- enjoying the color -- who would object to the gorgeous shades of red, orange, and gold in the foliage all around. Spend some time just appreciating the different colors in your yard, on your regular drives here and there, or go for a leaf-watching drive in your area.
- sitting by a cozy fire -- whether in a fireplace, wood stove, or a bonfire outdoors, a cozy fire is lovely in fall. We have one last package of good hot dogs waiting for our final cook-out of the season. We won't have to battle the mosquitos this time of year.
- watching a movie (streaming or dvd) in the evening with loved ones. Add a pizza and you have my favorite way to spend a Friday evening with my family.
- hiking and long walks in the brisk weather -- fall walks are invigorating! When the weather is cooler, I rarely become sweaty on my walks. It's just pleasant.
- visiting a free pumpkin patch at a local farm. We have a pumpkin patch very close to us that charges an admission. But if we drive a little further, the pumpkin patches are free to wander. We visit one farm in particular every October and walk through the fields. They make money on their overpriced pumpkins, food sales, and merch in the gift shop. I usually buy one or two small items from the gift shop to gift at Christmas to someone on my list. But we bring our own hot spiced tea and cookies or quick bread to enjoy as a snack (they have picnic tables there).
- collecting colorful fallen leaves. You can use leaves in craft projects or simply admire them on a mantel, table, or desk. I like to bring a few into the family room, which is our coziest room, and simply lay them on a tray on the coffee table. Does anyone remember making fall "placemats" by laying colorful leaves between two sheets of waxed paper and having a grown-up iron the waxed paper sheets together?
- enjoying autumn picnics on sunny fall days. With a thermos of a favorite hot autumnal soup, some hot sandwiches wrapped in foil, and a pan of apple-spice bar cookies, a picnic lunch is easy and warming. Don't forget a moisture proof mat or tarp to lay on the possibly damp ground or picnic bench. Top the moisture proof layer with a fleecy blanket. Weather not cooperating? Have a picnic on the living room floor in front of the fireplace, and bring out the board games.
- getting outside in the evening to see the moon. November 4th to the 6th of this year are perfect to observe the full moon. November's full moon is known as the Beaver Moon. October and November moons are my favorite to catch. On nights when the moon is visible here, our skies often have a scattering of clouds that drift across the face of the moon -- so beautiful and autumnal. Check your local moonrise times for those days.
- using candles on the dinner table. We have a free pile pillar candle on a free pile candle stand that sits on our kitchen table in fall. We've been lighting it on evenings when dinner is late enough that it is dark outside. It's such a cozy autumn thing to do and costs nothing if you already own several candles.
- starting a gratitude journal of some sort. With Canadian Thanksgiving in October and US Thanksgiving in November, fall is the perfect time to daily note the things for which you are thankful. A gratitude journal can be as simple as a photo journal on your phone, taking daily photos of people or things for which you are thankful, more involved like a gratitude journal on the notepad on your phone or computer, or a full-blown prayer and thankfulness journal, handwritten in daily giving thanks for one's many blessings
What would you put on your top 10 favorite free or cheap things to do in fall?
I definitely remember ironing leaves between waxed paper. I've known people who have put that up in a window, to get a stained glass effect when the sun shines on it.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy many similar activities. Last week, my husband and I went to public land and collected firewood (he has a permit for doing that). It was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day and we had a great time out in the woods. As a bonus, we have free wood to use for our cozy evenings in front of the fireplace this winter.
I just got home from helping out with a harvest festival event at our church. One of the activities for kids was painting pumpkins. We had pumpkins left over, so I brought a couple of them home. It was an enjoyable evening, and the extra pumpkins were icing on the cake.
What a great topic!
ReplyDelete1. We have white "Christmas" lights on top of our kitchen cabinets that we turn on in the fall/winter that adds coziness to the home especially when it gets dark so soon at night.
2. Light a candle on the coffee table in the living room during the fall/winter with some nice fall scents.
3. Watch free anything on our computer hooked up to our small "big" screen tv. We enjoy MasterChef (old) shows, police 20 minute shows, all on youtube.
4. Farm stands to find a cheap deal.
5. Mystery Saturdays where one spouse arranges the fun day. We do this mostly in the fall and winter to give us something to do.
6. Play Quiddler in the evenings (or Golf). Upwards game is something we do when we have enough brain power after a gentle day of activity.
I would love to hear other ideas. We don't like going out much for activities especially not to crowded places.
Alice
All excellent suggestions. Fall is when the jigsaw puzzles start coming out here.
ReplyDeleteWe usually waxed our leaves when we were kids. We melted canning wax and dipped our leaves in it. They could keep for years that way. When I moved north from the Gulf Coast where there was not much fall color, I waxed leaves and mailed them to friends who were missing the colorful fall leaves of their youth.