How to Enjoy Fall on a Budget

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Fall is here, and ’tis the season to spend all my money at Target.

Seriously though, Fall is by far my favorite season.

I love to decorate for fall, buy Halloween costumes, and spend half my income on pumpkins.

I mean… there are like 400 different ways to use pumpkins to decorate your home.

Also, with the introduction of all things farmhouse in to the mix, it’s easy to overspend like a crazy person that’s had one too many pumpkin spice lattes.

All of this being said, don’t let the glorious fall season wreck your budget this year!

There are so many ways to enjoy fall on a budget without breaking the bank.

Today we are going to talk about how you can save money on your favorite fall things!

More budget friendly fall posts:

• Fall decor under $20
• Easy Halloween Popcorn
• Fall Bucket List Ideas for Families
• DIY Pumpkin Decor
• DIY Fall Wreaths
• Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipes

How to Decorate for Fall on a Budget

There are hundreds of ways to decorate for fall on a budget.

You don’t need a huge budget AT ALL, to decorate for fall this year.

Just scroll through Pinterest for a few minutes (okay, hours), and you will see plenty of budget friendly fall decorating ideas.

When decorating for fall on a budget, stick to these frugal rules:

Stick to your budget!

This will of course mean you need to know how to successfully create your monthly budget.

More on that here if you need a quick refresher.

You can also grab my free budget planner for fun and easy budgeting printables to help you rock your monthly budget.

Keep items to a minimum

Now that we live in a much smaller house, I quickly noticed that less is more.

When I brought out my fall decor, I realized I had way too much, and a lot of it I really didn’t even love.

Once I reduced down my decor to just a few classic items, I love the way our home looks for fall.

Instead of putting 50 pumpkins all over the house, I worked a few classic pumpkins into my current decor.

All you really need is a few pumpkins on shelves, the kitchen table, and the front porch.

Place a few delicious smelling fall candles, and your home will be transformed without having to shell out a ton of cash.

Related:  Fall Farmhouse Home Decor Under

DIY Decorating for Fall on a budget

If you’re crafty you are really in luck.

The amount of gorgeous DIY decorating ideas for fall are endless!

You can use simple items from the Dollar Tree or the Target Dollar Spot, and transform them into gorgeous fall DIY projects.

These stores have such cute stuff for fall for just $1-$5, you can honestly pick up everything you need, even if you don’t have a crafty bone in your body.

In fact, I’ve included quite a few fun and simple DIY decorating ideas for fall on a budget, right on my blog:

• DIY Pumpkin Decorating Ideas
• DIY Fall Wreath Ideas on a Budget
• DIY Fall Footprint Art (Perfect for kids!)

With these cheap and easy DIY decorating ideas for fall, your house will be festive for less!

Fall Activities on a Budget

Now that the house is decorated, you are really in the spirit of all things fall!

If you’re like me, you are counting down the seconds until the pumpkin patch opens.

Not only is it basically the greatest place ever, but most pumpkin patches are cheap or free to enter.

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Just make sure to buy your pumpkin at the grocery store (way cheaper), and just enjoy the fall scenes at the patch.

Hauling the family to the pumpkin patch is one of our absolute favorite frugal fall activities.

Not to mention, it’s the perfect time to grab some fall family photos, and even snag a good one for the annual Christmas card.

Related: 

• Fun Activities to do in the Fall with Your Mom Friends
• How to take your own family photos
• What to wear for family photos

Some other fun and frugal fall activities you can do with your family include:

• Camp outside and make s’mores
• Family Halloween movie marathon (We love Hocus Pocus, and Spookley the Square Pumpkin!)
• Make fall crafts together
• Decorate pumpkins
• Whip up some festive fall treats and deliver to the neighbors

There are so many frugal activities to do in the fall!  Check out my complete fall bucket list ideas for families here, (free printable too!).

Fall Fashion on a Budget

Lord have mercy, I’m not quite sure how I made it past the Nordstrom Sale this year, without spending a dime!

I LIVE for fall fashion.  Booties, cardigans, leggings, and scarves are my jam.

I am beyond over the hot weather we are having in Texas, and can’t wait to put on a sweatshirt and watch football in the crisp fall air.

There are some amazing fall fashion finds this year, and with stores like Old Navy, Target, and even Wal-Mart TOTALLY killing it, you can have a gorgeous fall wardrobe for way less.

Here are some of my absolute favorite frugal fashion finds:

• Color block cardigan
• Faux Leather Leggings
• Leopard Mules
• High Waisted Denim
• Neutral Cardigan

If you live somewhere crazy warm, you can probably even wait a month or two until these items go on sale (if they are still stocked of course!)

Fall Meals on a Budget

Bring on the comfort food, soups, chili, and warm drinks!

You can definitely enjoy all of the delicious fall meals on a budget!  The trick to saving on groceries and food is to plan ahead.

You’ll also love these fall meal ideas:

• 15+ Savory Pumpkin Dinner Ideas
• 15+ Apple Dinner Ideas for Fall

At the beginning of every week, look at your schedule.

In the fall, you probably have a bunch of new and different activities during the week, which might mean you’re not home every night.

When you’re busy, freezer meals are a great way to keep your week packed with easy frugal meals, and not be tempted to go out to eat.

Once you know which days you will be home for dinner, make a list of a few meals to make.

Time saving tip:  We cook Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, double the recipes, and have leftovers Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  We then usually have something simple on Sunday nights (like sandwiches).

Now that you have your meals for the week planned out, make a grocery list, and purchase only those items!

Meal planning alone will save you hundreds of dollars a month, at the grocery store.

You can also use coupons or cash back apps like Ibotta to save even more.

Fall fashion, food, activities, and home decor!  Have we covered all of the most important topics to help you enjoy fall on a budget this year?

I can’t wait to dive in to all of our fun and frugal fall plans. 

What is your favorite money saving tip for celebrating fall on a budget?  Let me know in the comments!

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