How to Have a Fabulously Frugal Fall

The season of the naked trees is the way I refer to Autumn. Some say Fall. I don’t like to call it Fall because it brings back a very painful memory for me. It was a typical Fall morning. It had been raining all night and by morning, the ground was a slip trap because of the vast amount of wet leaves that were on the ground. I got ready for work and was walking toward the car when I slipped. My right foot slid forward and my left knee slammed hard against cold, wet concrete. It hurt so badly! I found it excruciatingly difficult to get to a standing position and had to be helped up.

Well, that day I was transported to work and as the day progressed the pain got significantly worse and my knee was swollen. I found it almost impossible to get up if I sat. My knee, it seemed, was unable to support my body weight. What was I to do?

 

After work, I headed to an Emergency Room. My knee was indeed smashed. I had lots of strong painkillers, a brace, and a walker!

 

So for that reason, I’m not a great fan of Fall. I’m not a saddo though, so I do wish for you all a really fun Fall. Don’t forget to still be frugal as you will benefit in the long run and your budget will be kept in check.

So what are some of the things you can do to save money during Fall? Well PINTEREST is full of really neat ideas so I suggest that is your first port of call. Whether it is for craft ideas or recipes or home decor, PINTEREST is your best bet. Read further and you will find some ideas that won’t cost the earth!

Fun frugal things to do with all those leaves

• So, before you start raking, get your camera or smart mobile phone and get some fall shots! You never know, they may come in handy, and in any case, they are beautiful to look at. They can even be used to make postcards. 
• If you do have kids and they are the adventurous type, you might want to create a leave pile for them to jump into. Record the whole experience and have it to show them when they are older. Little ones, can spend quite a bit of time enjoying this and other fun frugal activities!
• One of the first thing that comes to mind is composting. This is an eco-friendly way of dealing with leaves and twigs that in turn will give you rich healthy compost for your garden later on. I make compost year after year and that is why my garden is always resplendent with beautiful flowers.
• In your garden, you can even use leaves to insulate young trees. It will add a few degrees of insulation. Start by creating a wire fence around the tree and then filling in the fence with the leaves. The tree will be happy for that little extra bit of warmth.
• If you usually buy sawdust to use to store your excess vegetables, well this Fall, cut out that cost by using dry leaves from your yard. Make sure that they are dry and pest free. This is essential.
• Another frugal activity you can do with the kids that include leaves is teaching them to dry, arrange and display Autumn leaves. The colours are so varied and pretty.

All things Pumpkin this Fall

Can I tell you a little secret? I love pumpkin in soup, that’s about it! I am aware that there are lots of recipes out there that use pumpkin, including drinks! I’ve heard of pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spiced that! I’ve never tasted any of them. Honestly, I’m usually an adventurous one with food but I don’t really know what is holding me back from trying these pumpkin treats. 

If you are lucky enough to live near to an allotment or farm, you might be in luck to get the free pumpkin. Particularly when the Summer has not been suitable for the growth of pumpkin, there will be lots that they will want to get rid of. This will be a weight off their shoulders as well because they would not have enough compost space to put it on and they will want to use their land space for new crops. 

Personally, I like the look of decorative pieces that incorporate pumpkin and other Fall paraphernalia. If you do seasonal decorations, then for Fall you can go outdoors and find all these ‘fallen’ things to use as part of your decoration. These are easy to find and most of all, free.

 

In addition, if you indulge in ‘Silly Season’ (that’s what I call Haloween) then you will either have carved pumpkin left over or you can get from friends or neighbors who also indulge in silly season. Well, what can you do with these leftover pumpkins? Cook them! Cook them? Yes, my research has shown that you can actually cook with carved pumpkin. Again, Pinterest to the rescue. Check and you can find lots of recipes to use these instead of wasting them or buying more pumpkin for meals. We all need to do our bit to tackle FOOD WASTE afterall.

Did you know that you can snack on pumpkin seeds? If like me, you like nuts, you will be pleased to know that roasted pumpkin seeds have a delicious nutty flavour and is a good way to get iron, magnesium, zinc and a healthy dose of fiber. Simply place the dried seeds on a baking tray and just as you switch the oven off (after preparing dishes in the oven), place the tray in the oven and in 8 to 10 minutes, the seeds will be ready. Give the tray a shake, halfway between and that should be a delicious treat. Try it, next time instead of buying other nuts. By the way, ensure that you save some of the more mature seeds so you can plant your own next season.

 

 

 

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Happy Fall ya’ll. it’s not my favourite time of the year. I’m a Summer type a gal. Was halfway through writing a post on frugal things to do at Fall. Took a break to walk in my garden and came across these beautiful Fall leaves. How beautiful and to think the array of colours available include much more than these. …. ….. Feeling blessed #frugal #fall #autumn #goodtimes #leavesfalling

A post shared by joleisa (@joleisacreed) on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:38am PDT

Instead of buying a planter for a plant that you will eventually put outside, you can use an old carved pumpkin. It will do well and thrive. When the weather condition is better, you can plant the plant in a pumpkin outside and it will continue to thrive there.

An old carved pumpkin makes an excellent bird feeder. So throughout the season, try cutting back on buying bird feed and let them feed on nature. Cost you very little if anything and the birds and other wildlife will love it!

Other frugal fall activities you can enjoy include:

• Picking free fruits like apples wherever you are allowed.
• Go for a hike, remember to pack a picnic
• Go on a hayride if you live in close proximity to where this is available
• Have dinner date outdoors with the entire family. Bring blankets to cozy up with each other and enjoy a warming family experience. 
• Plan a meetup with the girlfriends

 

Clothes for a fabulously frugal Fall

I think it is safe to say that when it comes to dressing for Fall, we can take inspiration from the colours naturally seen at this time of the year. We like the browns, yellows and oranges and shop from our closets for all the pieces we have. Depending on the temperature which can vary so much, we will decide if we wear skirts or trousers, boots or shoes, and long sleeves or short sleeves. You can’t go too wrong here.

 

 

Whatever you decide on for Fall, stay safe (don’t break your knee or any other body part for that matter) and whatever you decide on, do it as frugally as possible and remember to let us know if you have other ideas for a fun and frugal Fall.

I’m linking up with  Cass, Emma, and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky.

We would love to hear your fall ideas. Why not follow us on Instagram? We will follow right back.