13 Ways to Save Money When Buying a Christmas Tree

                                                              

According to the U.S. Commerce Department 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China.  Most artificial Christmas trees are made of possible metal toxins such as lead, contain non-biodegradable plastics and are thrown in landfills. 

In 2011, the annual consumer tracking poll conducted by Harris Interactive found that consumers paid more when buying artificial trees versus real trees. Nielsen surveyed nearly 30,000 U.S. households on behalf of the American Christmas Tree Association and found that the average cost of a real tree was $46 and the average cost of an artificial tree was $78. That is an interesting statistic. 

Real Trees outsell fake trees more than 3 to 1.  Sixteen percent of consumers cut their own real tree.  Real trees can be purchases from tree farms, nurseries, discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Target or Costco, hardware stores, retail lots, non-profit groups such as Boy Scouts and churches, some grocery stores and the internet.

In 2009, over 28 million Christmas trees were sold in the U.S. resulting in $1.2 billion in revenue.  It can take a minimum of 4 years and up to 15 years to grow a real Christmas tree 6-7 feet.  The top Christmas tree producing states are Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  The most common Christmas tree species are:  scotch pine, white pine, fraser fir, douglas fir, virginia pine, noble fir and balsam fir.  Here are 13 tips to save money when buying a Christmas tree.

1. Know the height and width of the room you want to put the tree. The width should be 80% of the height.
2. Make a list of the specifications you want for your tree, species (type of tree), height, etc. Visit pickyourownchristmastree.org to view a chart that summarizes the traits of common trees.
3. Negotiate you may be able to get a cheaper price.
4. Buy on Black Friday.
5. Buy on Christmas Eve or the week of Christmas.
6. Get a permit from the National Forest Service for less than $20 and cut your own.
7. Buy a damaged tree.
8. Go to a hardware store, nursery, and discount stores such as Costco or small vendors and ask if you can purchase a floor model for a cheaper price.
9. Pick a tree native to your area.  If you don’t know which trees are native to your area, go to a nursery and find out.  Then purchase a tree from the suggestions they provide. Trees not native to your area will be more expensive.  www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,20159801,00.html
10. Ask about pricing.  Some vendors or stores charge by the foot while others charge a flat fee.
11. Comparison Shop. Go to at least 3 stores to get price quotes to help you find the best deal.
12. Shop online to find better deals.
13. Use coupons. Groupon and Living Social offer coupons for Christmas trees.