Fall Decorating on a Budget

There is something about decorating for fall that gives me the warm fuzzies! It may be the promise of cool, crisp evenings with brilliant sunsets, or the fact that fall decorating is all about creating a cozy atmosphere in your home. The fun thing about fall decorating is that it’s easy and inexpensive. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for fall decorating on a budget.

• Hit your local nursery, grocery store and fabric store for fall color

  Place potted chrysanthemums, pansies, croton, purple fountain grass, or flowering kale on your front porch, in your foyer, or around your fireplace to add color. Tuck some mini pumpkins, Indian corn, or gourds around the base of the plants. Instead of spending money on pots, wrap the plant containers in fall print remnants from the fabric store. A great place to find some colors for the season would be to hit up Dollar Tree.

• Scavenge your yard for fresh ornamental cuttings

  Go ahead and put on your gardening gloves, grab your cutting shears and a basket, and head outside for some free décor right in your backyard. Fall leaves, small branches, ivy, ornamental grasses, flower blooms, pinecones, and seed pods make great accents. Arrange cuttings on your mantel or dining table with LED flameless candles and small gourds, or place branches and blooms in a large mason jar or vintage pitcher. Dollar Tree actually sells mason jars now and you can also pick up some of their flameless candles.

• Get creative with pumpkins

  There are lots of fun things you can do with a pumpkin besides carving a jack-o-lantern. If you want to do away with the mess, try painting some pumpkins in fall colors that coordinate with your home’s decor. Or wrap a few large pumpkins in light strands to light up your front porch. Make pumpkin topiaries by stacking three or four on top of a plantar, largest to smallest, and wrap then in garland or light strands.

• Go antiquing for cheap accessories

  Your local antique market, Facebook Market Place, yard sales, or thrift stores can be a treasure trove for great fall finds. An old wagon, a wooden ladder, woven baskets, ceramic jugs, aluminum tubs, antique picture frames, straw hats, and vintage farm tools all have a rustic fall flavor. Finding great finds and even dressing them up with a fresh coat of fall colored spray paint can be a great option if you don’t want to keep the real vintage look.

• More ideas for fabrics

  You don’t need a sewing machine to make use of fall fabrics. Many fabric stores stock fall prints or have remnant pieces for quilting. Fold a couple of yards of plaid fleece like a throw blanket and drape it over a chair.  Wrap your throw pillows in a yard of a fall print and secure it with craft ribbon or safety pins. Fold the raw edges under and iron to make a simple table runner. Wind strips of fabric around a grapevine wreath or use them to tie big bows around your pumpkin stems.

What are some of your fall fun ideas for fall decorating on a budget? I’d love to hear! Share in the comments down below!