Save Your Money with These 10 At-Home Fall Activities
When fall temperatures start to set in, there’s nothing better than lighting scented candles and cuddling up next to a fire. Here are a few easy ways to enjoy autumn at home without breaking the bank.
1. Carve or paint pumpkins and bake seeds.
When you think of fall, pumpkins definitely come to mind. Carving and painting pumpkins is fun for everyone in your family and friend group. Save the pumpkin seeds for toasting up a tasty treat to share while everyone is voting whose pumpkin turned out best!
2. Decorate your home with autumn, Thanksgiving or Halloween themes.
Giving your house a fresh fall look can be as simple as bringing the colors and warmth of the season indoors. If you’re crafty, get creative and make an autumn wreath for your front door or fall centerpiece for your dining room table.
3. Create a leaf-pile maze and press leaves.
There are ways to have fun AND get some yard work done! Try raking leaves into a kid-size maze and, after a few laugh-filled attempts, pull the leaves together for some classic pile jumping. When you’re ready for a break, take a few colorful leaves and press them between heavy books so you can save the memories forever.
4. Camp in your yard, enjoying stargazing and s’mores.
Set up camp in your backyard and end a beautiful fall day watching the sunset. When the craving hits, build a fire and treat everyone to toasty-warm s’mores. And as the sky darkens, scan the heavens for stars, planets, and constellations. Pro tip: there are phone apps to help identify those distant points of light!
5. Bake snacks and desserts.
There’s a cornucopia of rich fall flavors to choose from. Tap into your inner baker and treat friends and family to apple pie, caramel apples, a pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie, snickerdoodles, buckeyes, cinnamon rolls, and “puppy chow”!
6. Build a man cave for gridiron grill-outs.
Football season is here! Get ready for all the games by building your “man cave” for watch parties. We offer a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to help with renovations or home improvements.
7. Make seasonal crafts.
Celebrate fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving with simple crafts like colorful hand-traced leaves and turkeys, spider webs made with paper strips and popsicle sticks, leaf rubbings with crayons and thin paper, or a scarecrow made with construction paper and yarn.
8. Prepare chili or soup.
Chilly weather calls for warm-all-over comfort foods. A hearty soup or chili recipe can help in a pinch when you need a delicious idea for dinner. A few soups perfectly suited for fall include butternut squash, broccoli cheddar, and chicken tortilla.
9. Go for a walk, hike or bicycle ride.
Fall is a great time to hike and bike. Leaves are changing color, the air is crisp and dry, and temperatures are comfy and cool. Invite a friend to join you on foot—or on wheels—to take it all in!
10. Put together a seasonal scavenger hunt.
Get everyone outside and give them a checklist of fall goodies to find: green, red, gold, orange, and brown leaves; pinecones and pine needles; acorns and buckeyes; goldenrod and asters; mushrooms; birds and squirrels; spider webs; and more!