Cheap Ways to Decorate for Fall

Fall is one of my favorite seasons for decorating. One reason is that it is relatively less expensive to decorate for autumn than any other season. Many decorations can be found for free in your own yard, or really cheap at the thrift store. Knowing where to look and a little imagination is all it take to decorate cheaply for fall.

A vast variety of wonderful looking gourds can be bought cheaply at this time of year. All different colors and shapes, gourds make an awesome and cheap fall decoration. Buy a bunch when those tiny ones go on sale for a dollar or less each. If you dry and preserve gourds correctly, they can last for years to be used again for your decorating needs many times.

You can dry gourds by just leaving them alone for a few months in a cool, well ventilated room. Don't let them touch each other at all. Check them occasionally for any rotted ones. When you shake them and can hear the seeds rattling around inside, they are dry.

Another great fall decoration is dried autumn leaves, of course. Pick the best and prettiest to preserve, and use in any fall decoration or wreath.

Pine cones can be found free as well. Simply dry them and they are ready to use. You can use pine cones in wreaths, centerpieces, and baskets.

You can also dry fruit slices, or even whole fruits to use for your fall decorating. Oranges and apples are great for autumn crafts.

Check out the dollar stores for cheap fall decorating items too. I often find nice candles and other decorations at these cheap stores. Stay away from the cheap looking plastic junk they often have at dollar stores though. You don't want to LOOK cheap, just BE cheap.

Baskets make fall decorating fun and easy. You can find all types and sizes of baskets cheap at the thrift store. Most of the time, especially starting around the fall season, you can find them for fifty cents or a dollar each. Clean them up or fix as needed, and you can use these baskets for a variety of decorating ideas.

Use them to hold fresh fruit in your kitchen, or fill them with those dried leaves and pine cones for a festive decoration. You can also use your cheap thrift store baskets to hold rolled up washcloths in fall colors in your bathroom. Take a large basket and put it near your fireplace or wood stove to hold small amounts of wood, kindling or pine cone fire starters. There are tons of uses for baskets in fall decorating, and they look really awesome.

These are just a few ideas for cheap fall decorating ideas. You can probably cone up with many more.