Are you trying to find some inspiration to decorate for fall? This post shares 5 affordable and easy ways to decorate for fall.

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First, let me just say it – I love fall. The crisp cool air, the wide selection of heirloom gourds, the abundance of food, wearing sweaters and and of course pumpkin spice everything.

Having said that – I do work a full time job, try to keep up with this little blog and run an antiques business. So, finding time, energy and money to decorate for fall can be a challenge. Alas, I do not have a bank account that allows me to buy 100 different pumpkins to put on my front steps only to bring them to the landfill in early December.

My guess is – you are in the same boat. Am I right?

If you are interested in finding some affordable, fast and easy ways to decorate for fall then you are in the right place.

5 Affordable and Easy Ways to Decorate for Fall

Good news! Decorating for fall does not mean you have to buy anything. Most of these items are things I had on hand or gathered from outside. The few items that I did purchase were less than $30 which is way more affordable than buying 100 pumpkins.

These are 5 things that I use to decorate for fall every year.

Use Dried Grasses

Here is a surprising truth – I am not a fan of the colors orange, red or yellow. I know, it’s surprising. How can I live in the northeast and not like these colors? I know. I just don’t like them. However, I DO like dried grasses and flowers. So, when I decorate for fall, I like to use real and faux dried grass foliage.

How do you feel about the typical Fall colors? Are you on team orange?

The best part about dried foliage and faux foliage, is that you can roll it up in paper and store it away for the following year. It took about 20 minutes to put this fall display together. I used an old wooden ice cream bucket painted white, added some pampas grass, dried oat grass, dried bunny tail grass and faux blackberry stems. If you have a container that is too large for your foliage, simply stuff balled up paper around the stems. I use newsprint that’s typically used for packing moving boxes.

The planter heads are also wearing some of last year’s dried hydrangeas.

Every now and then I need to replace some of the dried foliage. As it ages, the grass gets too brittle and breaks. So, sometimes I will purchase 3-4 new stems of dried pampas grass at the beginning of the season. The faux blackberrry stems were purchased a number of years ago from Hobby Lobby.

If you have a smaller entry table, then simply scale down your decor. It could be something as simple as 3 amber bottles filled with stems of dried grasses. Another budget friendly tip is to gather dried grasses from your garden.

Light a Candle

Lighting candles always helps me transition to a new season. There is something comforting about the soft glow of a candle in the evening. They also make your entire home smell lovely. My favorite fall candle scents have the word apple or pear in the name. Like mulled apple cider. Also, another tip, I try to buy larger candles since they burn longer.

Dry some Hydrangeas

September is the prefect month for harvesting and drying hydrangeas. This year, because we had such a rainy summer, the hydrangeas are blooming like crazy. When drying hydrangeas, cut the stems as long as possible, tie a few blooms together and then hang them upside down in a cool, dark place to dry. I usually dry hydrangeas in the basement.

You can also dry hydrangeas by keeping them is a vase with a small amount of water. However, I have never tried this method.

The best part about drying hydrangeas, if you have some in your garden, they are FREE.

Use Feathers

This is another cost effective way to bring in hints of autumn. I love to use turkey feathers and pheasant feathers! I just tuck them into different vessels and even add them to items in the step back cupboard.

If you have any old bottles, feathers always look charming in them.

As with the dried grasses, at the end of the season, I roll up the feathers into paper to store away for next year. I usually write the type of feathers on the outside of the paper.

Add Some Pheasants or Turkeys

While I am not ready to decorate with pumpkins, I do like to sprinkle some Fall birds around the house. Last year, I showed you how to make Copper Pheasants for a table centerpiece.

This year, I went to a craft store and purchased two gold pheasants. I set them in the center of the table and voila – instant centerpiece. They cost less than 2 real pumpkins.

Of course, you can also hang framed prints of pheasants or turkeys . If you don’t mind taxidermy, you can always use stuffed pheasants or birds too. Incorporating these birds into your decor is a subtle nod to the season. (Without going all red, orange and yellow). Or even swap out some pillow covers for something that has pheasants on them. For example, this one, or this one, or this one.

One for the Road

Here is another affordable and easy way to decorate for fall. If you have a wreath from last fall, simply spruce it up by adding some additional fall elements. Here is a post on how to spruce up a wheat wreath.

Summary

The most important part of decorating for fall is having fun! It doesn’t need to be expensive or time consuming. Hopefully you have some ideas on things you can do to celebrate the fall season that are affordable and easy to implement.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy the following.

DIY Copper Leaf Wreath

DIY Fall Centerpiece