I love decorating my home, but I don’t love the price tag associated with a house full of decor. If you’re in the same boat, here are my favorite ways to pinch pennies and transform my home.
When I turn the calendar turns to August, I get excited as I think about cooler nights and bold, autumn colors. In our home, I love to reflect the changing seasons in my decor.
Since we are a budget-conscious family, I’m always looking for affordable ways to decorate my home! No matter the season, there are ways you can peruse thrift stores, online stores, and more to create a beautiful home.
This blog post will also help you think outside the box! Knowing how to look for good deals is the true battle. Snagging those perfect pieces is the trophy you get to take home!
Pin this post for later!
How To Decorate for Fall on a Budget
Let’s clear the air before we get started.
Cheap fall decor ideas don’t have to look cheap. You can create a beautiful home on a budget!
You can also shop for fall at any time of the year.
1. Shop Off Season
For larger retailers, consider making an online order during the off-season or shopping online sales. If larger retailers are way out of your price range, search for ways you can make your decor yourself!
2. Shop After Season Sales
If you can’t find decor on a dime prior to the start of the season, don’t skip the after-season sales! This is the best time to shop for merchandise at a discount. Retailers don’t like holding over products so take advantage of the discounts!
My favorite after-season sale is December 26. The day after Christmas is when I can find the absolute best deals on things like winter decor, holiday wrapping, and even toys and winter gear for children!
3. DIY your Decor
If you don’t think this is possible, you don’t have to recreate a piece using the same materials. You can always source cheaper materials that fit within your budget.
Hobby Lobby is one of my favorite places because it has everything I need to recreate popular, upscale pieces of decor affordably.
Gather inspiration from your favorite decor company and see what you can create with your own two hands!
Happy Fall, Y’all!
For everything from hosting tips to scrumptious recipes, sign up for my email newsletter for more budget-friendly homemaking tips!
4. Thrift your Decor
And as always – thrift for your decor!
You can look at it as “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Or you could look at it as an opportunity to save serious cash on perfectly used items. Especially if you know what you’re looking for!
There are some thrift finds that are in poor or horrible condition. So don’t purchase them! Unless you’re an expert in or enjoy, the restoration process, dismiss the find and put your time, money, and effort into something worth bringing back to life.
5. Don’t Forget Garage Sales!
When thrifting, don’t discount garage sales or estate sales. Include those in your roundup for even more opportunities to snag affordable decor.
6. Shop Seasonal Sales
At the end of every season, retailers will mark down any decor that didn’t make its way out the door during the season. Don’t trust me?
We see this with everything from lawn and garden to throw pillows. Pay attention to the spring and summer garden sales! Everything from mulch to hanging baskets will go on sale.
These are the sales you want to pay attention to! This is when quality products will be at their best price. But what products do you buy?
7. Purchase Timeless Decor Pieces
Seasonal decor doesn’t mean it can’t live in your home. Purchase pieces that are classic so when you pull them out next season, you aren’t ever decorating with out-dated pieces.
Classic decor pieces can be things like include neutral colors or classic patterns, like herringbone, plaid, stripes, or florals.
Natural materials like wood or stone are also classic decor pieces.
Finally, art pieces like landscapes and florals never go out of style!
Mindfully purchasing pieces you can use again and again is a great way to decorate a space on a budget! You know you’re going to get your money’s worth because you’re creating a collection.
8. Decorate Your Front Door, Not Your Front Porch
You can invest a lot of money into your front porch decor. Or, you can opt for an inexpensive way to decorate your home.
By decorating your front door, you’re still able to create a festive entryway but without the financial investment. Opt for a seasonal doormat and a fall wreath and have an easy way to decorate for fall on a dime!
9. Opt for Faux Pumpkins, Not Real Pumpkins
While it’s tempting to purchase big, lush mums and bright orange pumpkins every year, resist the urge and opt for faux pumpkins instead!
Faux pumpkins do require storage, but they can be a one-time purchase. If you don’t have small children, you can even splurge on glass or ceramic pumpkins. Since I have small children at home, I purchase faux, foam pumpkins.
Pin this post for later!
More Ways to Decorate for Fall on a Budget
Decorating for fall can mean selecting simple pieces that you scatter throughout your home. It doesn’t mean fall has to take over your house! Here are a few decor pieces you can store in a simple plastic tote until next year.
Simple decorating. Simple storage. It doesn’t get any better than that!
10. Throw Blankets
Throw blankets are such a great thing to thrift! You also don’t have to stick to the red and orange that accompanies fall. You could opt for mustard yellow or light brown for simple but colorful accents to your home.
If you’re anything like me, you love printed fabrics. You could also snag a cute throw blanket with gnomes, leaves, or pumpkins!
11. Blanket Ladder
During the summer, a blanket ladder can house magazines and dried herbs or flowers. But during the fall, it can resume its intended purpose and house your throw blankets.
12. Pillow Covers
Pillow covers are an incredible way to decorate on a dime! Invest in pillows you love but save money and storage space by investing in fall pillow covers.
13. Throw Pillows
Since pillows act as accent pieces, you can even go for warm colors and be bold in your design choices!
14. Change Out Your Photos
Are you going to a pumpkin patch this year? Snap a photo, send the print off digitally when you’re on your way home, and pick it up when you get your groceries next week. When you get home, swap out your photos for updated fall photos!
You don’t have to change your photo frames to match the seasons. Update your photos for a fresh look!
Other Fall Season Decor Staples
Natural elements are a great way to capitalize on the passing seasons. For long-term use, you can consider fake floral arrangements that pepper your home.
15. Natural Elements
Other fall decor elements include hay bales, gourds, pampas grass, pinecones, acorns, and branches.
16. Dehydrate Summer Flowers
Fall decor doesn’t have to originate in fall.
And while lively, lush mums are the desired fall “look,” dehydrated flowers are in line with the other dehydrated elements of fall decor.
17. Wreaths
Fall wreaths can be full of fall colors or represent Halloween or Thanksgiving.
They’re such a versatile design element!
If you don’t have the storage space for multiple wreaths, grab a fall leaf wreath and spruce it up with themed embellishments.
Perfecting the Dining Table Details
From a fall brunch to Friendsgiving, here are a few details you can add to your dining room as you decorate for fall.
18. Candles
19. Mugs
20. Tablecloths
21. Large, Faux Plant
We’ve all seen the 5-gallon, galvanized milk pails that feed that farmhouse look. Opt for an oversized, clear vase to get the same appeal!
Pin this post for later!
Fall Centerpiece Ideas
No dining table is complete without a centerpiece! Here are a few elements you can include in your fall decorating.
22. Cinnamon Sticks
23. Mason Jars
24. Candle Holders
25. Pine Cones
26. Small Pumpkins
Mini pumpkins bring fall into your home. There are so many different materials and colors you could mess around with. You also have sourcing options. You don’t have to buy them new – thrift pumpkins!
Faux pumpkins don’t have to be your decor choice. Small pumpkins are also available live.
27. White Pumpkins
28. Personalized Pumpkins
Have you seen a pumpkin covered in writing? It may be a “harvest blessings” pumpkin!
Every day in the month of September, October, or November, you take the time to write a blessing on a pumpkin. The pumpkin serves as your centerpiece. However, the greater purpose it serves is to remind you of your blessings!
This is an incredible way to add a personal touch to your dining table.
29. Ceramic or Glass Pumpkins
Faux pumpkins don’t have to be styrofoam! If you can splurge for a sturdier material, do it.
Fall-Themed Coffee Table
30. Seasonal Books
31. Thrifted Books
There is a style trend that focuses on large, foil-printed books. But you get that look from removing the dust cover!
Consider using this design element next time you’re looking to freshen up your coffee table.
You could even focus on black or grey books for that added spooky touch during the Halloween season!
32. Wooden Trays
33. Whicker Baskets
Pin this post for later!
Free Ways to Decorate for Fall
In my area, there are several local farms that work year-round to provide our area with seasonal goodies. Every year, they post about giving away things like leftover pumpkins or corn stalks for other farmers who may need them.
This is where I pick up pumpkins for my chickens, but it’s also a great way to pick up specialty pumpkins that make great decor pieces!
34. Forage for Fall Decor
Grabbing those extra pumpkins isn’t the only thing you can forage for.
You can grab some fall leaves and makeover a mason jar, fluff up a fall wreath, or preserve them for next year’s decor!
35. Repurpose Your Current Decor
If you have a seating area in your home, consider moving it to another room.
If you have mason jars in the kitchen, consider moving them to a shelf in your living room.
When you repurpose items, you refresh your home, test your decorator’s eye, and keep your fall decor budget at zero.
36. Go Zero Waste
If you shop at a grocer that uses brown paper grocery sacks, save them and use them for your fall decor! These are also a great way to set your kiddos up for a fall-themed craft.
Create a window catcher with a brown paper sack and plastic wrap. Or use a brown paper sack to create a bowl for some potpourri.
37. Recreate a Look from Last Year
This will be especially easy if you store your decor to use over and over again. There’s no sense in recreating the wheel if you don’t have to! Use the decor and design elements from the previous year to create a beautiful home.
38. Sell Last Year’s Decor to Purchase This Year’s Decor
Autumn decor is forgiving. And luckily, a pumpkin or fall leaf doesn’t change shape year after year.
And now that we have online marketplaces we can list our home goods, you can easily sell your decor even if you aren’t hosting a garage sale! With your profits, you can DIY or purchase the decor you want.
How do you Decorate for Fall?
Here at Homemaker and Happy, I love encouraging you to revive and utilize classic skills that make your home and table beautiful without busting your budget.
How do you honor your budget and spruce up your home?
I love to go thrifting. But I also love avoiding credit card debt, saving money, and comparing prices on everything from groceries to insurance policies. I write more about smart, and frugal ways to save money as a homemaker in this blog post.
Staying on top of things like grocery prices and insurance policies takes organization. But I’m not here to sell you an ebook that promises to organize your life. I believe you know exactly what you need, it’s just hard to remember that in the midst of the needs of small children, nursing babies, meal preparation, and never-ending laundry!
That’s why I encourage you to ask three important questions that really flush out those answers. When we rethink what a home management system looks like, we can create one that works specifically for our family. I share more about how I created my home management system in this blog post.
For more homemaking inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!
Happy homemaking!
Pin this post for later!
[…] Budget-Friendly Ways to Decorate for Fall […]