talented actor.
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I am so glad we heard carcass today.
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To quote the movie Ghost, Ditto.Fart.
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My kid loves the Dollar Store and begs to go in there every single day. I always come out with a cart full of garbage. So I appreciate the guidance. You so crafty.
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Come to Chicago, we shall go dollar store shopping and buy all the stripey things!
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Excellent ideas. I'll have to try it next Thanksgiving since we're headed to a restaurant this year. :)Also, we just got another Dollar Store here and it's so close I could technically walk to it (even though I'll drive). SO excited!
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Maybe we can walk to it AFTER we get cookie dough.Hint, hint.
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I love your ideas. Very nice! I'll have to check out the Dollar Store.
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Thank you Amber!!
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Yes! The plan when entering the dollar store…and the reminder to myself that 30 $1 items still equals $30 sporkafarterrific!
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Omigosh, you're brilliant. I love the polka dot tissue paper.
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YESSS!!!
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Alison Lee called me brilliant!!Sorry.I love that tissue so much.
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Beautiful and so creative. I get overwhelmed when shopping for things like this. Come style my table.
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Ok but that means I am eating your turkey.
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Your table is lovely and I'm saving this post for the day I decide to get crafty. But what I really want to talk about is Scandal. OMG. That show. I hate and love all of them at the same time. They are all so messed up. More than the average number of tragic flaws most of us walk around with, don't you think? And at moments I want to slap them all upside the head and scream GET A GRIP, but oh, the show would be dull if they were all regular people.
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At the end of every single show, I say to my husband WHAT THE FUDGE.Only I don't say fudge.
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Love this idea. Also a great way to save some cash during the holidays. I would like to invite you to link up with us at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party. Check us out http://thinking-outside-the-pot.com/?p=3075
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Thank you!
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I love all of this! Thanks for the inspiration : )
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I love Dollar Tree, so it was fun to create this! Thank you so much for visiting!
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I am a huge fan of Dollar Tree. I find so much stuff there! I love the ideas. Makes me wish my table was big enough for decorating. It’s very narrow, which fits the size of our house, but there’s only a few inches between plates across the table. No space for pretty. 😦 #IdeaBox
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Lol Don’t you wish Dollar Tree offered furniture??
Oh wait, maybe not….
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I love using Dollar Tree for table decorations! You really can have a beautiful holiday table from Dollar Tree. Thank you for sharing your tips!
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Yes you can! Thank you for visiting!
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I’m gonna have to google that “Tony” guy up. I don’t remember him. I like your perspective BTW. I sure don’t want to spend my Thanksgiving afternoon spot-cleaning my nice tablecloth, or washing all my nice china. The nice china never gets used around here. Dollar Store, here I come.
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He is worth Googling.
I love shopping there, do you mind if I join you?
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Oh yeah, I forgot to say, you can iron tissue paper!
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I had no idea!!! It won’t burn??
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The Dollar Tree does have some good ideas at times, I know crafters love shopping there! Thanks so much for linking up at #AThemedLinkup 4 for All Things Thanksgiving. Shared.
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Thank you for visiting!
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