By the author of The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living and What to Eat When You’re Broke
It’s time for festive fall decorating on a dime! It’s so much fun to see the gorgeous red, gold, and orange decorations that mean autumn is finally here. And if you’re hosting the family for Thanksgiving, you will absolutely want to have your home showing off its harvest best.
But who can afford to go out every year and drop hundreds of dollars on fall décor? Not me. I do pick up a few things each year and store them away carefully for future Thanksgivings, but most of our décor is acquired on the cheap – or even better – for free.
Wondering how we do it? Read on!
Hit up the dollar store for festive fall decorating on a dime
You can find all sorts of fall goodies there, but often they look cheap. Don’t despair, though. There are still some good scores to be had.
- Carefully select your items and then jazz them up with ribbons and paint that you already own.
- Load up on artificial fall flowers like sunflowers and mums.
- Get leaf garlands. Wind several together for a lush look, or remove the leaves to use for other projects.
- Never underestimate the value of glitter and gold spray paint.
- Get some bags of random fake leaves to scatter around tabletops.
- Grab some wired ribbon in appropriate colors and put poufy bows everywhere.
Do some festive fall crafts
If you have children, you probably have a stash of craft supplies kicking around. It’s time to put those kiddos to work. (Or yourself – lots of us grownups like making things too.)
- Use pretty paper to make leaves. Go outside and grab a few nice leaf specimens. Then trace them onto scrapbook paper or construction paper in the colors you’re using for your fall décor. Cut them out, punch a hole in the top, and string them on twine for a homemade garland.
- Look for free printables online. Print them off and add a little color with paint pens, then use some of your existing picture frames to display them.
- Crochet or knit a throw or table runner using yarn you have laying around. You can even take apart an unwanted sweater if you like the color of the yarn but not the style.
- You can make your own autumn leaf keepsakes using paraffin wax.
- Colorful leaves can be preserved in waxed paper. Place a leaf between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Put a towel over it and press it with a warm iron until the paper is sealed together. Carefully cut around the leaf once it cools. You can use fishing line to hang your preserved leaves from a curtain rod at varying heights. The slight motion makes it look like leaves are falling past your window.
Burlap and twine are the festive fall decorator’s friend
Burlap and twine are inexpensive and can be used in all sorts of ways to bring a rustic harvest style to your home.
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- Make a table runner
- Wrap up a vase for rustic flair
- Cover a throw pillow
- Make bows to tie onto wreaths or the backs of chairs
- Tie flatware in a bundle with twine
The list of awesome uses for burlap and twine could go on and on.
Nature is full of free “decorations”
Take the kids on a scouting walk with some sturdy tote bags for your festive fall decorations.
- Put bare, fallen branches into a vase for a stark, bold look.
- Pop gathered acorns into clear glass dishes or Mason jars.
- Gather pine cones and put them in a basket near the fireplace.
- Make picture frames from gathered twigs. Glue them onto the front of yard sale frames for a rustic, simple project.
- Paint an old board an autumnal color. Then gather sticks from the yard and glue them on to form a word like “FALL.” (Letters with straight lines are the easiest for this project.)
- Don’t forget gold spray paint and glitter. You can jazz up all sorts of nature-finds with added pizazz.
Upcycle household trash into festive fall decorations
Wait! Don’t throw that away – you might be able to make it pretty.
- Remove the labels from aluminum cans. With adult supervision, carefully poke holes in the cans in whatever design you’d like. Paint them an autumnal color and pop a tea light candle in them for easy, homemade luminaries. (Don’t use candles any place that someone’s clothing might catch fire, like beside the walkway. Use battery-operated tea lights for places like that.)
- Turn glass bottles and jars into “pumpkins.” Reuse those old salad dressing, liquor, wine, and syrup bottles. Get the kiddos to paint the bottoms orange, then wrap the tops with twine.
- Stuff old clothes and make a scarecrow for your front flower garden. Top him/her with a hat. The sky is the limit for style with this idea.
Bring out your cozy belongings
It’s time to bring out the warmest, coziest things you own.
- Put pretty blankets on the arms of chairs and sofas.
- Wrap throw pillows in autumnal, knitted scarves for a warm look.
- Put up your heavier curtains.
- Add a warm, lush rug to the living room.
- Fold extra blankets on the foot of each bed.
- Bring out your apple- and cinnamon-scented candles.
Use pumpkins
Nothing looks more like autumn than a pumpkin. Use them for décor, then preserve them after Thanksgiving by canning, freezing, or dehydrating them.
- Put a pile of pumpkins by your front door to welcome guests.
- Use pumpkins as a buffet table centerpiece
- Put a random pumpkin here and there in the living room
Never underestimate the power of a random pumpkin to liven up your place. 🙂
Make your home warm and cozy with festive fall decorating on a dime
Make your home warm, cozy, and inviting without spending a lot of money. Put your decorations away carefully so you can use them year after year.
How do you decorate for fall and Thanksgiving? Share your ideas for festive fall decorating on a dime in the comments.
