5 Ways to Save Money During Fall

by Ashley Eneriz · 5 comments

trees in fall
The fall is a favorite season to many and it is easy to see why. The weather is nice, the leaves turn beautiful colors, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes. Here’s another reason to love fall – it saves you money. Here are five ways to save money this fall. You don’t want to overlook these tips.

1. Indulge in More Inexpensive Meals

When the weather starts to turn breezy, soup and chili are the perfect comfort foods. Take advantage of your slow cooker and these inexpensive meal choices. Another great thing about making soups and chili is that you can freeze them, prep them ahead of time, and even throw in random leftovers you have rotting, scratch that, waiting for you in the fridge. Today I made Skinny Taste’s chicken taco chili, out of beans, rotisserie chicken, and a half used can of tomato sauce that was on its last leg in the fridge. It took about five minutes to throw everything in the crockpot.

2. Skip Out of Season Produce

Don’t even get tempted by summer produce this season. Not only are berries and melons overpriced in the fall, but they are also not as nutritionally dense when they are out of season. Instead, opt for frozen alternatives or take advantage of apples and squash sales.

Basically, produce that rises in price by a great deal during their “off-season” need to be seriously considered before you buy because in this case, a high price doesn’t mean a better product.

3. Goodbye, Gym

If you have the option to opt out of your gym membership, then do so. Fall is the perfect time to exercise outside for free. Plus, let’s be honest, most gym memberships get wasted during the holiday season because life gets busy during this time of the year. Canceling your gym membership for all of the fall season can save you over $100. Then, if you want to join up again, you can take advantage of the New Year’s sign up deals every gym offers.

4. Enjoy Better Travel Deals

Now that summer ended and the kiddos are back in school, it is one of the best times to travel. Not only will you find a lot of travel deals, but a lot of popular locations will not be as crowded. I experienced this firsthand when my husband and I took a cruise in October. The prices were half of what they were during the summer, the weather was a little more manageable in the Caribbean, and most of the travelers on the cruise were over 50, which lent to a calmer atmosphere.

5. Give Your Thermostat a Break

Another reason to love fall is that you can go without using your air conditioning or heat. Of course, all areas are different, but I am able to hold off using either until mid-November even though I live in the desert. Decorate your home with plush throws and rely on hot drinks, such as herbal tea or homemade apple cider, to keep you warm at night.

Ironically, as I write this, my house is fully decorated for fall, but the weather today was 90 degrees. Sometimes you have to embrace fall mentally, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

What are your favorite ways to save money in the fall? Share any fun activities or traditions you do in the fall too.

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  • Alley Keosheyan says:

    Our local Kroger store has what they call “case lot sales” in the fall. They sell staples like beans, rice, tuna, sugar, flour, canned vegetables, and other shelf-stable foods in bulk for big discounts off the per-unit price. Since my work is seasonal and slows down in the winter, these sales make it easy to stock up on foods I use all year long, and save $$!

  • freebird says:

    I wouldn’t call it “fun” but my biggest savings during the autumn harvest come in the form of tax loss selling. You won’t see the benefit until you fill out your 8949s in the spring. My experience is that it’s best to get out before Halloween and buy back the positions between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Watch out for the 30-day wash sale rules though!

    • David @ MoneyNing.com says:

      Ha! You are right though, because tax loss harvesting can be a real money saver. I’ve been doing quite a bit myself the last few years and those $3,000 tax deductions can add up!

  • Retirement planner India says:

    I should have seen this post much earlier. I just took a 200 USD GYM membership plan and I am finding it difficult to go to Gym daily. Nevermind, I can still follow the other 4 tips you have mentioned, especially eating inexpensive foods.

    • David @ MoneyNing.com says:

      Maybe use the fact that you’ve spent $200 as a motivator for you to go more often. Perhaps going once a day is too frequent for you, but try to go 5 times a week, or 3 times even. Use whatever you can because you’ve already paid and you now have access to better health!

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