Welcome to How to Decorate Like a Pro, for Christmas! Y You will be learning how to decorate your home for the holidays with “Creativity, Not Cash!”TM Your course will be divided into four lessons, including step by step instructions, photos, and printables to help you on your way to a Christmas Wonderland, on a budget! So join me in your first lesson, and thank you for joining The Budget Decorator on your creative journey! Most of us have boxes marked Xmas Decorations, but that’s about as far as we go in our effort to keep track of all of our holiday trimmings. However, when the holiday sales come around, you would be surprised how little you will remember from last year. As a result, much money is wasted on buying items you don’t really need, that don’t fit into your scheme, or that you have already purchased! Don’t laugh, I can’t tell y o u h o w many times I have bought the “perfect” item in the early sales, only to find out I had already found that “perfect” item at last years clearance! Included with this course is a printable inventory sheet for your holiday storage boxes. I highly r e c o m m e n d b efore you decorate this year, print out and tape a copy of this inventory sheet to each box. You also may want to consider keeping a copy in your decorating notebook. You can read more on a decorating notebook in my Basic Budget Decorating Workshop. When you unpack this year, and when you repack after the holiday, make sure you take a complete inventory of all you own, and write it in on the sheets. This will make a quick reference for you when you shop clearance sales, make projects, or make a wish list for next year.