I love autumn. Where we live, it is the best time of year. The humidity beats a hasty retreat, bugs and spiders disappear seemingly by magic, the temperature dips and a soft, billowing breeze replaces the simmering waves of oppressive heat. Leaves turn golden rod, crimson and tangy citrus green hue below fluttering gracefully off the boughs of the Enchanted Forest trees.
Most, I’ll admit, seem to land on my back deck which is why one finds me on the back deck daily sweeping but despite my griping, I really don’t mind.
Fall is the best time of year for sure.
It is also when you can reap serious savings on a lot of items:
🍂 Outdoor furniture & patio gear — often heavily discounted as stores clear summer inventory.
🏕️ Grills, camping gear & outdoor equipment — end-of-season clearance.
👗 Summer clothing — major markdowns as fall inventory arrives.🌳 Lawn & garden equipment — especially late September through October.
🏠 Home improvement supplies — seasonal clearance and fall promotions.
📺 TVs & electronics — discounts begin around October and intensify around Black Friday.
🛏️ Mattresses & bedding — frequent fall promotional events.
🚗 Cars — the arrival of new model years can create incentives on outgoing inventory.
✈️ Travel — some destinations and hotels become cheaper after summer peak season.
🧳 Luggage & travel accessories — often discounted after the summer travel rush.
🎃 Halloween merchandise — increasingly deep discounts after October 31.
🦃 Kitchen appliances & cookware — particularly around November/ Black Friday.
Just to name a few. I personally am low key reticent on most big purchase ‘bargains’ but even so I do have my favorite frugal moves in the fall. For example, any Halloween decor I already have long ago collected and so I don’t need any more. As for pumpkins, I would never think of buying them prior to November 1st when they are steeply discounted. Same for any alleged favorite (not admitting anything, however) Halloween candy. I will use delayed gratification and wait for both. After Halloween, like to buy a few pumpkins, chop one up, bake the chunks up until soft and puree and freeze them in regular sized muffin tins before storing the pumpkin in a freezer safe bag. Regular sized muffin tins are a half cup in measure, so I always know how much I need to defrost that way. Very convenient and I’ve never not used this pumpkin for holiday pies muffins, breads, etc. I never buy the overpriced and far too sugary pumpkin pie mix in a can. No thanks. And I always chop up a raw pumpkin or three for the forest critters. The birds and squirrels eat the seeds and the deer chomp away happily on the pumpkins.
I love fall.
It goes without saying that I would never spend $10 on a pumpkin latte. If I have a yen for something like this, I can certainly make it at home in mere minutes:
Ingredeints:
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons homemade pumpkin purée
- 2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1.5 fluid ounce brewed espresso or very strong coffee (I save leftover coffee, boil it down to make it stronger, freeze it in an ice cube tray and defrost a cube or two just for this purpose)
Method:
Whisk all ingredients but the coffee together. Heat the coffee until hot, whisk into the other ingredients. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. No need to drive your car, wait in line, waste gas and spend upwards of $10.
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