Fall is my favorite season. Halloween is my favorite holiday. And saving money is my favorite pastime. I love the change of season when I can pull out new decorations and mix things up in my house.  Once October hits, I think Halloween decorations are fair game. I do however, like to include some subtle fall décor in my day to day home styling, and save some of the spookier stuff for closer to Halloween. All of this decor switching can get pretty costly if you shop new every year. Here are a few tips to keep your wallet from screaming in fright!

Try Making It

I used a pack of fall themed scrap-booking paper to trace and cut out a variety of paper leaves. This was super easy and very cost effective. If you have paper laying around, you can use that, or head to the craft store, armed with a 50% off coupon and snag yourself some shiny harvest paper like I did. Punch holes in the leaves and string them up! If you are feeling fancy, you can string battery pack fairy lights through there as well for added magic.

The fabric pumpkins in this pic were a gift from my mom. She made my sisters and I all a set, but if I recall they are very straightforward to make and can be done with a needle and thread, old flannel shirt and some old pillow stuffing.

Last year’s goodies

I love shopping end of season sales. You find so many adorable things, and for such a steal! I found two faux fabric pumpkins for dirt cheap at a CVS after Halloween last year (they are actually hard plastic that look like fabric). I love the lace detail on them, I think it makes them a bit spooky.

The gold frames are one of my favorite inexpensive décor ideas for Halloween/fall. I usually keep pictures in these frames, but by simply swapping out the pics for paper treat bags from last year’s Halloween candy haul, I created décor for free. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Versatility

I won’t try to convince you that I didn’t spend any money on Halloween decorations this year. That would be a lie, but I did try to spend wisely and choose things that I could reuse. This gorgeous white sparkly wreath was on sale at Michaels Arts and Crafts because it was in the “way too early to have Christmas decorations out” sale. I love the aesthetic of the black and white Halloween stuff, so I immediately envisioned creepy black spiders crawling all over the crisp, white wreath.  Toss in some black silk flowers for good measure and we have a spook-tacular fall wreath for the front door. Best of all, when November hits, I can take it down, and swap the spiders out for some holly and I am ready for the “still way too early for Christmas, but everyone else is doing it so its ok” season.

Thrifted finds

I saved my favorite for last. Just look at this guy. I’ve named him Bob, and I was going to paint him gold so he could live on my bookshelf, but I wanted to give him a spooky makeover first. He looks simultaneously disgruntled and completely happy with his situation. I love to find second hand items and breathe new life into them. Whether that be clothing or household items, I love to take something old and discarded and find a way to make them enjoyable again. This is something I often apply to home décor items that are handed down or picked up at the local thrift shop, so why not apply the idea to your seasonal décor. All it took to have Bob looking dapper and slightly possessed was a coat of black gloss spray paint and two red rhinestones. Magic!

Go forth and be spooky my friends!

-Sarah

Photo Credit: C. Bentler