Holiday Decorating on a Dime - Part 1 Carving a Pumpkin

Decorating for the holidays can be expensive. Halloween, Thanksgiving, religious holidays and New Year's Eve will be here before you know it. The cost of changing out the table centerpiece and other decorative items for each holiday can certainly add up fast. In the spirit of the recession and the need to save a little dough, I'm on the hunt to find versatile, affordable decorative items that can be modified per holiday and in some cases, even used throughout the rest of the year.

The first and possibly messiest decorative accessory is the carved pumpkin at Halloween. A decent sized pumpkin (basketball size or larger) typically costs between $3-7. Tools to carve the pumpkin can range in simplicity from a common kitchen knife to elaborate tools kits sold specifically for carving pumpkins. Carving kit prices can start at $5 and go up. Plan on committing at least 30-45 min. to carve an "easy" pumpkin. More complicated, detailed images can take several hours to carve. A neat way to decorate the drive or front porch would be to carve several pumpkins, varying in size and shape (great way to get the kids involved!) and place them all together in a corner of your porch or at the edge of the drive.

A pumpkin carving party can be a great excuse for family, friends and neighbors to get together before the holiday season starts. Friends come prepared with their own pumpkins and carving ideas (or they brainstorm a carving idea with everyone else when they get to the party), stencils and tools if they have their own to use. The host typically provides snacks or dinner, drinks, musical entertainment and a mess ready location to gut the pumpkins. Brew up some apple cider and toast pumpkins seeds with salt or cinnamon & sugar for some festive treats! A bowl of candy corn won't go unnoticed either!