Hello, friends! Today I thought I'd give you a sample of what some of my fall decor is this year, and some other thrifty ideas for decorating. First: Storage or No Storage? I think the manner in which you decorate frugally depends on how much storage you have. When my husband and I first got married, our home didn't have a basement or any closets, and it only had one spare "storage" room. I was hesitant to buy any decorations that would take up a lot of space. Instead, I made all of my decorations and discarded them when the season was over. For example, I kept one metal wreath base and simply made a wreath from what items we had; sticks, leaves, or decorative weeds like different grasses, curly dock or golden rod. I love this idea in theory, but I have skipped DIYing wreaths during many busy seasons. The second thing I did (and something I have continued to do) is decorate with ornamental gourds. You can either grow them or buy them. I started out the first year just buying them, but when the season was over I saved the seeds to plant the following year. Some ornamental gourds, like Jack-Be-Little pumpkins, are actually a type of squash that you can cook and eat. Not only are they good for decoration, therefore, but when they start to get wrinkly you can scoop out the seeds, cook the flesh, and then enjoy free food AND free seeds. One caveat; saved seeds are usually only good for one year for me, since I grow all of the ornamental squash (usually just one or two plants per type, since I have a small garden) in the same plot. That means they cross-pollinate, and after the second year they all start to look like "frankensquash". This year, for example, my Jack-Be-Littles turned out great from saved seed, but some of the other ornamental gourds turned out big, warty and monocolor. Not the prettiest to use for decoration. Next year I'll probably buy seeds and then just space them out to use over the course of two-three years. I have a small cornocopia that is my favorite to fill with small ornamental squash, pictured above. As you can see, it is well-loved. There are other small things you can buy or use up during the season that don't take up a lot of space. As you can see above, pictured with the ornamental squash are some seasonal candles. One is a small pumpkin-scented candle ($1.00), and there are two other leaf-shaped candles (free from a garage sale). When a candle is spent, you can melt down the wax and reuse for homemade candles. You can also re-use the container for a new candle. Lastly, if you don't have a lot of space to store decorations from year to year, you can use favorite fall recipes as a "decoration". One of my favorite fall recipes is pear tart. You can make it in a regular pie pan, but I love the way they look baked in single-serve tart pans. Some other things you can incorporate into your fall menu are a few different soup recipes, more hot breakfast recipes, pumpkin spice everything, apple cider, or in-season fruit based snacks like apples and peanut butter dip. If You Do Have Storage Space Last year we moved into a home with a basement, so I've started buying some decorations that are reusable. Rather than clutter up my home with extra items, I've chosen to buy decorative but useful things that I can simply switch out each season. For example, rather than keeping a set of fall dishes, I've chosen to look for fall-themed linens like dish clothes, cloth napkins or ornamental pillowcases that will store easily. For the most savings, buy these things at thrift stores or during after-season sales at the stores. Apart from linens, there are a few other fall decorations that I keep and use. I have two ceramic pumpkin candy dishes that I like to set in strategic places, and I also have some ceramic turkey items: a napkin holder, and a small decorative ceramic turkey. At some point in October I will switch out the "leaf" decorations with the "turkey" decorations. We have chosen not to celebrate Halloween, so I don't collect or make any kind of spooky decorations.
I found the "Thankful" sign (pictured at the top of this post) at our local Dollar Tree for $1.00. I don't know if it will last for more than a few years, but I like the message and design, plus the price was right. I hope this has been helpful or inspiring to you! Let me know how you decorate on a budget in the comments. ~Prudence~
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About PrudenceI am a Christian homemaker who lives in the Midwest. I enjoy sewing, gardening, reading and thrifting. Archives
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