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October 20, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Frugal Fall Fun!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
Click here to read my disclosure policy.

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

This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid model, and your house does not have unlimited space. I was standing in our kitchen when I took this picture, the kids behind me making lunch.
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Our district is carefully monitoring our local infection rates, and we are currently in a hybrid form. That means they divided the district into two groups; half are in school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Thursday and Friday. They are offering an all remote option, but Verizon for some reason supplies our house with speeds so slow that it would shock a tortoise. Remote was a no-go.
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This set-up has taken some trial and error to get to where we currently are. Because no matter how prepared you are and how much you've planned, once you're in the weeds, actually doing it, there is no telling how your best-laid plans will work.
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Our home is a 1800sqft one-story, open living area, 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, ranch-style house in a very rural area. It has no home offices. No guest bedrooms. Yes, that is a desk in the corner of our dining room. 🤣
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Each kid gets their own color bin for their school work. This includes school-issued Chromebooks and other standard items they need to get work done - headphones, pencils, and so on. When we are done for the day, we clean up everything, place them neatly in these bins, and place them in cubbies (on my current left) at night while the Chromebooks charge.
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I do NOT bother to clean up at lunchtime. It would take us more time to clean up and reset everything than it takes us to eat lunch. So we only pack it all up for the day and call it done.
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During the day, I sit between my younger two and field any questions they may have, troubleshoot technical issues we all have, and be the overall bouncer when things get off-topic. My high schooler will occasionally emerge from his bedroom, which opens to the kitchen. So he is close by when he has questions.
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Please remember that with all things in life, you need to work with what's available to you. And there is no shame in that. Don't ever feel like you're not doing good enough because it's not picture perfect. Work with what you have available to you, and you'll do amazing things.
School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I’ve finally realized I haven’t shared our payoff numbers for July or August. Yeah……
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Please keep in mind, we are paid monthly on the 15th, but we don’t go by a “monthly” budget. So I have to go back and look at these numbers based off their due dates in the calendar. Because our pay falls in the middle of the month, I can’t tell you what portion of our income went to debt. It’s going to vary paycheck to paycheck anyways because our priorities vary with each check. Nothing is ever the same month to month, and pay to pay.
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That said, inJuly we paid off $2,694.43.
In August we paid off $1,673.40.
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The difference here is that our priorities shifted between the two months.
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During August, we were doing more prep for whatever school would look like this year, and we had some savings goals make their way to the top of the list as well.
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Of those goals, in August we made progress!
EF Reimbursement: $146 / $1,200
Checking Buffer Reimbursement: $227 / $500
Vet Sinking Fund: $40 / $200
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Remember this is a journey, not a race. There is no point wearing yourself ragged and still making no progress. Make progress where you can, and celebrate it. Even if it’s $5.
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It’s progress, and that’s what matters!
While I wait for the canner to finish the last rou While I wait for the canner to finish the last round... I rearranged our recipe binder. It's only taken me 8 or so years. 🤣😶😭
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On top of this school is starting with a hybrid in building & online system. And I'm seriously slacking on some things I need to do. I'm not good at juggling multiple things and the balls are falling. But I keep reminding myself... be patient. This too shall pass. This is only a phase. So I pick and choose what's the most important, focus on that and go from there.
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So if you feel overwhelmed with your current phase, remember, this too shall pass. It's okay to rearrange priorities. It's okay to take a breather.
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This too shall pass.
If you didn't start finding interesting ways to ge If you didn't start finding interesting ways to get rid of the squash, can you say you even planted any?
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Good news, I'm almost caught up! Bad news, the garden has more.
Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins can come in super small packages. I thought I'd spend $380 to clean the band instruments in this house. I ended up spending $234. So the remaining $146 can go to reimbursing what I pulled from our EF.
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No matter the win, celebrate it!
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What are some wins you have had lately?
In total we have 15lbs green beans, 10lbs cucumber In total we have 15lbs green beans, 10lbs cucumbers, 5lbs blueberries, and countless zucchini and squash with more on the way! My weekend is spoken for... and this isn't all of it. 😳
Rather than looking back through all our non-month Rather than looking back through all our non-monthly bills for the year and try to remember what I paid and when I paid it, I make a note of how much it was on our bill pay tracker. That way I can easily tally it up at the end of the year, set our sinking funds next year accordingly, and not spend more time than is necessary on this... because kids and all.⁣
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Anyone else do this? Do you have a different method of tracking these expenses?⁣
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This particular printable is in my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MakingCentsMatter⁣
It's also part of my budgeting workbook, also in my Etsy shop.⁣
Good news though... there's a very similar free version in my resource library as well. Links are in my profile.⁣
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#budget #budgeting #sinkingfund #savingmoney #savings  #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #budgetprintable #personalfinancetips  #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #bs1 #bs2 #bs3  #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
Probably an unpopular opinion here... but these tw Probably an unpopular opinion here... but these two things are NOT the same to me.⁣
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𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 paycheck to paycheck means that you're using all of your money for expenses with none left over for savings. This usually happens when you're not aware of where you are spending your money, and how much you are spending. For us, this happened in the form of those tiny expenses that can add up to even larger expenses, and then an unexpected bill comes and you have nothing left to cover it.⁣
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𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 paycheck to paycheck means that you are giving every single cent you earn a job to do that aligns with your priorities - like in sinking funds, savings, expenses, debt payments, etc - until the next paycheck. You have the money on hand to cover some unexpected expenses, and you are mindful of your spending so that you're not leaking money through small purchases.⁣
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This doesn't mean that there still aren't bad months. Murphy's Law does happen. But you are aware of the spending, aware of the priorities, and where your money needs to be allocated.⁣
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So... just because you're budgeting paycheck to paycheck doesn't mean you're living paycheck to paycheck.⁣
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June's paycheck was a doozy! I haven't looked forw June's paycheck was a doozy! I haven't looked forward to a paycheck since we first made the switch to monthly pays. It was so bad we've got a new order to things.⁣
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Good news is that if our state keeps closing things down, we should hammer this out in no time!⁣
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To see the full breakdown of how bad June's paycheck was, check out the June 15th Budget Review on our YouTube channel here https://youtu.be/gXoEo33hIYQ. Link is also in the bio.⁣
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