Saturday, October 28, 2017

9 Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for Fall and more...

Guest post from Kristin of Peppermints and Cherries: Fall is such a beautiful time of year! The crisp, cool mornings, and the way sunlight hits the trees create a perfect environment to put a spring in your step. While that […]

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9 Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for Fall

Guest post from Kristin of Peppermints and Cherries:

Fall is such a beautiful time of year! The crisp, cool mornings, and the way sunlight hits the trees create a perfect environment to put a spring in your step.

While that spring is in your step and you have all that extra energy, it's time to spruce up your home for fall without breaking the bank!

Here are nine free (or very frugal) ways to help you feel more contented with that little place you call home.

1. Sweep the porches, carport/garage, and shed.

I like to take a brisk walk in the mornings, and sweeping is a perfect chore to complete after that walk. Daily or at least every-other-day sweeping will keep the outside of your home looking fresh and keep those leaves and creepy crawlers from piling up in the corners.

2. Vacuum the blinds.

The blinds… a chore we all try to ignore and avoid! However, fall is the best time of year to pull out that vacuum and remove allergy-causing dust!

3. Declutter a closet or a room.

Decluttering a closet or a room is not only a great way to spruce up your home for fall, but it can actually help you make extra cash for the Christmas season or pay off some of those extra monthly bills that always creep up unexpectedly.

How, you may ask? Well, once you collect all the items you no longer use, have a yard sale or participate in a consignment sale. I have had two yard sales this year and have participated in a spring and fall consignment sale for children's items.

Consistent decluttering, especially around the changing of seasons, will keep your home in nice working order.

4. Hang a new shower curtain liner.

No matter how often you clean your bathroom, that plastic shower curtain separating the shower from your decorative cloth curtain is going to stink at some point!

Fall is the perfect time of year to replace a stinky plastic curtain, and you can do so for under $10. Definitely a cheap but needful spruce up for fall!

5. Plant a flower in a pretty pot.

I love planting flowers and making things look lovely outside, but the last few months I haven't had as much time to work on my gardening skills. Planting a flower in a pretty pot can go a long way in the outward appearance of a home's front porch.

6. Diffuse autumn scented essential oils.

Diffusing oils is probably the most expensive suggestion on this list, especially if you diffuse high quality oils, but I still believe diffusing is cheaper than buying expensive name brand candles, and it's a lot healthier. If you do your research, you can even find recipes for combining oils to make those wonderful fall scents like pumpkin pie and snickerdoodle!

7. Hang fall outdoor flags and door decorations.

I usually replace my summer flags on a yearly basis due to sun fading, but most of the time I can get a couple years of use out of my fall flags.

If your doors are covered by some type of overhang, sun exposure is minimized on your door decorations, and they can be used for years. Last year I bought a cute little owl for my front door at an outdoor craft event and sold my older wreath at a yard sale!

8. Dust and trade out summer décor for fall décor.

If you have a mantle or a special shelf for seasonal décor, fall is the perfect time to get rid of those dust bunnies hiding behind things and trade out your décor.

Of course dusting is a chore not just for fall, but we all have those areas that we don't dust every week, and fall is the time to take things down and rearrange!

9. Purchase a pumpkin or two or three!

I usually don't buy pumpkins at the grocery store, but my little boy was so excited to purchase a pumpkin the other day at Aldi, so I bought one very inexpensively, and it looks as pretty as pie next to our front porch!

With Christmas coming up, no one wants to spend a lot of money sprucing up their home for fall, so I hope these simple suggestions will give you some motivation and excitement to spruce up your home on the cheap!

Kristin is just a southern girl whose daily desire is pleasing God with the gifts and abilities He has given her. She blogs for fun at Peppermints and Cherries; and while she has enjoyed distance learning and traditional classroom teaching in years past, her current occupations include wife, mommy, piano teacher, and church musician. She loves DIY projects, trying new recipes, planting flowers in pots, learning new skills, and decorating with eclectic style. 

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Brigette’s $77 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Aldi

2 boxes Raisin Bran – $3.30

1 40-oz jar Peanut Butter – $2.49

1 jar Duke’s Mayonnaise – $3.09

1 jar Dijon Mustard – $0.89

1 24-oz bag Chocolate Chips – $2.79

2 Avocados – $1.38

2 Pomegranates – $1.38

2 gallons Whole Milk – $3.12

1 Honey Bear – $2.79

1 8-oz pkg Cream Cheese – $0.65

1 pkg Turkey Bacon – $1.89

1 32-oz carton Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $3.29

1 1-lb pkg Butter – $2.25

1 head Cabbage – $1.19

1 pkg Broccoli Crowns – $1.39

2 3-ct pkgs Colored Peppers – $5.10

1 2-oz pkg Parsley – $1.59

2 16-oz pkgs Baby Carrots – $1.10

1 bag Red Grapes (3.80lbs @ $0.79/lb) – $3.00

1 bag Frozen Raspberries – $1.85

1 can Decaf Coffee – $2.99

1 bag Lemons – $1.79

1 pkg Celery – $0.59

2 heads Cauliflower – $3.78

2 2-lb bags Honey Crisp Apples – $4.98

1 pkg Romaine Hearts – $1.59

1 bunch Bananas (2.61lbs @ $0.38/lb) – $0.99

1 pkg Zucchini – $1.45

2 loaves Bread – $1.30

3 dozen Eggs – $1.08

Total: $62.07

Harris Teeter

3 pomegranates, reduced – $1.00 (Of course, I found these AFTER I’d already bought pomegranates at Aldi! But the more the merrier. :))

2 can Well Yes! Soup -$2.98, used 2 $0.75/1 Campbell’s Well Yes! Soup – 10-1-17 SS (exp. 11/26/17) (doubled) – FREE after coupons

1 bag Pillsbury Bread Flour – $3.39

1 jar Liquid Smoke – $2.19

2 bags Frozen Cauliflower – $2.50

4 bags Picsweet Frozen Vegetables – $5.36, used 2 $1/2 Pictsweet Farms Southern Classics or Farm Favorites frozen vegetables, SS 10/01 – $3.36/4 bags after coupons

2 boxes Microwave Popcorn – $2.79

Total after Coupons: $15.23

Grocery Total for the Week: $77.30

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfast. Choices include:

Fruit, Yogurt, Scrambled/Fried/Boiled Eggs, Veggies Omelets, Toast, Cereal, Oatmeal, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Lunches

Leftovers x 4

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit, Raw Veggies with Dip x 2

Tossed Salad Bar

Dinners

Hosting a Soft Pretzel/Cookie Party at our Home (I’ll probably feed my kids some fruits and veggies ahead of time – but won’t make a real dinner that night). I’m serving Never Fail Saucepan Brownies (favorite recipe from a dear friend), Mall Pretzels (I’ll make some with kosher salt, and some with cinnamon/sugar) and several kinds of homemade dipping sauces (I’m thinking a Honey Mustard Sauce, a Cheese Dip, and a sweet Cream Cheese Dip)

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice (I substitute my own veggies based on my family’s preferences), Fruit Salad

Venison Roast in the Crockpot (My husband got his first deer of the season last week!), Mashed Cauliflower, Roasted Carrots, Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

Fluffy Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit Salad, Turkey Bacon

Ham and Bean Soup, World’s Best Honey Cornbread

Soup Night: Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Cheesy No Cheese Trimmy Bisque (recipe from “Trim Healthy Table” cookbook), Cheesy Flower Biscuits (Trim Healthy Table)

Leftovers

    
 

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