If you have – and as a frugal Irish Attic devotee that I’m sure you are – a bunch of bows salvaged from previous Christmas gifts – then you have an inexpensive and beautiful way to decorate your Christmas tree on a budget. Gather together all of your bows from previous years. At this point don’t worry about the colors or the sizes. No hooks are needed – nestle your  bows in the branches of your Christmas tree. Any metallic and iridescent bows will reflect the Christmas tree lights and give you a soft glow.

Years ago, I did this as a college student on a budget. And since I”m such a recycler as we had more money to buy ornaments, we reused the bows as gift toppers. It’s amazing how pretty, sparkly, and colorful a bow covered tree can be. Using bows to fill in your tree’s bare spots is also nice, even if you have an extensive ornament collection.