How to decorate your mantel for fall for under $50

Best budget mantel decor for a fall aesthetic

The Christmas holiday season isn’t the only time to decorate your mantel with festive adornments . As fall rolls around, vibrant colors and autumn holidays provide ample opportunities to turn your mantel into a showpiece. With things like garlands , lights, fall leaves and pumpkins, there are numerous ways to decorate for fall without breaking your budget. To help you with your mantel decor plans, here’s a guide with tips and affordable product recommendations.

In this article: Fall Garland with Pumpkin Lights , Artificial Gourds and Fall Leaves and Turnmeon 24-inch Lighted Maple Trees, Two-pack

Affordable fall mantel decor

Some of the best ways to decorate a mantel for autumn include inexpensive items. Here are a few tips and fall decor ideas to give your mantel a beautiful seasonal look without spending a lot of money.

Include natural items

When you think of fall, pumpkins, gourds, acorns and leaves come to mind. These natural items are fun to decorate with and can usually be found at local stores and farmer’s markets. If you prefer reusable items, artificial options are available. Regardless of which you choose, these small autumn items look great perched individually or arranged in display baskets on a mantel.

Fall flowers add a nice accent, but they don’t last. However, dried or artificial flowers often last for many seasons. Placing a bouquet in a vase among other fall decor is an appealing touch.

Keep the colors seasonal

Traditional fall colors are bold yet warm and include orange, yellow, gold, red, burgundy and brown. Of course, black is a must if you want a Halloween look , unless you're going with the TikTok-trending "Pinkoween" theme. Keep these colors in mind when choosing fall decor for your mantel to create a design that fits the season.

Adorn it with garland

Just like garland is available with tinsel for the Christmas season, you can find it with an autumn theme. A fall garland typically features faux leaves adorned with items like faux pine cones, acorns, gourds and pumpkins . Some garlands even have lighting so you can accomplish two decorative tasks at once.

Add illumination

Just like lights make Christmas decorations pop, they also give a mantel inviting appeal. You can make your decor glow easily by adding candles , string lights or garland with lights. Additionally, decorative pieces with fall or Halloween themes that have LED lights are available.

Create a fall holiday theme

If you love Halloween and Thanksgiving , it’s easy to give your fall mantel a bit of holiday flair by adding a fun decorative piece. Pumpkins, witches, turkeys and other holiday characters and symbols are available.

Best fall mantel decor on a budget

Fall Garland with Pumpkin Lights

In addition to fall leaves, this garland includes battery-powered lights to illuminate your mantel . They have steady and flashing settings so you can create a look you love. You’ll get four strands per pack for a total of more than 39 feet.

Artificial Gourds and Fall Leaves

You can certainly use real gourds to decorate your autumn mantel, but artificial gourds will last for years. This set includes 12 realistic gourds that are difficult to distinguish from real ones.

The Holiday Aisle Halloween Ceramic Tree

Not all decorative trees are for Christmas . This adorable ceramic tree for Halloween has purple and orange lights. At 9 inches tall, it will stand out on your Halloween mantel.

National Tree Company Artificial Autumn Garland

The maple leaves, pumpkins, gourds and vibrant orange colors of this garland will pop on your mantel. Combine it with real gourds and pumpkins for a gorgeous fall aesthetic.

Turnmeon 24-inch Lighted Maple Trees, Two-pack

You’ll get two lighted maple trees for an affordable price, so you can place one on both ends of your mantel and combine them with other decorative pieces. The built-in LED lights are powered by batteries, so you can use them even if your mantel isn’t close to an electrical outlet.

JennyGems Grateful Thankful Blessed Wood Block Signs

With a heartfelt message of thankfulness, these wood blocks are ideal for decorating a mantel for Thanksgiving. The farmhouse fall decor features autumnal colors, so you can display them throughout the season.

Yankee Candle Apple Pumpkin Large Jar Candle

Yankee candles are known for their delightful smells and long burn times, and the brand offers some enticing fall candle scents. Because it smells like apples and pumpkins, this jar candle is made for autumn. It will burn for as long as 110 hours.

Northern Lights Autumn Harvest 12-inch Taper Candles

If you love to change the taper candles on your mantel to fit the season, this pack of six is made for fall thanks to the rich colors. The 12-inch length creates an elegant appearance.

HBotanicsWeddings Autumn Terracotta Preserved Flowers

These real flowers have the colors of fall and look beautiful in a vase on a mantel. They are dried and arranged by hand, so each bouquet is unique.

LED Ceramic Pumpkin

Whether you are decorating your mantel for Halloween , Thanksgiving or the entire fall season, this lighted ceramic pumpkin makes a nice addition. The glossy finish and intricate details give it a high-end look even though it’s affordable.

NaturalCozy Five-piece Small Round Woven Basket Set

Small baskets look pretty on a mantel when they are stuffed with fall items like gourds, nuts, dried flowers and more. There are five in this set, so you can decorate in numerous ways.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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