Autumn Is My Favorite Time of Year

Autumn. It's absolutely my favorite time of year. Bright sunny days and cool nights. Leaves begin to change colors. Then of course there are the weekend activities like watching my kiddo playing soccer and fun community events that are traditions for us like making our own Apple Cider at the town's Cider Squeezes and finding the perfect gourds to decorate our front porch at a pumpkin patches.

Last, but not the least of my reasons for loving the fall season is the fashion! Having been raised in the rainy Pacific Northwest, about 65 percent of my closet is fall/winter type clothing. Autumn is MY season! I have coats and jackets, gloves and hats. Turtlenecks and boots and I can't wait to drag them out of my closet again. Ooh...just thinking about all my "new" clothing options makes me a happy girl!

You know what this frugal mom doesn't like as much? The hit my budget can take due to the many events, activities, and holidays that take place during this time of year. Following is my list of things that can easily end up costing us (extra) money:

• Halloween - Costumes and candy 
• Thanksgiving - Turkey dinner with all the trimmings
• Christmas - Fancy holiday dinner, fancy holiday/party clothes, gifts for loved ones, home decor, Christmas tree, etc.
• New Years - see Christmas list above 

Over the years as a married woman and a mom, I've found some good solutions to keep the good times rollin' in my house without breaking the bank. Read on for my best tips.

1. Stick to your budget, but budget for fun. By this, I mean we budget for real life in our house. That includes date nights and movies with the kids. We also budget for concerts and dinners out and even holiday meals with in-laws. 
2. Look for low-cost and free activities in your community.  Two of my favorites are the Steilacoom Apple Squeeze, which is typically held the first weekend in October. Another one we enjoyed this year is the Organic Valley:Tour Your Farm. This fantastic day on the farm was actually free. We churned our own butter, made cow puppets, got to pet baby farm animals, enjoyed a maze, and even sampled delicious Organic Valley products. We're sure to go back next year. Wondering how I found these events? I literally schedule time each week to research free and low cost family-friendly activities. It's not actually that hard to do. I've found a few Websites and calendars that I love, including Red Tricycle . Its a great resource for families and includes a robust events calendar, including budget-friendly activities.  Another favorite is Fun & Cheap SF. Last, but not least you'd be amazed what you can find simply by doing a quick Internet search using the terms, "free" and " family activity" and the name of your town/city. in the search bar. When I find something appealing, I literally put the deets (details) on the family calendar. That way, when Saturday rolls around, I just pull up the calendar to see what I've scheduled for us. My other favorite places to find activities are whenever I'm at the library. First, libraries put on lots of activities for people of all ages. The other is most libraries have a community message board. Save a few minutes to check it out whenever you're there getting books. If you're lucky enough to live near a college or university, be sure to follow their community calendar for any upcoming events. Universities are gold mines for music, art, theater. 
3. Shop all year long for gifts. One of the easiest ways I save money on gifts is to shop clearance and end of season sales. Usually at a savings of 75-90 percent. The key to making sure you don't overspend is to keep a list of people and gifts you need during course of the year. That could be wedding gifts, holiday or birthday gifts, etc. That way, when I see a potential gift and the price is right, I check it against my list to see if it fits the bill. I also keep a small stash of hostess gifts.  Candles, cookbooks, and kitchen towels are faves.  
4. Shop second hand. This is another place where I've found it helpful to keep a list of my actual needs. I'm a bit of a spender, but you'll never find me in a mall. Where you will find me is in a second hand shop or a flea market. I love the hunt for gems amongst the rubbish. Only problem is I've purchased things purely because they were a good price for the quality or because I miscalculated the size. Nothing worse in my book then getting home and discovering your item won't even fit in the space you'd intended. This hasn't been a problem in some time though after my sister taught me something very useful: a) Always keep a tape measure on hand. I now have a tiny one I keep in my purse. I use it to measure furniture and things I'm considering buying for my home. Bonus! Its loads of fun for a preschooler. b) Keep a list of your actual needs + sizes. These seem obvious now, but at the time they were game changers for me. After all, if your school-age child has 20 shirts, does he really need 5 more? Even if its on clearance?Mine didn't. My list keeps me on track. I keep it on my phone so its always with me.  
5. Last rule is to make your special/ holiday memories at home. For example, I used to spend $100 every winter to attend a special gingerbread house-making activity. After I became a stay-at-home mommy I knew I needed to pare back some of these costly activities. I decided to host my own gingerbread making party at home. Total cost about $10. We already had the holiday decorations and music. Only cost was for baking supplies. We had enough to invite a few friends over to participate. It was great! 

Share your best tips for saving money on fall family fun in the COMMENTS below.