The autumn months provide us with incredible scenery and amazing food that makes us feel warm and loved. Unfortunately, the autumn weather isn’t always the best for our entertainment budgets though, especially if there’s children in the home. With cooler, windier and wetter weather to contend with we often find ourselves trapped indoors or looking for any way to find some fun no matter the cost. This autumn you won’t have to spend all your long weekends indoors thanks to these fun tips that will make this special time of the year even more amazing. With a couple tricks to transform the next few months into a cheap and entertaining time your budget may even begin to flourish once more. So, grab your galoshes and get ready to have some fun without your wallet!
1. Harvest Time
Good times usually involve a little food, which makes autumn one of the best times to get together and enjoy seeing how food gets to your table! There’s so many different things that go into harvest in the autumn months that you may have a hard time picking what you’d like to try out first. Apple picking is one of the more popular things to do during the late summer and early autumn months. You can easily spend a day at an apple orchard and spend less than $20 or $30. Of course, this price will include all of the tasty apples that you picked in the process! Later in the season spending time at the pumpkin patch is another top favorite. Kids will love checking out the different pumpkins as well as picking their own to take home. Although spending time in the orchard or pumpkin patch is a lot of fun on their own, it won’t beat the time you spend cooking the delicious foods you brought home. There’s plenty exciting recipes to try, so let your kids experiment with something new with a little help from you.
2. Mazes
With harvest season comes mazes, which are always a cheap but fun way to spend an afternoon. You will usually find these mazes on the outskirts of town, so it might take a little transportation time to get there, but it will certainly be worth it when you see all of the fun to be had. Admission to the mazes usually isn’t much and kids can often get in free, so make sure to call and ask around until you find the right pricing for you. Typically, mazes are made out of corn or hay so you may also find one that won’t irritate any specific allergies in the household. Once you’ve figured out when you’re going and where you’re going the excitement can begin! The maze is a great bonding experience for all ages and will ensure you work together to find your way out of the maze just in time to enjoy some tasty roasted corn.
3. Get Leafy
Leaves are everywhere in the autumn which means you’re already set up for a whole lot of fun. Try to create a relay race when raking up the leaves so kids have fun while working on the lawn. You can also allow them to jump in them because, well, who can resist this once a year activity? Once all of the leaves are cleaned up then pick out a few of them. These can easily be made into exciting crafts. For instance you can have kids make a leaf print with simple paper and crayons. They can also press their favorite so they can always remember the special memories you created together. If you’re feeling ambitious then you can easily create a leaf reef to decorate the home for the autumn months. Leaves also make great designs for special Thanksgiving headbands that can be given out to all of your guests. You could also have the kids draw faces on each leaf. Once they’re finished hang them from the ceiling for a look that will show off the best aspects of nature. Also, if you’re homeschooling or working on a science project then you can have kids study the leaves and write down or draw their discoveries.
4. Sports
You can’t get through the autumn months without hearing about one sport or another. So, check out your local schedule and see who is playing. You can easily visit junior leagues for free and college and high school level teams aren’t expensive to watch. If you’re not up to going out to see a game then host a party at home when your favorite major, minor or college team plays on the T.V. Watching the game doesn’t have to be your only activity though. You may want to consider signing up the kids for a sport. Autumn usually caters to football, volleyball, hockey, field hockey and soccer in some areas. Of course, many places will play other sports throughout the year, so ask around to see what may be interesting for your family. You can join a team of your own too, even if it is only you and a few friends its still exercise that will keep you warm while you’re on the move!
5. Read
There’s not a whole lot better than cuddling in bed with a good book as the rain pours outside. The best thing is reading doesn’t have to cost you a penny if you’re looking to save money. Try to schedule weekly or monthly trips to the library where you can share your love for reading with your children. You may want to schedule trips around special story times that the library hosts for younger children. Library visits are a great time to bond over books and they’ll allow you to help your children pick out books that will help them grow and learn. Once you have your books make sure to appoint a time to read them at home. Try to make it fun by creating snacks and having a quiet day where everyone enjoys a good story. Make sure you also read to younger children so they can feel the warmth of sharing a book on a cold day. If you’re feeling really creative you can have each member of the household write their own story and share it with the family at the end of the week. This is a great way to promote reading while supporting kids creativity and interests.
6. Volunteer
If you’re feeling bored one cold afternoon then why not head to your local soup kitchen and offer your services. Nothing will make you feel the warm buzz of the season quite like being a part of something extraordinary. This is a great way to spend your time because it helps your community while also keeping you from spending money. You don’t have to choose the soup kitchen though, there’s lots of options that range from cleaning up a park to helping take care of abandoned animals. If you do a little research in your area you’ll easily be able to find something that will make you happy. You may also be able to find something perfect for you and your older children to take part in. Volunteering can become especially important during the holiday season, so you may want to keep this in mind when you’re scheduling a time to volunteer. If you don’t have time then you could always have the family go through their old clothes and toys to donate to a good cause!
7. Go to the Fair
There’s fairs and festivals all year long, but there’s something extra special about the feeling of autumn fairs. Typically, fairs won’t cost you a whole lot to get into so you won’t have to worry about overdoing it when you’re there. Usually you can get an inexpensive pass that will will allow you to ride some rides and enjoy games with friends and family. The fair food is always a must have during the season and generally runs fairly cheap, especially if you plan on sharing the things you order. Make sure you make it to the fair earlier in the season though because it may get too cold to enjoy some of the rides at night if you wait until the later months.
8. Get Outside
If you love to hike or bike then autumn is the time for you. The weather is crisp, but not too cold so you can spend hours outside without feeling frostbitten or over heated. If you have children then you may want to be careful with the biking because it can be slippery with the fallen leaves and wet ground. You might also want to invest in a cheap kite as the wind makes the perfect time to enjoy kite flying when the weather is clear. A weekend at a campsite might bring the family together as well. Imagine all of the smores, ghost stories and time spent checking out the stars with those you love the most. You could also create scavenger hunts, relay races and other tasks for kids to do outside. This will ensure they get plenty of exercise before it may be too cold to spend time outdoors. The ski slopes are also open for business which means you can have some fun skiing, snowboarding or just hanging out at the amazing log cabin rentals! Of course, if you’re lucky you may also be able to find a great place to do some rock climbing. The more time you enjoy spending outdoors the more you’ll be able to put back money for a rainy day.
9. Holiday Crafts
Autumn is the beginning of the fast paced holiday season, so why not make use of the rainy days for a little crafting time. You can start with autumn solstice crafts and end with New Year’s, of course it’s perfectly okay to mix it up a little too. Try to find supplies in the home to work with before you go and buy more though as this will help keep your crafts cheap. You can really think out of the box with some of your crafts too, but make sure you have a little something for everyone to do. Before Halloween and Thanksgiving rolls around you should be able to decorate the home for holidays without a problem. If you get a good enough jump start on your crafts then you may also be able to give many of your crafts away for gifts during the holiday season. This alone will save you a fortune on the amount you spend on the holidays.
10. Learn Something New
A lot of the time when we spend too much of our free time indoors we tend to go into sloth mode and end up glued to the television set. Rather than spending time doing this you should try to use it to pick up something that may enrich your life. For instance, you can start learning a new language. There’s lots of free online material that can help you start learning without a problem. You may also consider picking up an instrument, especially if you already have one laying around the house. You can also find lessons for various instruments online and sometimes public broadcasting channels will offer lessons through the college for free. You may have to call around to find out when you can catch the lessons though. If you’re not interested in these things then you may want to learn some new dance moves, practice martial arts or begin a new craft like knitting or painting.
Autumn doesn’t have to be the time you spend more money than you should. There’s lots of great things to that will cost you next to nothing and help you appreciate the changing of the seasons. While the weathers cooling down and life is speeding up you may find these amazing activities will ensure you and your family stay entertained for cheap.
