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October 20, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Frugal Fall Fun!

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Budget· Budget Tips· Frugal Living· Saving

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Wow, that title had way too many F’s in it.  If my middle were here reading this, he’d point out to me right away that what I just used was alliteration.  He’s my walking Wikipedia, and is constantly telling me what he learned throughout the day.

Back to the topic at hand… family fall activities.  Let me preface this by saying, I’m not one who likes to go out because I’m an introvert.  I was in numerous school activities, but I was never a social butterfly.  All throughout high school and college, and it’s not gotten better.  It’s not only physically draining, but it’s mentally exhausting.  But I also get cabin fever really easy, especially because we live so far out of town and, depending on the time of year, won’t go to town for nearly two weeks!

frugal fall fun

My kids are a mix.  One is an introvert just like me.  One is a HUGE social butterfly and wants to be in on every social gathering.  And the third couldn’t care either way.  Because there’s such a huge range of personalities in our house, I like my social butterfly to learn that it’s okay to stay home from time to time, and that my introvert needs to occasionally step outside of their comfort zone.

But since we’re in the middle of paying off debt, I lean towards activities that aren’t going to break the bank either.

Here are some activities we love to do in the fall weather that won’t break the bank.

Hiking

One of our favorite family activities is to get outdoors.  Hiking is an excellent way to see nature’s beauty, but also to get fresh air, exercise, and to not spend a lot of money.  I really enjoy hiking in the fall because it gives me an opportunity to see all the different colors fall has to offer.

Corn Mazes & Hayrides

There are a few farms local to me that offer corn mazes.  Some farms use corn that grows over 6ft tall, while others prefer to use sorghum grass so younger kids can participate in the maze without getting easily lost.  Locally, cost starts at $2 per person, it’s a nice way to spend $10 for our family to have some fall fun.

As for hayrides, we have local farms that offer them, as well as some local fire departments.  Not only do we get to have some family fun, we also support our local economy.

Take In the Sunset {or Sunrise}

frugal fall fun

This picture of the sunset was taken at a lake near our house, and as we drive home from soccer practices, we take some time to thoroughly enjoy the sunset at this lake.  But we equally enjoy sunrises.  In the early morning, the orange and pink hues of the sunrise seem to amplify the reds, yellows and oranges of the leaves.  No matter how many pictures I get, they never seem to do the gorgeous colors any justice.

Gardening

Fall to me brings the end of the major growing season, but there is still so much you can do.  From planting mums and fall veggies, to planting crops that can overwinter.  If none of that seems like your style, your garden would benefit from some prepping for the winter ahead.

Pumpkin Patch

Visiting the pumpkin patch is something my kids loved to do when they were younger.  There’s something special about watching them hop back and forth through a field filled with pumpkins, trying to find that perfect one.  While a trip to the patch is free, pumpkins in my area cost $3-$5 each.

Apple Picking

frugal fall fun

Apple picking is an activity that we’ve never done as a family, but it’s one on our list.  We have local orchards that we can go pick bushels of apples at for a discounted price than picking up an bushel of already picked apples.  Not only do you get the opportunity to spend time outdoors, you are supporting a local farmer too.

If you’re looking for even more family fun, get your kids involved in making some homemade applesauce!  My clan cannot get enough of it!

Fall Crafts

This time of year, my kids love hunting for acorns and pinecones, and coming up with different things to do with them.  No matter what crafts you decide, homemade crafts are also a wonderful way to decorate your house embrace the new season.

Local Fall Festivals & Parades

One of the towns local to us always holds festivals with each harvest season.  In the fall, they’ve got an apple festival in September, and a pumpkin festival in October.  Each festival usually features local vendors, entertainment and food.  Not only is it a good way to get out and experience the season, but it’s also a good way to support your local community.

Local Parks

frugal fall fun

If you can’t get out to take in the fall weather and colors, you can always head to local parks.  The kids enjoy getting their last few visits to the playground in before the winter, and the leaves can be stunning.

Baking

With pumpkins and apples abundant, it’s the perfect time to get your family in the kitchen and bake.  My kids love it when I get them involved, and the extra time it takes to bake, as well as the extra mess, is well worth the memories.

Indoor Movie/Video Game Night

While I do enjoy it when my kids aren’t staring at a screen like zombies, there are occasions when we just need to decompress.  This soccer season has left our Friday nights wide open, and we use it as our movie night.  I enjoy it because we have games early in the morning on Saturday’s, so we take our Friday’s to rotate who picks a movie, eat some finger friendly dinner, and relax before we have to be up and at ’em again for Saturday soccer games.  The kids love it because it gives them an opportunity to eat in front of the TV.

Bonfires

frugal fall fun

Bonfires, along with hiking is one of my personal favorites.  Not only do I get to spend time outdoors and with my family, but with bonfires I can do it from the comfort of my own yard.  That ranks up pretty high in my book!

Are there any fun frugal fall activities your family enjoys?  Let me know in the comments below!

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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
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The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
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I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
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March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
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Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
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The battle for who can charge what tonight is abou The battle for who can charge what tonight is about to begin. 😬⁠
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My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
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Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
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A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
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It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
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I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
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What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
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Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
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Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
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It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
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Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
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Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
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Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
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How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
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Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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