Budget Fall Decorating – Hacks, Tips, & Ideas

If you’ve been around my blog for a minute or two, you know I LOVE autumn.

Pumpkin-flavored everything, sweater-weather, cozy fall bonfires… I could go on and on. Last year, I published this handy guide for my favorite cheap fall decorations.

This year, I wanted to step it up a notch and share the best hacks, tips, and inspirations for budget fall decorating!

I’ve put together a short video demonstrating how I readied my kitchen for fall in just a few minutes! I only used items I already had from past seasons and things that were hiding in my pantry. I’ve linked it at the bottom of this post if you’d like to take a peek.

This way, with just a few easy tweaks, you, too, can transform your home into an autumn haven – just like all your fave Instagram influencers, minus the price tag!

Tip One: Reuse Your Resources

At the beginning of the season, take inventory of what decor items you already own. This way, you won’t needlessly spend extra money on duplicate decorations.

Often times I go through my linen closet and am so surprised by what I’ve forgotten I had – things like table cloths, napkins, and hand towels from past seasons, or even gifts that I haven’t opened up yet!

Keep in mind items such as chalkboards, command centers, and even refrigerator notes and magnets. These are areas you can decorate with a cute doodle or festive, fall-themed message! This small trick goes a long way to making your home feel more fall-festive!

Tip Two: Get Inspired By Autumn Emotions

An item doesn’t need to be plastered with leaf print or embroidered “Happy Fall, Y’all,” to function as fall decor. Think about what autumn really means to you, and then use decor inspired by those feelings.

For example, fall reminds me of cuddling up to keep warm, so I like to decorate with items that evoke a similar response, like chunky-knits and flannel textures.

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: I lay this woven blanket over the armrest of our couch to make the whole room feel cozier! Pull out all those knits that have been hiding in your closet and feature them in every room of the house.

You can also bring back pleasant feelings from past autumns by highlighting a special rotation of seasonal photos. Find an area in your home where you can hang or swap a large canvas of the kids playing in leaves or on a hayride, for instance.

PHOTO HACK: If you’re looking to cheaply print out photos from your phone, I’d recommend Shutterfly! They offer unlimited, free 4×6 prints if you download their mobile app. (I’m not affiliated with them, it’s just a great deal I use quite often and had to share!)

FALL DECORATING IDEA: Invest in a digital photo frame; that way you can upload fun photos to it and rotate them season-by-season!

Tip Three: Use Everyday Red, Orange, & Yellow Items

When searching for items to use as fall decor, pay attention to colors! Almost any item (traditional “decor” or otherwise) can be paired in an autumn display if it’s red, yellow, orange, or brown.

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: I have two spatulas I feature as decorative accents in my kitchen: a pink one in the springtime, and the red/orange one (shown above) for fall. I never bought either of these, I’ve just had them since our wedding shower. Pair your colorful kitchen utensils together for a bright fall display!

You can also use darker colors to add a bit of seasonal drama to more summery decor.

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: I bought a yellow dishcloth (shown above) in the spring, and layered it with a matching lemon design on top. However, for fall, I simply swapped out the top dishcloth with a darker, geometric pattern (it was $0.99 at World Market, hiding in our linen closet for years) – and, voila: fall vibes in about two-and-a-half seconds! It’s as simple as (pumpkin) pie!

Tip Four: Take Notice of Autumnal Textures & Shapes

If you have a more neutral home design and want to stay away from the brighter hues of fall, aim for choosing autumn shapes and textures instead of colors for decor.

Wood, hay, wheat, and flannel are some textures that can be incorporated into the neutral home design – and most of these items can be found in nature or a thrift store, for little-to-no cost. You can display wooden sticks and wheat stalks in a vase or layered on a mantle. Or, lay an old flannel blanket over a small hay bale for natural AND neutral decor!

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: One popular fall idea is to purchase some plastic pumpkins from the dollar store, and paint them white or gray. Keep reading for more dollar-store ideas below!

If you have any wooden pieces in the shape of common fall items, now is the time to pull them out for display! I happen to love this pumpkin-shaped cheese board; if it was mine, I’d prop it up in my kitchen, layered in front of some wooden cutting boards, Joanna Gaines style!

White-washed baskets or wooden crates feel very “fall-like” and are useful neutral decor ideas; plus, you can fill them up with your extra cozy blankets!

Tip Five: Don’t Forget The Food!

One extra-special aspect of autumn is all of the delicious food! So don’t forget to raid your pantry and pull out any seasonal ingredients to display… until they’re gobbled all up, that is. 🙂

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: Set out apples, pumpkins, squash, and/or fresh cinnamon sticks in the dining room or on your mantle as a living seasonal display! If you don’t already have a fruit bowl, check out this gorgeous golden geometric one, or this beautifully artistic rose gold style – both great warm metals to flatter your fall decor.

You can also gather together some s’more supplies in a cute little basket and leave it near your patio, porch, or back door. Plus, then it’s easy to grab for a spontaneous bonfire!

Many people love cider in the fall, so I always pull out my favorite autumn mug (shown below) and stash some cider K-Cups in it next to the Keurig, as a cute but functional display. Plus, this idea costs $0.00 if you already have these items in the panty!

DO IT YOURSELF: If you’re looking for a cute mug, here and here are some cute options! Unfortunately, mine was a gift so I have no clue from where to purchase it!

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: If you want decor with a little more longevity, use color-themed wrapped candies instead of produce! For fall, I love to purchase Rolos and Mini Reece’s Cups because of their orange and gold metallic wrappers! If you keep an eye out, you can oftentimes find individually wrapped miniature Kit-Kats or Hershey’s kisses for a red-hue addition to your fall-themed candy bowl.

Tip Six: Check The Thrift- & Dollar-Stores First

Don’t shy away from checking out your local discount or thrift stores for fall decorations. Oftentimes, you can find super cheap pieces that can be enhanced or “upcycled” into a unique and one-of-a-kind piece!

BUDGET FALL DECORATING IDEA: Purchase a huge foam pumpkin and some plastic gold plates to create your own festive serving platters, shown below! Check out my tutorial by clicking here.

Budget Fall Decorating – Easy as Pie

With these five tips, you can say good-bye to your summer decorations and usher in ALL the fall vibes! For more seasonal inspiration, head over to my Cheap Fall Decorations Guide – here!

Want to see how you can put these ideas into practice for yourself? Click here to check out my exclusive-to-Instagram tutorial for budget fall decorating!

While you are at it, feel free to connect with me on Instagram so we can keep in touch, and be sure to tag me in any photos you post of your fall decor ideas! I love to see your pictures and inspiration!

And, enter your email below to receive notification of my next blog post like this one. You don’t want to miss it!

XOXO,

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.

See my privacy policy for the full Amazon Affiliate disclosure. Profits earned from affiliate commissions help to keep this site running, so that I can continue to bring great content to awesome readers, like you! If you would like, you can still support by clicking through this link and making any other purchases you need. 🙂

P.P.S

Addicted to Pinterest, like me? Pin an image below to save this post for later or to show it to your friends. After all, sharing is caring. 😉