Christmas Lights for Cheap

Lighting a house on a budget

The least expensive Christmas light display is one sized to what can be seen from the street. Most homes are lit on the front-facing roofline, a few shrubs and maybe the walkway, and that's where a budget should go first. Shipping is free on all orders with no minimum, so a small order costs no more to ship than a large one.

Start with the front roofline

Measure only the gutter lines and gable edges on the front of the house. A small single-story front is often under 100 ft., and the 250 ft. C9 installation kit covers it with wire to spare for a porch or garage. 15 in. spacing uses fewer bulbs than 12 in. and costs less per foot.

Reuse what you already own

Old incandescent C9 strings can be converted to LED by swapping the bulbs: LED C9 retrofit bulbs screw into the same E17 sockets. A crushed socket can be replaced on its own with a replacement socket instead of buying a new run.

Add shrubs with single strands

One 50-count LED mini light strand covers roughly a 2 ft. by 2 ft. shrub. Buy single strands for a few bushes; the 24-strand case only makes sense once you're wrapping trees.

Keep the running cost low

LED bulbs use far less electricity than incandescent, and a photocell timer switches the lights off after a set number of hours, so they don't run all night.

Three budget levels for lighting a house

These are real totals from current prices for a typical single-story front. Shipping is free on all orders, so each total is the product cost before tax.

Level 1: the front roofline

The 250 ft. C9 installation kit at 15 in. spacing ($425) plus a photocell timer ($11): $436. That lights the gutter line and gables across the front of most single-story homes, with wire left over for a porch or garage edge. The timer turns the lights on at dusk so nobody has to remember.

Level 2: add the shrubs

Add three 6 in. LED mini light strands at $14.50 each for the bushes along the front, for $479.50 total. Drape each strand over a shrub in a loose zigzag rather than wrapping it tightly; it covers more of the bush.

Level 3: add the walkway

A 25-pack of 8 in. light stakes ($21.50) lines a walkway with C9 bulbs, using a cut length of the kit's leftover socket wire, for $501 total.

Measuring so you don't overbuy

Buying a bigger kit than the house needs is the most common way a budget display goes over. Measure only the edges you'll light, from the ground with a tape or measuring wheel, and total them. If the front comes to under 250 ft., the 250 ft. kit is enough. Only move up to the 500 ft. kit ($823.12) when the total is over 250 ft.

Cheaper per foot: 15 in. spacing

With a bulb every 15 in. instead of every 12 in., the same roofline takes about 20% fewer bulbs and clips. From the street, the wider spacing still reads as one continuous line, especially on a two-story house.

Already own C9 lights?

If the old strings still work, the cheapest upgrade is new bulbs, not new wire. LED C9 bulbs fit the same E17 sockets as incandescent C9s: a 25-pack is $19.95, or $0.798 a bulb. Switching to LED lowers the electricity cost for the whole season and makes the bulbs far less likely to break in storage.

Making lights last more than one season

• Take lights down on a dry day and let wet runs dry before storing.
• Coil each run loosely and label it by where it hangs, so next year's install is fast.
• Store bulbs in the sockets or in their original box, in a closed bin away from heat.
• Replace a single crushed socket instead of the whole run.