Set a fancy table for free

(Photo: Trystan L. Bass)

You don't have to be a millionaire to serve your holiday meal on crystal and silver. Just hit the thrift stores asap before you need to carve that turkey or pour cocktails. Or call friends or Freecycle. Plenty of lightly used fine china is out there just waiting to be invited to a festive occasion.

Don't worry about mismatched dishes -- there are a few ways around the issue to make it all look pretty. First, aim for plain, solid colors when possible. White plates go with everything, no matter the style. Clear glass and shiny silver are lovely and sparkle when they're cleaned up.

Then decorate to tie the look together. Use lots of greenery around the table. Dim the overhead bulbs and light candles, which is always flattering. Pass the wine and toast a celebration that looks beautiful, didn't cost a lot, and reuses goods instead of creating waste.

Free stuff

People are always clearing out their closets on Freecycle and other reuse groups. Someone received two identical silver trays as a wedding gift and was too late to return one. Or empty-nesters realize they don't need place settings for 20 people anymore.

Find a reuse group in your neighborhood, and see what people are giving away. Look in the "free" listings under the "for sale" category of Craigslist. Not only might you find servingware, you could find extra tables and chairs.

And after the holidays, if you receive an extra turkey platter as an unwanted gift, pass it along on Freecycle to someone who can use it.

Borrowed stuff

If extended family and friends are already coming over for the big meal, ask them to bring another set of dishes, some silverware, extra glassware, or a few spare bowls or platters. They're not cooking, so they aren't using these things. It's a no-brainer!

New to town or looking for something your family doesn't have? Try NeighBorrow, an new online match-making service that connects people in a community to lend things to each other. If you need a punch bowl in Quincy, Illinois, you're in luck.

(Photo: Trystan L. Bass)

Second-hand stuff

Thrift stores across the U.S. are brimming with gently used housewares at incredibly low prices. At Goodwill, Salvation Army, and similar charity shops, you will find perfectly good wine glasses for maybe 50 cents each and dinner plates for around a dollar.

It's hard to find sturdy paper and plastic stuff that costs so little (or looks so good!), and when you buy the real deal second-hand, you're not adding to landfill trash or excess manufacturing waste.

In just the quickest search, you'll usually find stacks of silver (and faux silver) trays big enough for the largest turkey or ham. If you need a cake plate or pie server, huge bowls to serve salad, petite dishes for sides, just pick through the shelves.

Don't forget about the linens. Thrift stores are often chock full of tablecloths and napkins, even complete matched sets. From cutesy holiday themes to designer labels like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, great table linens are ripe for the picking. Just give ‘em a wash and press, and you can set the table (or multiple tables) for far less than what new cloths would cost.

Shopping at charity stores is affordable for you, it helps people in your community, and you're keeping usable goods in circulation. Plus, if you decide after the holidays that you don't need those extra wine glasses in your kitchen, you can donate them back to the charity. You'll get a little tax break, and the charity can resell the goods again. Win-win!

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