The Best Way to Spend $20 at Target Right Now, According to One of the Brand’s VPs

Full confession: I was supposed to write this post weeks ago. It was my idea and I was excited to write it. But I couldn’t put my finger on this “best way.” Every time I’d pick something, I’d think of something else. And then something else. So I just kept not writing this story.

Then, a week ago, I was at the Target headquarters in Minneapolis (yes, my head basically exploded), and I got to spend some time with Jill Sando, Target’s Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Home, and I decided to have her do my job for me.

I asked her to tell me the single best way to spend $20 at Target right now, and she only hesitated for one second before answering.

She called out the $3 and $1 ornaments from Target’s Wondershop line. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered them during all of my earlier hemming and hawing, but she’s totally right.

“For less than $20, you can get quite a few ornaments to fill or round out your tree,” says Sando. “We have so many cute ones for all sorts of personalities and interests, plus lots of colored round ornaments to help fill in the rest of the tree. Each for just $3 or $1.”

After taking a closer look in the store and online, I couldn’t agree with Sando more. Right now, if you have $20 to spend at Target, the best way to use that cash is on holiday ornaments.

Here are some of the best ones.

No matter how big or small your own family happens to be, you’ll enjoy this darling little family of four. The ornaments are made of felt with embroidered “icing,” and will last way longer than these guys’ real cookie cousins.

For the tree trimmer with a total sweet tooth, these ornaments are made of foam and have plenty of little details. Just look at the sprinkles on that cupcake!

You can keep these ornaments in pairs or separate them and you’ll have either four or eight ornaments. They’re made of wood, but somehow manage to look even better than edible candy canes.

There’s just something so meta about the idea of decorating a tree with cacti. These knit ornaments make a great gift for anyone who’s obsessed with having plants in the kitchen.

In stores, you can load up on individually sold filler ornaments for just $1 each. If you’re looking to buy them as a set, you’ll find even better bargains. This filler set above includes 50 ornaments and costs just $15. Don’t need 50? You can also get packs of 24 for just $5.

Don’t want to deal with picking out ornaments for your tree? Check out Target’s Wondershop tree decorating kits. They cost $200, but they come with everything you need — including the tree, skirt, topper, and all the ornaments to fill up the tree from top to bottom.

How would you spend $20 if you were going to Target right now?