I am a huge fan of the fall season. I especially love pulling out the fall decorations and making the house feel festive and cozy. I have an obsession with pumpkins, so my fall decor staples typically consist of pumpkins, candles, a mum or two and more pumpkins. In this post you'll get a little tour of our living space and how I've attempted to decorate it on a budget – along with 5 tips to start decorating yours if you haven't yet!

Tip 1: Decorate for September – November. The fall season starts in mid-September but lasts through the Thanksgiving holiday. This is one of the many reasons that I love pumpkins as decorations. They can last from the end of September through November and still work! When you start using Halloween specific items or Thanksgiving specific decor…it means you have to change things out and that means investing in more decorations. A few themed pieces is fine, but if you are on a tight budget stick with things like pumpkins!

Tip 2: Decorate with candles. Candles are another great way to make your space feel cozy and also smell festive – without getting too spendy. If you invest in some bigger candles there is a chance you can even use them next year if you don't burn them completely. 

Tip 3: Reuse items – but in different places. One of my dear friends named Ariel (Hi Ariel !) gave me some great advice once. She said when she decorates on a budget she tries to reuse items by placing them in dfferent locations around the house. For example, if you have a basket that you are currently using in the bathroom for towels, perhaps take the basket and bring it out into the living room and use it as living room decor for a while. Swapping out items between rooms and getting creative with things helps give the space a "new" and refreshing feel – without the added costs.

Tip 4: Shop Etsy for Prints. I reuse the same basic frames season after season. I scour Etsy and find the cutest prints for $10 and under, print them out on my home printer on cardstock, and then cut them if need be and frame them! I especially love these two prints I purhcased for $10 from Jennifer Hope.

Tip 5: Get Crafty. I was eyeing up a fall wreath for weeks one year that was just out of our budget. So I decided I was going to make my own. I ended up finding the wreath itself at a local thrift shop and then went to Michael's and purchased a handful of fall colored/themed pieces to weave into the wreath. I've been using the same wreath for the last 5 years! And the great thing, I can move around the pieces or buy some inexpensive additions to swap out each year. It cost me about $20 total to create this wreath!

Tip 6: Create a Festive First Impression. A great way to make your space and home feel in the spirit of the season is to set the "tone" if you will…right when you arrive at the door. Pumpkins on a hay bale or a full blooming mum and a fun doormat can make all the difference.