It’s fun to change your home décor for each season. But investing in items for holiday decor can get expensive. If you shop at Dollar Tree or any other dollar store, you can save a bundle and spruce up your home each season.
What types of fall decorations can you find at the dollar store? And when is the best time to shop for things like Thanksgiving decorations and Halloween décor ideas? As a homeowner on a budget for 10+ years, I’ve uncovered some of the best DIY dollar store fall décor.
So dust off your hot glue gun, pull out that spray paint, untangle that burlap ribbon, and get ready to make everything from a fall centerpiece to a grapevine wreath, all with dollar store finds.
Think About Your Home’s Style When You Choose Your Dollar Store Fall Décor
Not every décor idea looks great in every home. If you have a seaside home with beachy accoutrements, you’ll want to steer clear of country styles. A mason jar candle holder won’t match a mid-century modern house.
Many of the DIY dollar store crafts lean toward farmhouse, country, or rustic styles. You’ll find plenty of items to create any home décor idea you can find on Pinterest.
Some of the rustic decorations you’ll find at Dollar Tree or other dollar stores include:
- Burlap ribbon
- Twine
- Flowers and flower pots
- Mason jars
- Wooden boxes
- Chalk paint
- Pumpkins
- Vases
- Faux fruit
- Candles
- Rustic baskets
Make Your Dollar Store List
Once you have a handle on your home’s style, start thinking about creative home décor ideas to transform your house into a cozy, autumn paradise.
First, jot down any notions that inspire you. Do you prefer apples or pumpkin spice? Bonfires or fall leaves? What are your favorite fall colors? Do you want a spooky look for Halloween or symbols of gratitude for the harvest season?
Then, make a list of the rooms or spaces you need to decorate and what type of fall décor items you might use for each space. You may want to infuse a bit of autumnal wonder in the following areas of your home:
- Front porch or steps
- Walkway
- Kitchen
- Dining room table
- Mantel
- Bathroom shelves
If you plan to make your own wall hangings, take measurements so you know how much space you have. Do the same for mantels or tables where you may want to place fall centerpieces. Measure your door so you can make a fall wreath that’s a perfect fit.
Browsing Dollar Tree aisles may spark ideas for new craft projects and affordable decorations, so don’t limit yourself to fall décor ideas you find online. The goal is to walk into the store with a rough idea of the materials you’ll need, what rooms you want to decorate, and how many DIY crafts you want to create to fill those spaces.
Plan Your Visit to Find the Home Décor Items You Need in Stock
Most stores, including Dollar Tree, typically put out their Halloween decorations in early September. It’s not unusual to see pumpkins and ghosts next to school supplies as the stores shift from back-to-school season to Halloween and, within a week or two, Thanksgiving decorations.
Shop in mid-September or early October to get the best selection. The closer it gets to the holiday the harder it will be to find what you need.
If you’re looking for larger quantities or hard to find items, you may want to show up at the store after the week’s shipment has arrived and workers have had a chance to restock the shelves.
Delivery days vary by store but are usually early in the week. Ask a manager at your local dollar store when they typically receive shipments and how long it takes to restock shelves. If trucks arrive in the morning, it could be noon before you’ll see the new merchandise on display.
Making Halloween and Thanksgiving Decorations for Your Home
Dollar store Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations run the gamut from foam pumpkins to decorative plates. You can easily find everything you need to create any fall décor idea you can imagine.
Your fall décor ideas might include a:
- Fall centerpiece
- Grapevine wreath
- Mason jar candle holder
- Decorative foam pumpkin
Don’t be afraid to stray from typical holiday decorations. You can use unusual items from the dollar store to decorate your house for fall, too.
For instance, wine glasses, sunflowers, and cat figurines may all fit your fall theme, but you can find them at the dollar store year-round. Anything with owls or apples can also find a place in your dollar store fall décor.
In recent years, home decor celebrating the harvest has grown in popularity. Flowers, fruits, and rustic signs expressing gratitude fit well with a harvest theme.
DIY Dollar Store Fall Decorations for Your Table
Your dining room or kitchen table often represents the main gathering space in your home during the fall. The kids may gather for hot chocolate after an afternoon of jumping in leaves. They may sort their Halloween candy at the table.
Gatherings move indoors for meals as the weather gets cold in some parts of the U.S. Of course, your Thanksgiving feast will revolve around your table.
A fall centerpiece breathes a warm welcome into your dining room or kitchen. If you choose only one holiday decoration, make it a centerpiece. Best of all, you can create anything from elegant candle holders to baskets of faux fruit with items from Dollar Tree, Dollar General and other dollar stores.
Clay Pot Candle Holder
A collection of small clay flower pots tied with raffia or burlap ribbon can hold either small artificial sunflowers or dahlias or a candle. Consider using four clay pots, with two candles in the center ones and flowers in the others. Or surround the clay pot candle holders with flowers, gourds, and pine cones on a decorative tray.
Harvest Fruit Basket
One year at a fundraiser, I won a beautiful wicker basket filled with home goods. With autumn approaching, I purchased colorful fake leaves at Dollar Tree and lined the bottom of the basket so the leaves peaked out over the edge. I added gourds, pine cones, and plastic apples for a beautiful, natural looking fall centerpiece.
Pumpkin Centerpieces
Many great home décor ideas stem from using real or foam pumpkins as the starting point. Pick up a wood tray at Dollar Tree, and add a variety of pumpkins of different sizes. You can spray foam pumpkins white or orange for variety. A little creativity turns a plain tray into a dazzling centerpiece.
You can even spray paint the front edge of the tray with a message, such as “Thankful,” “Blessed,” “Gratitude” or simply, “Welcome Fall.”
Mason Jar Fall Décor Ideas
You don’t want to forget the humble mason jar when it comes to your Halloween décor. A collection of decorated mason jars can form a fall centerpiece for your table or a display for your mantle.
Use chalk paint to create a surface to write messages on the mason jars, or use a Cricut machine to put letters on these Halloween mason jar lanterns.
You can even use larger mason jars with LED tea lights inside to light your outside walkway or illuminate your porch.
DIY Dollar Store Fall Decorations for Your Walls
A wall hanging makes a great handmade holiday decoration you can use every year. Dollar stores carry many fall wall hangings, including wall plaques, shadow boxes, mirrors, decorative wooden signs, and picture frames.
You can:
- Buy a ready-made wooden sign to celebrate fall
- Spruce up one of the many wall plaques by adding flowers, pine cones, or ribbon
- Make your own wall-hanging from scratch using items you can find at Dollar Tree
Mirrors, shadowboxes, and picture frames can be painted and decorated using artificial leaves, flowers, foam letters from Dollar Tree, or Cricut designs you make.
Consider clustering mirrors or shadowboxes of similar sizes or shapes to fill a larger space. You can also find hooks and other mounting products at the dollar store to help bring your home décor vision to life and ensure your DIY crafts stay firmly on your walls.
How to Make a Fall Wreath with Dollar Store Finds
The dollar store also stocks all the crafting materials you need to make a fall wreath. You can make a vibrant floral wreath for your door from items you can buy at Dollar Tree, including a metal wreath ring, faux gerbera daisies, maple leaves, and a strand of pumpkin garland.
A grapevine wreath has become a new trend in home décor in recent years and it fits the harvest season perfectly. You can find a pre-made grapevine wreath at the dollar store or take advantage of the fall harvest and forage for the vines yourself.
Twisting the vines may take some time, but it’s an easy DIY craft. A simple ribbon can be enough to adorn your grapevine wreath, or you can add faux flowers, small wooden signs, painted wooden letters, or pumpkin garland from Dollar Tree to decorate your fall wreath.
Dollar Tree Crafts for Fall to Do with Your Kids
DIY crafts can be a fun family project, too. From making wreaths to filling baskets with seasonal treats, kids of all ages can help with many of the projects described above. But kids will especially enjoy any that uses a:
- Mason jar
- Foam pumpkin or other dollar store pumpkin
- Foam letter kit
A DIY craft using these materials is often easy for little fingers. Parents should complete any parts of the craft that require hot glue.
What are some DIY crafts that children can do easily?
Kids can make beaded napkin rings for your Thanksgiving table, fall wall hangings using decorative corn stalks, or painted foam pumpkins for your front steps. Browse your local Dollar Tree and see what catches your eye. Kids love to come up with their own ideas and then work to make their DIY craft a reality.
On a Dollar Tree Budget? Easy DIY Pumpkin Décor You Can Make
Dollar store foam pumpkins inspire creativity. Like a blank canvas, these inexpensive dollar store pumpkins spark affordable home décor ideas.
One year as part of a Boy Scout project, the kids in my son’s troop glued strips of paper from old books onto foam pumpkins and then added a light coat of paint, so the words showed through. It was a creative project that was easy to finish in less than an hour.
You can also cover a foam pumpkin in fabric and wrap the stem with ribbon or raffia for a cleaner look that fits farmhouse or country cottage home décor. Cluster pumpkins of different heights and sizes together to create an intriguing display.
You can’t go wrong pairing pumpkin decorations and Halloween, but these dollar store pumpkin ideas will last through Thanksgiving.
Find More Ideas for Dollar Store Fall Décor Here
Pinterest remains the go-to website for home décor ideas, but don’t hesitate to check out TikTok and YouTube, too, for easy DIY crafts. Here at PennyPinchinMom, we’re proud to provide some unusual DIY craft ideas for fall, too. And I am very impressed by the Dollar Tree website, which offers an informative blog with DIY craft instructions and even supply lists for the items you can find in their stores.
Take your inspiration for dollar store fall décor from nature, as well as from wall hangings and centerpieces you may find in higher-end stores. You can recreate most fall décor ideas you see in home goods stores or at craft fairs for less than half the price by using items from the dollar store.
–By Dawn Allcot
What dollar store fall décor will you use to spruce up your home this autumn?
