Fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget

These fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget are ideas you can really use and make work for your home. See all my tips below!

This year I pledged to myself that I would not spend a fortune decorating our front porch. In the past I’ve spent a lot of money on it each season, and I always spend the most in the fall. In my defense, my front porch is large. It’s almost like another room in our house. But I think we can all agree that pumpkins and flowers can get so expensive!

This whole year I’ve been trying to decorate the front porch on a budget. We’ve needed to put more money into making our farm function as an actual farm and that meant less money for decor. In fact I pretty much skipped decorating it for summer altogether as we focused on creating a space to grow flowers and sell our flowers and vegetables. So when fall rolled around I needed to focus on fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget.

Now, I’ve never been good at sticking to budgets. Just ask Kevin. Every project we do here, I go over. Whether it’s adding to the design of something or adding to function of a room, I always manage to push and stretch. But this year we needed some farm equipment, and we started our farm stand here on our property. So, a budget has been vital for the front porch this year.

Since fall is generally my most expensive season, here’s how I did it.

Fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget

Reuse, reuse, reuse

When it comes to fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget, there’s no easier way to stick to your budget than spending zero. Much of my front porch is reused from season to season and year to year. I almost never change out the furniture on the front porch. I wanted to remove my rockers this year and add a table. However, the garden took over like it always does. I also didn’t want to spend the money.

The rugs on the porch were switched out last November. If you look at may fall porch from 2021 you will see we had blue rugs. I changed them before Christmas last year because I wanted something more neutral that would work year-round in the space.

I also reused pillows on the rockers that I purchased this spring and kept the front door rug the same, which matches the larger rugs.

Grow your own or support your local farmer

My biggest expense in the past has been pumpkins. This year we grew our own and I pledged that these would be the only ones I used. I know not everyone can grow a field of pumpkins like I did. However, if you have a back yard, or even a small garden you can possibly grow one or two vines. They like to climb and vine so if you have a fence you can even grow them right up against the fence.

Additionally, you can grow fall kale and some cabbages in planters in 30 days. So if you plan ahead, you can have beautiful ornamental kale and cabbage that you have grown from seed.

If you’re reading this and thinking that this won’t help you this year and right now, my next suggestion would be to find a small farm near you and buy them there. No, I’m not talking about the giant farms that have made fall, pumpkins and apple cider donuts their business. Most small farmers I know will sell pumpkins for $5. If you’re not buying a lot of them, that price can be a steal. You can also see if these smaller farms have mums.

If you have no other choice than to go to a large farm, buy the orange traditional pumpkins. The different varieties of squash that are green, white and other colors are beautiful, but you’ll pay for their beauty and trendiness. They will likely be the most expensive.

DIY to save money

Fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget should always include some good ol’ DIYing. I almost always DIY some piece of our fall decor. It’s usually a wreath. This year that was no different as I DIYed a Broom Corn wreath. {HERE} Add fall elements to a wreath you already own. Or buy the re-usable grapevines wreaths and change them from season to season with faux flowers that have been previously used or flowers and grasses you’re able to grow. I’ve done both of these in the past. You can see Magnolia wreaths that I added elements to for a spring season {HERE}. The wreaths on this year’s door are my grapevine wreaths.

Once we get to Halloween, I’ll also be DIYIng a few more elements so we won’t have to spend additional money decorating for the holiday.

Thrift your heart out

I love a good thrift find, especially when it is inexpensive and allows me to make a space beautiful. The table that I have between the rockers is thrifted. I’m not counting it in my budget for the season because, well, I bought it in August. 🙂 But it was very well priced and a lucky find!

I also thrifted the gold vase on the coffee table (which was also thrifted years ago) and candle jar on the table between the rockers. Sometimes it is the little pieces that help to define a space. And I almost always feel like those little pieces have the most character when they come from a thrift store.

Don’t buy pre-made planters. Make your own.

Fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget almost always include doing more things yourself and that should include the planters. Pre-made planters are so expensive. And I get it. I made flower jars to sell. It’s not just about the material. It’s about the time and energy someone put into those planters to make them beautiful so you don’t have to do it.

However, the pre-made planters I see here in local flower stores cost $70 for the small planters. The large ones can cost up to $150. It is much, much cheaper to buy a pallet of flowers – moms, kales, ornamental cabbages – and plant your own. Reuse your planters from season to season and add a thriller, filler and spiller to each planter. Keep them watered and trimmed throughout the season to ensure they stay in good shape. Doing it on your own might cost $30 for a few pallets of plants. Or if your space isn’t large maybe you can even get away with spending less than $20.

Pull things from other areas of your home

Don’t be afraid to pull things out onto your porch that might not seem like outdoor items. If you have a covered porch like I do, more than likely you can use blankets and pillows outside that aren’t specifically made for outdoor spaces. The pillows I use in this space are always indoor pillows. My swing blanket is almost always an indoor blanket. Everything seems to wear perfectly fine and gets washed at the end of the season.

But other items will work here too. Think about using vases, trays and other items that you use in other area of your home. You can even pull artwork outside in some instances, especially if you have a covered porch. Our sign above our rockers is not made to go outside. And yet it’s been out there for almost two years now.

So what did I spend money on this season?

The corn was the most costly. It’s odd considering my neighbor is growing corn on my property. But his corn is still green and growing so it’s not like I could ask him for a few stalks of that. All the corn cost me just over $100. That’s how much it costs each fall season so I expected it.

In addition to the corn I bought a few mums and a pallet of cabbage that I planted in planters we already had. I had to dig a few out of the barn but I was determined not to buy any new planters. That cost me about $40.

I also bought a new pillow at target and a new blanket for the season. (I honestly have no idea where the one from last season is.) That was about $30.

Now, I know about $200 on porch decor doesn’t sound like decorating on a budget. But considering how much I’ve spent on pumpkins in the past, I promise, this is GOOD. And since I know most people won’t be buying 16 bushels of corn for their front porch, I’m guessing most people can get away with less.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends. I hope that you love this post and that it inspired you when it comes to fall front porch decorating ideas on a budget. You can see more of this year’s front porch {HERE}. And you can see my 2021 fall front porch {HERE}.