Budget ways to make autumn / winter cosy and fun?

[rainband]

With the cost of living situation at the moment it often feels like there isn't much to look forward to I think where we are the cost of a day or evening out; meals, theatre, cinema etc has doubled over the past couple of years so I thought it would be nice to share ideas on how to have a nice time without it costing too much money.

Mine are to check local news for cheap and free events for adults and children, we have a Halloween festival near us which is free and loads of fun. We also have a park which is so beautiful in the autumn so will go for lots of walks there. Also will be doing other days out for walks and will take flasks of soup and sandwiches with us to save on lunches.

I've managed to book cheapish tickets for the theatre in November and will be using my meerkat discount for cheap cinema tickets as well. We even got free tickets for a concert though a friend.

Eating out is a bit expensive at the moment but I'm an ok cook so will be making some recipes to mimic our usual meals out, I've done this before and it usually works out well.

Home movie and games nights, we did this anyway but will be trying to make it a bit more festive and regular.

I've cancelled my audible and Spotify subscription but DH has converted an old desktop into a home media server and ripped all our old CD's as well as our DVD's to it so that we can use it as a personal Netflix / Spotify. He just used bits we had lying about so it didn't cost us extra and we can even ask our Alexa to play certain songs like with Spotify. I'm also making full use of my local library getting out books, audiobooks and even reading magazines from their on my tablet. Also loads of amazing podcasts and shows on BBC Radio 4!

We joined out council gym, which was actually really cheap works out at about £5 a week and my and DH have been going 3 x a week and its great.

I'm also refreshing the home décor with what I already have or can by cheaply made new cushion covers out of some lovely fabric I've had for ages and have dug out some old throws for the living room. Also putting up some autumn and then Halloween decorations. Treated myself to some cut price Hotel Chocolat Hot Choc and some pumpkin spice wax melts. I like candles but prefer the wax melts for scenting the house and they are a bit more economical.

I know a lot of this is pretty basic but just wanted to get the ball rolling and can't wait to hear what tips other people have!

This is such a lovely post! I've started to take flasks full or hot sausages or hot dogs out with us to outdoor events 🤣. It saves money and having to queue.

My kids are quite young so lots of autumn crafts using nature stuff we found.

We'll love decorating with pumpkins so go to a 'pick your own' place that's ultra cheap and sells edible varieties. The kids might decorate a few with glued-on embellishments but they all get eaten after Halloween- so that's a 3 in 1 day out!

Same with apples and plums (the PYO not the decorating the house with).

Squash soup is amazing, velvety, all you need is a squash, onion, garlic, ground cumin, chilli, fresh ginger and a vegetable stock cube.

Jigsaw puzzles on the go, you can dip in and out charity shops are full of them.

Making use of all our board games, going to use the longer weekend evenings to get to grips with the "longer" more involved ones

Having sweet treats as treats, cheap but warming, apple crumbles, biscuits etc.

Read what we have and get through the to read pike and donate so we have space on bookshelves

Get round to the numerous small but will be ever so effective DIY jobs the we already have all the tools and parts for.

Friday film night at home. Home made popcorn is a fraction of the cost of anything bought. Actually this goes for most edibles.

Blankets out so heating can be a couple of notches down

Reading a poem or two a day to the teenagers.

We have 'fake away' nights instead of takeaways which are so expensive these days.

Obviously it's a night off cooking so I buy good quality ready meals instead plus extras like naan breads, samosas etc. Don't be put off by the words 'ready meal', they have come a long way in recent years and there are some decent ones out there.
Works out lots cheaper and my teens are happy.

@CatOfTheLand Oh I never thought about taking hot sausages, what a fab idea! I haven't done a pick your own in ages but that is also a great idea.

@frozendaisy I do love squash soup and will be making some. I forgot about the jigsaws though and I think I have a halloween one we haven't done yet so I will get that on the go for October, I'm really going to big up the spooky vibe this year and can't wait for Uncanny when it's on TV! Blankets and hotwater bottles / hotties are really great for keeping everyone cosy and not blasting the heating on full. Loads of great ideas!

@Jonisaysitbest I do like to cook but its true a night off from cooking is also good, I've heard good things about the Waitrose meal deals, we don't go their often but I might pick one of those up next time I am out and put my feet up!