So something about me is that every season ends up being my “favorite.” Slightly due to the fact that I’m indecisive, but mostly because there’s just SO much to love about every season. If you’re like me, fall is all about delicious homemade treats, cozy nights in your favorite loungewear, alternating between your blue-jeans-and-flannel and mini-skirt-and-tights uniform, black cats, reading paperback novels when you should be working, orange cats, cinnamon-everything, Gilmore Girls and wishing Rory had stayed young forever, dinner by candlelight, fuzzy socks, hot mugs of coffee, writing letters to old friends, long walks just to hear the leaves crunch under your boots, and falling in love with the beauty of change. If that’s your vibe, and you’re looking for tiny, low-cost ways to romanticize fall, you’re in the right place, friend.
What’s the point?
This post is all about finding and creating joy all around you during this season. The point is simple, really: This is your life, and you only get this one. There will always be to-do lists, tasks that need checking off, deadlines looming ahead, and money to make.
But there won’t always be this moment, with its own unique significance.
The responsibility of making this life feel romantic, cinematic, main character-worthy, etc. is up to you (which is a wonderful thing! You don’t need anyone else to do it for you!).
So, take every chance you get to breathe in the fall air, to laugh until you cry with your closest friends, to listen to your grandpa tell you that story for the millionth time. This moment is all you have, so enjoy it, love yourself, and embrace the people around you who make life worth living.
Now, let’s dive into my favorite low-cost ways to romanticize this autumn season.
Disclaimer: I often use affiliate links in my blog posts! That means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I might earn some money (which I will use to buy the coffee that fuels me to write even MORE content for you —superduperfast), at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your support!
Little ways to romanticize your fall season (without spending tons of money)
Collect pine cones for your home decor
I love to collect pine cones and display them on my desk or windowsill. It’s such an easy and natural way to decorate your home for fall. You can even paint the tips with a pretty gold or bronze paint for extra flair!
Hang up fall quotes around your home
Jot down your favorite short poem or fall quote and tape it to your mirror, over your workspace, or next to your bed. Or, if you’re feeling really creative, write your own poem or haiku.
One of my favorite fall quotes is this one from Anne of Green Gables: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” This quote just feels so cozy and full of gratitude, so it’s perfect to put up in your home, even if October has come and gone. After all, the point is the same — to find the beauty in every season.
Switch your phone wallpaper to a cozy fall aesthetic.
Pinterest has tons of cute autumn wallpapers to choose from.
But if you’re like me and you just have to have a picture of your pet or significant other as your wallpaper, have them pose with you at a pumpkin patch or wearing a cozy fall sweater. That way you have an autumn wallpaper that includes your favorite people (or fur babies). A cozy wallpaper makes for a great low-cost way to romanticize fall.
Find a way to give back to the community
Participate in a food drive, volunteer with Goodwill to find out what ways you can help during the holiday season, rake leaves for an elderly neighbor or relative, help host a clothing donation for your local shelters, or volunteer to provide companionship at a nursing home.
There’s always someone to help, and nothing feels as good as knowing you’ve made a positive difference in someone’s life.
Go stargazing with a blanket and thermos of hot tea
Fall nights have their own special magic. The air is crisp, and it’s the perfect time to go stargazing before the weather gets too cold.
Sit out with a warm blanket, a thermos of tea or hot chocolate, and just watch the stars.
String up fairy lights in your bedroom for cozy vibes
Put warm colored fairy lights up in your bedroom. They don’t even have to be fairy lights honestly — I put up some yellow Christmas lights in my bedroom window and they work just as beautifully without needing to make an extra Amazon purchase for “fairy lights.”
The warm yellow lights feel soft and romantic, and they’re the perfect way to romanticize fall in your own home.
Visit your local library and pick up a book with cozy autumn vibes
You can go for a cozy mystery, a pumpkin-spice-coded romance novel, or even pick up Harry Potter or Anne of Green Gables just for the vibes. Reading is the perfect affordable way to romanticize fall, and I find that reading gets me in the spirit like nothing else.
Take your journaling outside
Sit on a blanket or settle in at a park bench. Bring a warm drink, and let your creative juices flow.
Go foraging for fall nature items, and use them for home decor
Take a walk and collect acorns, fallen leaves, pine branches, pine cones, fall flowers, and any other nature items. Use these to create anything from a wreath, to a vase arrangement, or string up your finds over the mantle.
This blog post has some great tips for foraging to inspire your designs.
Host a soup swap
Have a gathering at home with all your closest friends, and have everyone bring a pot of soup, stew, or bisque to share. Encourage everyone to bring their recipe if they’re willing to share their secrets!
Bake apples with cinnamon on the stovetop
The apples are so sweet and juicy by themselves, and mixed with the cinnamon they make a delicious treat. Of course you can also add honey or brown sugar if you want it sweeter. You can use the baked apples as a topping for vanilla ice cream, oatmeal, or even just eat it by itself for a sweet snack.
Turn your favorite autumn quotes into printables
I absolutely love utilizing Canva to make homemade printables.
Use the free version of Canva to make a few designs with your favorite fall quotes, print them up at your local print shop, and hang them around your home for decoration.
Make a DIY simmer pot to make your home smell cozy
Utilizing your sense of smell is the perfect low-cost way to romanticize fall. All you need is an apple, an orange, cinnamon sticks, and fall spices like nutmeg or ginger. Add it all to a pot with water, let it heat up, and your house will smell deliciously like autumn.
This blog post tells you exactly how to make an easy, homemade simmer pot.
Listen to a jazz playlist at home
Play jazz or acoustic music while cooking dinner, reading, or working. This is the cozy jazz playlist I’m listening to as I type this, and it creates the perfect fall vibe.
Go on a photo walk around your neighborhood and take pictures of all the autumn colors and fall details you can find
I like this idea best with a Polaroid or some other camera, but of course your phone works perfectly as well!
Collect fallen leaves and use them to make DIY bookmarks
Turn fall leaves into DIY bookmarks with clear packing tape and some stiff construction paper.
I used to do this all the time as a kid, and it’s such a simple and organic way to romanticize fall.
Have a fall picnic outside on a warm day with seasonal snacks
Bring out the blankets, put together tupperware with cubed cheese, dried meats, fig jam, crackers or bread, turkey sandwiches, anything that sounds tasty and works as finger food.
Don’t forget the thermos of cider, hot tea, or hot coffee!
Paint your nails with fall colors
Painting your nails is always a cute way to feel extra seasonal, and you probably already own tons of great fall colors. Go for a deep burgundy, a chocolate brown, or rich jewel tones like emerald green or burnt orange to get in the spirit.
Do a rainy day puzzle while burning a candle.
Whether with friends, family, or by yourself, take a rainy day as an excuse to cozy up with a puzzle. Light a candle, play some soft music, and enjoy the art of doing something just for the sake of doing it.
Roast pumpkin seeds for a tasty, nutrient-dense snack.
Whether you acquire said seeds by purchasing them at the store, or you scooped them out of a pumpkin yourself, roasting pumpkin seeds is a great low cost way to romanticize fall. You can even mix things up with different seasonings, like chili lime, cinnamon sugar, everything seasoning, etc.
Take yourself on a solo date to the farmer’s market for a seasonal treat
Buy a pumpkin scone, a mini cherry pie, or a pecan tart. Or all three. No one’s gonna stop you.
Get bundled up to watch the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee
Don’t forget to add a sprinkle of cinnamon for that fall flavor.
Host a board game night with mulled cider, hot toddies, or seasonal sangria.
Or have all your friends bring their own favorite fall snacks or drinks so you can share!
Participate in Trick-or-Treating
Whether that means getting dressed up and going out bar hopping with friends, or making sure to stock up on candy to give out to other trick-or-treaters, let yourself enjoy the fun of spooky season!
Freshen up your bedsheets and room decor for the fall
Bring out an extra throw blanket, switch to flannel or darker colored sheets, or splurge a little by doing just a teeeeeny tiny itty bitty Target run for a fall-coded accent pillow.
Make DIY strings of dried orange slices for simple, homey decor
Any time you can incorporate natural elements into your decorating, it’s a great way to romanticize fall in a sustainable, low-cost way.
This blog post gives a beautiful demonstration for how to create a garland of dried orange slices on your own.
Take a drive to enjoy the way fall looks in your neighborhood.
Drive slowly, leave the radio off, the windows down, and breathe in the magic of your town like you’re Lorelai driving around Stars Hollow.
Make homemade goodies and drop them off to your favorite community members
Nothing puts people in the fall spirit more than baking and/or eating something homemade.
Bake a batch of snickerdoodle cookies for the baristas at your favorite local coffee shop (you know, the ones who know you by name), or make pumpkin bars for everybody in your office to share.
(as a barista myself, I can confirm we’ll love you forever if you do this)
Write a short story with fall vibes
It can be ghosty, it can be witchy, it can feel like a Hallmark film — it can be anything you want because it’s your story. Write whatever puts you in the fall mood. You can even do this activity with a friend and swap stories when you’re done.
Dress with fall cottagecore vibes every now and then, just for fun
(I don’t know if fall cottagecore is the technical term, but just go with me.) Think overalls, scarves, oversized cardigans, plaid scarves, suede, tall boots, anything faux leather, etc.
Drink tea from a teacup instead of a mug
Swap your regular mug for a vintage-esque teacup for a cozier fall feel. If you don’t have a teacup, you can always take that as an excuse to visit your local thrift shop.
Collect pretty stones on a hike
Use them as paperweights, or turn them into magnets for organic, natural decor.
Channel your inner Rory Gilmore and visit a used bookstore
Pick up a classic novel you’ve never read (you probably already have one in mind — for me, it’s Jane Eyre), and take yourself on a coffee date to read it.
Make a DIY wreath with fall items you collect on your walks
Collect twigs, leaves, flowers (you can always hang them to dry first, if needed) and create a homemade wreath to hang on your door.
Light a candle while you do your evening skincare routine
I know it sounds small, but I swear it makes your fall routine feel so much more special and romantic.
Because would Lizzie Bennet do her skincare routine under fluorescent lighting? No. She wouldn’t. She’d light a candle or 5 and do it in the soft glow while giggling at something Jane was saying.
Learn how to make your own chai spice blend or concentrate
Take time to perfect your own chai spice blend at home. I love this video on how to make Masala Chai concentrate, and it comes from one of my favorite ASMR YouTube channels. Check it out, or just look for chai recipes on Pinterest to see what inspires you.
Create a fall-themed snack board (girl dinner, anyone?)
Include cheese, apples, breads, apple butter, fig jam, roasted pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, etc.
Turn your journaling into a letter to your future self
Write about how fall feels for you this year, what you’re excited about, what you’ve overcome this year, what you hope the rest of the year looks like. Then open your letter at the same time next year to reflect. (You can even include a Polaroid selfie, if you’re feelin’ it.)
Try “forest bathing”
The concept simply focuses on walking slowly and mindfully through trees or nature, without any distractions. Just be present in the moment and let your thoughts be centered on the beauty around you.
Have a comfort meal swap with a friend
Each of you makes the other person their favorite comfort meal (you can even choose a specific theme – like soup, Italian, seasonal ingredients only, etc.). Then you get together to eat, swap recipes, and yap the evening away.
Make a homemade pumpkin or cinnamon sugar scrub
Self-explanatory but always fun. Homemade body and lip scrubs are a great low-cost way to romanticize fall and they’re so easy to customize.
Make a playlist of your favorite fall-aesthetic songs
Listen to them at home, while you clean, while you craft, or on your commute to work.
Elevate your bathroom with fall scents and decor
Decorate your bathroom with eucalyptus branches, or use peppermint shower melts to keep your shower routine feeling fresh.
Do candlelit yoga or stretching in the evening
If you’ve noticed a theme in this blog post of “doing normal daily activities by candlelight,” then fine. Ya got me. It’s still a good idea for cozy fall vibes though, and I stand by it.
Leave a cute seasonal surprise on a friend’s doorstep
You can leave a mini pumpkin, a cute fall mug you thrifted that made you think of her, a single-serving pie (or a full-serving, go nuts), or even one of the pumpkin scrubs I mentioned making earlier in this same post!
Host a hot chocolate tasting night with fun toppings
Make different kinds of hot chocolate like classic, dark chocolate, peppermint, Mexican, etc.
(Or have all your friends make a different kind and bring them in a thermos for the taste testing!).
Have different toppings on hand like peppermint bark shavings, pumpkin spice, store-bought or homemade marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon, chocolate or caramel drizzle.
Try sketching or watercolor painting fall leaves
It’s okay if you don’t consider yourself an “artist.”
Give yourself permission to suck at something new, and try your hand at sketching or watercolor painting fall elements.
Or of course, if you’re good at painting or sketching, give yourself permission to toy around with a different or more advanced style to get out of your comfort zone.
More fall-themed reading from the blog
Looking for more ideas and inspiration on how to romanticize and enjoy the fall season? Check out some of my other autumn-y blog posts below <3
- 31 fall wellness tips to be happy this season
- 5 intentions to set to cultivate peace in your life this fall
- 101 ways to romanticize fall
- 62 must-do fall bucket list activities
- 29 cozy, self care ideas for fall
Conclusion to 45 low-cost ways to romanticize fall
I hope you had as much fun reading this post as I did writing it — seriously, anytime I get to create seasonal content to inspire more beauty and creativity in your life, I’m so happy.
Remember that every day has its own chance for romance and whimsy, whether you’re going to work, running errands, cleaning the house, taking your kids to football practice, or just lying around the house on your day off.
This is your sign to make every day feel special, because it is.
Sending you so much love, light, and hugs that smell like cinnamon.
xo Sav
