I promise I will discuss topics other than fall starting next week. But, really with the official start to fall Monday night, there is just so much to say about this time of year. These next couple of months bring about some of the best opportunities for families to find fun activities. Most of my favorites are very frugal, if not free things to in the fall, which means that this time of year my family stays well within the budget (usually) too. Maybe it’s the fresh air or the new smells and flavors, but I find people seem to generally feel better in the fall. So , get out there with any or all of these 3 fall activities to try this weekend.

Fall Photo Session

So here’s the thing: the absolute best photos are taken at either the beach or in the fall. Why? Because that’s when you have an abundance of fabulous natural lighting options and the best free backdrops. Who doesn’t look amazing with the blue cast of an ocean behind them? Or how about the incredible spectrum of colors that fall provides? Grab that camera and get outside this weekend to capture this! Here are some fabulous suggestions for family shots.

If you don’t want to do portraits, then go out and take some nature photos. In fact, why not use your phone to create an artistic shot that can be blown up later and used as decor? Here’s a guide for getting the best possible photos for fall foliage, like in the photo at the top of this post.

Get Scared

Frankenstein's_monster_(Boris_Karloff)

Halloween is just a few weeks away, but why limit the spooky fun to just one night? Go ahead and break out the scary ghost stories (adapted for appropriate age groups) around a backyard fire. Better yet, skip the haunted houses and go on a haunted walking tour instead – makes for a far more interesting date night!

For smaller kids, take turns creating “monsters” on each other with play make-up. See how many different costumes you can come up with just from what’s already in your closets. Then scan Netflix for all the Halloween options that you can stream for free. Here’s a free-month coupon too to get you started.

Bring out the pumpkins

Pumpkins can be part of almost every weekend from now until the end of October. How? Start this weekend by visiting different pumpkin patches. Load up the family and let them know you are rating each one and won’t buy a pumpkin until after you’ve found the perfect patch. Many times, these pumpkin patches also have hayrides, farm animals, or corn mazes that you can take advantage of as well.

Next weekend, buy your pumpkins and place them on the porch. Ask the kids to help create a fabulous front porch decorating opportunity by trying out different placements. The following weekends you can paint, carve, stencil, and glitter them. In fact, if you plan accordingly you can almost do the same pumpkin a new way each week.

Oh, and remember the photo sessions? Everyone looks cute holding pumpkins!

Of course, if these 3 fall activities aren’t quite what you had in mind, you can always…