10 WAYS TO DECORATE FOR FALL ON A BUDGET

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IT’S FALL Y’ALL!

We LOVE to decorate and celebrate here at The 365 Family, for the simple reason that we believe life is worth celebrating!

Yes, fall comes every year, but none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so why not decorate and celebrate now? No guilt if you didn’t get to it and won’t because of life circumstances. You are welcome to sit back and enjoy it vicariously through other’s ideas or maybe make a hot cup of cocoa and drive around looking at other decorations.

With 2020 being what it has been so far, and some of us feeling spent and our brains and spirits exhausted, we suggest now more than ever to DECORATE! It matters and is important!! It’s also important to KEEP IT SIMPLE to avoid the overhwhelm!!

Just getting in the spirit is what is important…for the simple reason as our hearts and minds need the change from time to time…and it all goes back to Hope.

So, we are going to share below some of our favorite simple tips and ideas for how we like to decorate and make our nest “Fall Cozy” this time of year.

1. USE PLASTIC PUMPKINS.

The good ones look really really nice!! Use them everywhere from your dining table as a centerpiece to your outdoor front entrance area on top of a table or stacked up in a planter. They won’t go bad. They won’t smell moldy. They won’t attract local wildlife or neighbors pets. And, you get to keep them and use them again next year. It’s a win-win!

2. USE WOODEN CRATES.

Be sure to measure your space first so you don’t end up with something out of proportion or that just doesn’t fit. They come in all sizes! Stack these up and put decorations inside of them. Put plants in or on top of them. Put the plastic pumpkins on top of these crates.

3. COLLECT AND USE PINE CONES!

This is so much fun to do by yourself or with the kiddos as a family activity. Collect in an old basket as many pinecones as you can once they start to fall in the yard or in the park or your area wherever that may be.

If they don’t have them in your area, you can also buy them from a store already cleaned off as well. Some people cook or grill their pinecones before using them for decor, but since we only use these outside on our patio for decor or outdoor entryway area, I typically just go straight ahead and spray paint them.

Be sure you lay something disposable down (or something you have for this purpose like a tarp that you don’t mind staining) and lay out all your pinecones and spray paint the desired color to go with your decor. Let them dry for a few hours, then flip them and spray the other side. Continue all this until they are done. Then, use them however you wish. We had an old wooden basket that we tipped on its side and filled the colorful pinecones in there like they were spilling out and it was lovely. Really, this could go for any nature given gifts like rocks, acorns, leaves, pine straw, and even sticks. Get inspired and creative.

4. GET A FRESH NEW DOORMAT OR DOORMAT INSERT.

If you are like me, I LOVE changing out my doormat with the seasons. It can be something as simple as a change in color or design. You can style your entire outdoor entry decor around your mat. There are so many sales this time of year.

5. GET A FRESH NEW WREATH, OR FRESHEN UP AN OLD ONE BY CHANGING OUT THE DECORATIONS IN IT.

Be sure to also get a wreath hanger for your front door so you won’t have to drill holes in your door.

6. GET OUT OR BUY SOME FALL PILLOWS.

They don’t have to be orange and purple…just something that goes with your theme colors. We love turquoise so much that we incorporate that into all our seasonal decorations! Just a fresh change helps though…like if I have my turquoise seahorse pillows on the couch during summer, it helps if I maybe look for a turquoise and beige plaid or stripe pillow to change it up and feel a bit more seasonal even with the pattern.

Also, get some for your outdoor area…will become very inviting to have your morning tea or coffee in that spot! My best deals I have found on beautiful quality ones have been from TJ Maxx and Marshalls type stores.

7. GET SOME NEW PLANTS OR PLANT DECOR.

If you have a black thumb like me (I am trying to work on it though as I truly do love plants), Rosemary is a wonderful starter plant as it is very hearty and does well in most if not all seasons and can go with or without water, or as I like to say, it thrives on neglect, which is what I need when it comes to plants! It also smells incredible, can be used in your fall recipes to add that warmth to your palette, and looks beautiful in any pot anywhere.

Also, try checking out your local farmer’s markets and farms open to the public. I once scored some corn stalks that were dying at a farmers market and came home and wrapped twine around them and put them in my galvanized antique buckets by the front door for a very inviting fall entryway.

8. GET LIGHTS!!!

Yes, typically we think of lights associated with Christmas time, but with the sun going down earlier and coming up later and Thanksgiving being a season of celebration itself, why wait for Christmas for the lights? We will get some of those battery powered fairy lights as well as white string lights and wrap them around our pinecone basket or we also leave a strand up year round on our patio hanging over our window and we start really using it every day around this time of year…just a little extra warmth and light to boost the mood. Also, you could get some patio walkway lights that also count as light and boosting the mood.

9. Go GALVANIZED DECOR!

This time of year it is so easy to find galvanized buckets or frames or clocks or anything really. So, if you are out and about at your favorite store and you see something galvanized that you like and really speaks to you, and its on sale, go ahead and snatch it up because even if you don’t use it for your fall decor, if it speaks to you, galvanized is great every time of year, inside or out for decor and goes with so many different styles from sophisticated to rustic glam to country to urban chic. It really is a great fit for so many styles and seasons, and looks incredible with white lights!!!

10. SMELL AND TASTE THE SEASON!!

Ok, while this isn’t actually a decoration, it can be as important as the visual aspect of decorating…the SMELL of Fall! For myself, there are 2 ways that this is summed up….Essential Oils and Wassail!

I LOVE my YL Essential Oils and they have quite literally changed mine and my family’s lives and they warm my soul especially this time of year. I change the blends that I put in the diffuser to the enticing and warm enriching blends of Fall. I add different oils to my hot tea such as orange and cinnamon. I start adding my rosemary essential oil to lots more of my cooking. Anything I can do to add that little extra oomph of Fall!

The Wassail (most people call it cider, but I grew up with my mom making it and calling it wassail) is something that our family LONGS for and I don’t make it until we actually get the first cool day (which means high 70s for us probably or thereabouts) and then after that we can make it as often as we want until usually about mid January or whenever it gets warmer.

Click here for the Wassail Recipe!

Thanks for coming along on this Fall inspired idea train with us and we hope you are feeling relaxed, inspired, encouraged, and hopeful.

Please comment below and share with us what you are going to do or like to do for your fall decorating!