10 Budget Friendly (But Fun) Things to Do This Fall is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!

Fall is a beautiful time of year. Yes, we are a little bit sad that summer is over, but that doesn’t mean Fall isn’t worthy of the same affection. The leaves change from green to an incredible display of vibrant colors, the sweet smell of pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, and nice crisp weather are just a few things that make Fall so incredible. But as incredible as fall is, planning activities in the fall can be expensive

Between holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, the cost of Fall can add up quickly! However, there are many budget-friendly Fall activities that you can enjoy with both friends and family. 

Let’s take a look at each of these activities in more detail.

Play In the Leaves

This is one of our favorite things to do in the fall. We make it fun clearing leaves from the yard, and making it a whole family project! Everyone should have a job so the whole family works together to complete the project. Someone rakes, someone else picks leaves up and places them in a bag or bin, and another person loads the bins into the car. We have fun by jumping in the leaf pile.

Have a Bonfire

Get to know your neighbors, invite them to join you and host a bonfire. Plan the event together as a family and go over safety precautions with children. Spend some time gathering brush before and cleaning up afterward together. Remember to check your town’s rules about fires before having a bonfire.

Create an Outdoor Movie Experience

While the weather is nice out, consider watching a movie outdoors. You can bring an iPad outside or purchase a decent projector for under $100 to project a movie in your backyard.  Hang a white sheet up and you have a screen to project your movie onto. Sometimes just changing the location of a simple activity can make it new and fun!

Roast Marshmallows 

If you own a fire pit, great! The hard part is done! If you don’t, then there are a lot of inexpensive options online. Here’s a great budget-friendly firepit that is similar to one our family owns. Fall is the perfect season to enjoy fires and s’mores at night with your family. Circle chairs around the fire pit and simply enjoy an evening outside. 

Fall Scavenger Hunt

Have an autumn-themed scavenger hunt. Create a list of things you can find outside in the fall like pinecones, yellow leaves, acorns, and crabapples, and race to see who can find them all first. If this is too easy, make riddles for each item so participants have to figure out what the item is before they can begin to search for it.

Visit a Farm

Take the family to your local farm and enjoy apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, and corn mazes. If there are no farms in your area, the local farm stand, or the farmer’s market can offer a similar experience.

Check Out The Farmers Market

Before the cold, barren nights of winter roll around, autumn provides us with the season of plenty. At the local farmer’s market, you’ll find a colorful abundance of crops like heirloom tomatoes and tasty treats like freshly made pesto or hand-baked bread. Since they’ve got so much supply, vendors tend to mark down prices during the fall so that the fruit of their labor has the best possible chance at finding hungry mouths to feed.

Get Crafty

Kids love crafts! No matter a child’s age, crafts allow them to dip into their creative side and use their hands to bring their imagination to life. Take a few of those pinecones you grabbed on your nature walk and make a fall-themed craft with them. Give your kids the opportunity to express their creativity at home with crafts this fall.  It’s much better than spending time on the iPad! 

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Take a Nature Walk

Can we agree that chances are children need more time outdoors? Make this happen today! After dinner, take a walk through your neighborhood and let your children collect nature items.  Try to find leaves in as many colors as possible. Grab pine cones along the way for a fun craft.  Pick up sticks and rocks to start a nature collection at home. Your kids will look forward to this time to explore and spend uninterrupted time with their parents.

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Make Your Own Halloween Costumes

If you’ll be celebrating Halloween by trick-or-treating or attending a costume party, consider skipping the overpriced (and often cheaply made) store-bought costumes. The internet has endless ideas for creating cheap costumes out of pieces in your wardrobe or basic craft supplies. Get your friends involved by hosting a costume-making party where you can share supplies and ideas.

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Closing

The season of beach days and long summer evenings may be over, but who can complain when it means the time for cider and pumpkin spice latte is just beginning? Use our budget-friendly list of things to do this fall for families to enjoy the great outdoors and spend this fall with loved ones, all while saving yourself some money.

10 Budget Friendly (But Fun) Things to Do This fall is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!