7 Easy And Cheap Fall Decor Ideas
This post is all about cheap fall decor ideas.
Fall is one of the most exciting times of the year. School starts up again, giving kids an opportunity to spend time with friends they didn’t see during the summer months while parents enjoy a bit of a break. The weather gets cooler, and trees transform into a rainbow of colors that make the average drive into a site to behold. Most importantly, the arrival of fall means that the holidays are just around the corner.
It’s only natural to celebrate this special time of year with seasonal exterior and interior decor, but who has the money to spend on decorations that you can only display about a quarter of the time? Thankfully, the tips below will help you make the most of all of the cheap fall decor options available to you!
When Should You Decorate for Fall?
There is no set rule on when you should decorate for fall. It usually ends up being somewhere in the September-October range, though it is best to let Mother Nature be your guide. If you start decorating for fall in the heat of the summer months, your decor will feel out of place. If you wait too long, your fall decor will clash with Christmas decorations. The best time to do it is when leaves start changing color and temperatures are consistently lower than they were in July and August.
READ: 9 Fall Front Porch Decorating Ideas On A Budget
It’s also important to avoid confusing fall decor with holiday decorations. Halloween and Thanksgiving are both fall holidays, but your decor shouldn’t involve ghosts or turkeys until their corresponding holiday is coming up. At that time, you can generally add your holiday decor to what you’re already displaying for autumn. Pumpkins are an exception to this rule as they work as both fall and Halloween decor.
How Can I Decorate for Fall for Cheap?
Many retailers would love to sell you overpriced knickknacks to celebrate the season with, but you don’t have to invest significant dollars to spruce up your home. In fact, many items don’t carry a price tag at all! Check out seven of our best cheap fall decor ideas below:
Cheap Fall Decor Ideas
1. Collect From Nature
Nature is the driver of autumn beauty, so why not turn to nature for appropriate decorations to celebrate it? Go outside and collect sticks and twigs to display in a vase or mason jar. Grab some acorns and/or pinecones to provide some seasonal color to virtually anything. You can even collect the leaves that are falling on the ground to display in your home. If you’re worried about your leaves turning brown or folding up, rubbing a good moisturizer on the front and back of each leaf will preserve them for the entire season. Just make sure to rinse off your natural bounty before you display it as unwelcome bugs could be hiding in your new decor.
2. Purchase Faux Decorations
If you don’t mind spending a little money, buying plastic apples, pumpkins, wreaths, and other decorative items can be a good investment since you can reuse those items every year. Just make sure to choose items that look like their real-life counterparts, as some plastic items look tacky.
3. Make Fall Crafts
Making your decor yourself is a cost-effective way of acquiring one-of-a-kind items that nobody else has. Your creativity is really the only limitation here, so go ahead and try anything that tickles your fancy. One of our favorite cheap fall decor projects is a leaf candle. Simply blow your hairdryer on a three-wick candle until the wax is soft and then press some seasonal leaves into the wax for an instant conversation starter. You might also want to try turning miniature pumpkins into taper candle holders by cutting a small hole about one inch deep. The sky is the limit!
READ: 40 Warm & Cozy Fall Decor Ideas To Transform Your Space
4. Repurpose and Recycle Items in Your Home
Your house is probably full of clutter that you and your family haven’t used in years, so why not repurpose some of it into home decor? Old T-Shirts and blankets with fall themes can be displayed like pieces of art, while tin cans are an ideal base for a seasonal stick bouquet or flower display. If you have any tiered serving plates laying around, a quick visit to your grocery store and/or backyard allows you to transform it into a table centerpiece that commands attention. Just decorate each tier with seasonal items like squash, leaves, and acorns.
5. Spend Wisely
If you decide to purchase some cheap fall decor, try to limit yourself to vendors who will offer you a good deal. Some options to consider include chains such as Dollar Tree, thrift shops, and garage sales. Sales at large retailers such as Target and Amazon are worth looking into as well. Focus on an item’s potential as you shop as most of what you’re looking at won’t fit your decor plans until you clean it up or even use it in a crafting project.
6. Be On The Watch For Free Stuff
If you have items to repurpose but can’t think of a way to incorporate them into your plans, trading with friends and family members is a great way to turn cheap fall decor into a communal experience. Garbage picking can also be a great way to acquire decorations if you live in an area with curbside pickup. Just make sure to wash everything you take thoroughly since you don’t know where it’s been.
7. Get Creative
Some people hesitate to tackle fall decor on a budget because they’re concerned that it won’t look as good as something from a store. It might take you a few tries to get the hang of it, but that’s no reason to stop yourself. Treat every project as a learning experience and you’ll probably discover that you’re more creative than you had imagined!
Those are my best tips, but I bet that my readers have a lot to add to this conversation. Leave a comment and share your best cheap fall decor tips below so that the larger community can take advantage of them!
