Have company coming over for dinner during the holidays but you don’t have enough dishes? Or perhaps they are chipped or cracked? You don’t have to spend a lot of money to set a pretty table. All of these dishes came from the Dollar Tree and cost a dollar each. Placemats, cloth napkins and chargers can add up too. The ones I use also came from the Dollar Tree. You t don’t have to have everything on your table match either. This year we are having 20 people over for Thanksgiving and I don’t have 20 plates that match. I will use 8 white plates and 6 brown plates I already own and fill in with orange plates I’m buying from the dollar store. I could go out and buy “sets” but I seriously don’t need more coffee cups (that usually come in a set) so I prefer to buy individual dishes that I’ll actually use. Thrift stores are also great places to pick up dishes, napkins, and items you can add to your table for a colorful, interesting table.
Here’s some ideas you might be able to use while setting your own table. And before you rush out to the store to buy, look at what you already own. There’s no sense in spending a ton of money on items you may only use once or twice a year. And have fun! The holidays are meant to be enjoyable, spending time with family and friends; not stressing over having everyone over!
This setting cost approximately $4.75 for everything (except for the nuts). The placemat, plate, bowl and glass were a dollar each. If you don’t to use cloth napkins (which usually get stained!), there’s nothing wrong with using paper. To dress up the paper napkin, I cut a strip of construction paper (you can also use a brown paper bag), glued a leaf on it and taped the back. Super easy and cheap. I found the basket at Michael’s for 50 cents. The turkey serves as my place card and favor which our guests can take home. I filled mine up with nuts but you can put anything in it (you actually don’t even need to fill it up with anything.)
Approximately $7.oo for this table setting. The placemat, charger, plate, bowl and wine goblet (which can be used for water or tea also,) were all a dollar each. I picked up the votive candle holder and napkin at Goodwill. The leaves are from the Dollar Tree (50 leaves for $1.00) as is the ribbon I use as a napkin ring. The candle is wrapped with a piece of corn husk. If you don’t own a glue gun, a dab of Elmer’s glue or even tape will work when assembling these easy ideas.
Of course the more you add to a setting, the more it will cost. This setting is the most expensive of the bunch but I will use the placemat, napkin, and charger again at Christmas. We personally always serve wine so I set the table with a water-glass and wine glass. I have a bunch of these picture frames that I use all the time for place cards. I have also used the frames at wedding and baby showers I’ve hosted, writing down what the food dishes were and placing them in front of that particular dish. Everything here came from the Dollar Tree and cost a dollar each, except for the napkins, which were 2 for a dollar.
I actually bought this green charger at Wal-Mart last year after Christmas for 10 cents. (I bought 50 of them and also use them as cookie plates I make for the neighbors and my husband’s co-workers…sometimes the packaging can cost more than the gift.) At full price, it cost a dollar (the Dollar Tree also has green chargers,) so for pricing purposes, I used the dollar price since you can’t pick them up for ten cents right now. For the leaf napkin ring, I bought a flower pick of leaves and cut off sections to wrap around the napkin. You can usually get a pick that has 4 to 6 stems on it. This place setting cost $4.75.
Hopefully these will spark an idea for you…mixing and matching what you already have or picking up a few pieces to complete what you already own.
Brilliant and creative. Thank you for all you do
Thanks Rhonda Jo!