Goodwill Industries of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan has a campaign going on right now called “Show Us Your Goodwill” #showusyourgoodwill where you share a photo of an item you’ve found at Goodwill and how you are reusing it in your own home or life. If you are selected, you could win $50 to Goodwill! Post it to their Facebook Page or tag them on Instagram. Make sure to use the hashtag #showusyourgoodwill when you post!
I’ve always loved decorating for the holidays, but this year the Christmas season seemed to outshine the Thanksgiving season early on due to all of the snow we’ve gotten in Northern Michigan. I love trimming the tree, putting up garland, wreaths, and playing Christmas music so loud the neighbors can hear.
Decorating for Christmas is one that can get really expensive really quick if you’re not careful. With all of the tree trimmings, garland, lights, figurines, etc… one can easily spend a whole lot of money on trendy items. I prefer to get creative with second-hand items found at Goodwill. You get to repurpose something that was discarded by another, get creative with things that are perhaps less traditional in style, and save money in the process, putting your money toward the things that matter most…like that Christmas ham, adopting a family, or giving nice gifts to your loved ones.
In total, I spent $25 on “new” Christmas decorations for our home from Goodwill. Here are a handful of super easy things I snagged from Goodwill that anyone can adopt and use themselves!
Paint old Christmas houses – $3.99 for the whole set at Goodwill
I got this idea from my friend and décor/re-purposer/handicrafter extraordinaire, Mari! I grabbed a box of discarded Christmas village houses from Goodwill and knew right away what I wanted to do with them. The box even had these little trees to go with them! It took me all but 20 minutes to paint two coats on each of the four little houses. I then lined them along a shelf above our coffee station. They would look equally cute on a side table or mantel.
Repurpose old signs (chalk paint/circuit) – $1.99 Goodwill
I stumbled upon an old and super light sign at Goodwill that had the old saying “Live, laugh, love” across it. I knew right away that a little chalk paint over the words and then adding my own stenciled saying for Christmas would make it brand new again. I was ready to hand stencil the sign when my lovely friend Angela offered to make the words on her Cricut machine. The adhesives were just applied to the board easily and took all of 5 minutes. I used two coats of white Rustoleum chalk paint before adding the letters – voilá – easy and cute!
Candlestick holder – $1 at Goodwill
When I saw this little gold candlestick holder I knew I had to have it. I love the old traditional look of candlesticks. We have some battery-operated ones that sit in our windows with a timer and come on at night and have the look of a flickering candlestick. Makes our house so warm and cozy! I had a few candlesticks laying around so I added one to the holder and put it near our coffee bar. My plan is to put two more candlesticks up nearby and light a new one each week to mark the advent of the season and the countdown to Jesus’s birth (Christmas Day)! I hadn’t thought of this idea until I made my trip to Goodwill!
Silver Platters – from $1.99 – $3.99 at Goodwill
I got the idea of keeping an eye out for silver serving platters from Joanna Gaines and her new Magnolia Magazine that came out for the quarter about a month and a half ago. She had a whole section in the magazine devoted to how silver pieces have basically become extinct in our culture and how taking them out and cleaning them and using them during the season can bring back a traditional and sentimental feel. I was shocked to find a handful of silver platters at Goodwill, just discarded under mounds of plastic plates and serving dishes. Tarnished was an understatement – they needed a lot of love, but my mind raced to the many different ways we could use them. The smaller platter, perhaps for Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve? The larger one for Christmas Day cinnamon rolls? The larger one for decorations like bulbs or greenery? SO many fun ways to use silver during the holidays. Here is a link to the more non-chemical way I used to try and clean them.
There were so many other things I saw at Goodwill that could have been awesome for decorating for Christmas, but I had to reign it in a little. My finds left me excited and ready to go back and browse again soon! I’d love to see if you find anything from Goodwill on your next thrifting trip to the store – make sure to send me a photo! I love seeing other people find awesome treasures.
Black Friday at Goodwill
If you’re a Black Friday shopper, Goodwill in Marquette, Escanaba, Marinette, Iron Mountain, and Sault Ste. Marie Michigan will be having a 50% off EVERYTHING sale. Yea, you read that right! Stores open at 9:00 a.m.
This blog post was sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, thank you for supporting the brands and organizations I work with. All thoughts and opinions are my own!