Fall is almost here, so that means it’s time for pumpkin flavored treats, chilly evenings, football games and tons of leaves to rake. Fall is the perfect season to get out and engage in some frugal entertainment and activities with your family as you prepare for the busy and expensive holiday season.
Keeping your entertainment budget low during the Fall will help you be able to prepare for the expensive holiday season shortly after. If you’re looking for something fun to do with your family that won’t drain your wallet, consider some of these frugal activities to enjoy together.
Decorate Your Home Together
Decorating your home doesn’t have to be a tedious process that you need to check off of a list. It can be a time to get creative and festive with family and really set the mood around your household for the fall season. You can create candles together, decorate pine cones that you find outside or have the kids pick up and trace leaves on construction paper to cut out and tape on the windows.
If you’re not the best at coming up with ideas, you can always stop by your local library to see if they have a craft theme with supplies and directions that you can put together or check the calendar at your local Michael’s store to see if they have a seasonal craft event that you can attend with your kids. Michael’s always has fun crafts lined up during each season and last year I only spent about $5 so my son and I could paint and customize an artificial pumpkin.
Visit an Apple Orchard
Visiting the apple orchard can be fun for each member of the family. There are lots of things to explore including games, obstacle courses, hay rides and of course apple picking and the yummy apple treats. Some local apple orchards can get costly, especially if there are special events going on.
The key is to go during the weekend or on a free day and not go overboard with the apples and other merchandise. Some apple orchard family entertainment farms may even offer coupons for visitors to use on certain days.
Halloween Events
Don’t forget about Halloween. Whether it’s a parade, party, pumpkin carving contest, corn maze or early trick-or-treating event, try to get involved in the festivities somehow. In some towns, local businesses get together and allow kids to trick-or-treat early at their stores and make an event out of it.
Halloween events only come around once a year. Find out what’s going on in your area and mark your calendar so you don’t miss out on the fun.
College and School Festivities
Do you live near a college? Colleges and universities have tons of themed events year-round. College football games are much less expensive to attend as opposed to professional football games.
Even though lots of students and alumni attend, most games are geared toward families and offer lots of family-friendly activities to partake in before the game starts.
You can also check the calendar at your child’s school to see if they have any Fall-themed events. Family events and festivals hosted by schools almost always are free or extremely low cost. Plus, it’s a great way to get out of the house, meet up with other friends and neighbors and avoid spending lots of money.
Go on a Hike
Grab a bag of trail mix, some water, and bring the whole family to a state park for some hiking. Most state parks are free so you can explore some natural attractions and even go fishing or pack a lunch for a picnic at the park if you want to.
Do you have any frugal but fun plans for the fall season?