Time to "Autumn-ize" Your Home - Pretty & Practical Printable Fall Checklists

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace

as I have seen in one autumnal face."

~ John Donne, The Autumnal 

It's time to "autumn-ize" your home... fall is full of so much potential fun! And I do admit to loving a good homemaking checklist! Our pioneering ancestors would spend their complete spring and summer to make sure their autumn and winter existences were provided for. We may not have to rely on everything we grow for survival, but it is prudent to make sure your family is stocked for the chillier seasons as we never know what the future brings. I would advise to especially take stock of the medicinal pantry this month (and always to be working on your food pantry) in order to be prepared like the Proverbs 31 woman. I  also encourage you to nurture your artistic side and enjoy the aromas and beauty the season offers to embellish your homes with projects that celebrate the five senses of fall. And now, without further adieu, here is our pretty and practical autumn checklist:

- Make autumn inspired room sprays and place throughout your home (here is our recipe).

- Assess your home apothecary/medicine cabinet (i.e. health supplements, salves, essential oils, tinctures, herbal honeys) and prepare or purchase what is lacking. Do inventory on medicinal herbs and restock what is necessary for the cold and flu season. (Our apothecary sticker labels can be found here.)

- Organize your culinary herbs and spices. Restock what is necessary.

- Take inventory of your spice mixes and prepare and/or restock what is necessary.

- Make your own pumpkin pie spice (here is a  recipe from The Pioneer Woman).

- Do a fall maintenance on your pantry. Go through all the contents, remove everything, put aside what is aged and add that to the "use up" quickly list, give away what you are no longer eating (I have some items that I bought that I really didn't take a liking to but I know others enjoy), throw away what is truly old (and not just expired as those dates are way too conservative), make a list of what you are low on, wipe down the shelves, restock your pantry, label what is necessary, place everything back in order.

- Prepare broths and stocks (freeze or pressure-can them).

- Prepare hearty health-giving soups such as the traditional homemade chicken soup (freeze or pressure-can them). These will be your emergency stash when the cold or flu hit or to deliver to someone who is ill.

- Make up meals featuring fall vegetables. Some ideas are butternut squash soup, pumpkin soup, roasted root vegetables, sweet potatoes fries, twice baked potatoes and seasonal soups and stews.

- Make an apple crazy cake.

- Bake apple and pumpkin treats.

- Harvest and preserve the remains of the summer garden.

- Prepare some homemade mixes to add to the pantry such as cornbread mix, oatmeal muffin mix, pie crust mix and jam bar mix.

- Make a big batch of granola. Prepare extra for autumn hostess gifts.

- Make mulling spice sugar scrub (for gifts and for home).

- Diffuse orange, cinnamon, and clove essential oils to clean the air and delight the senses.

- Do some frugal fall decorating by bringing out any earth-toned dishes, displaying seasonal fruits in autumn colored bowls or baskets and/or printing out our "Give Thanks" sign to style autumn inspired vignettes in your home.

- Dry flowers and leaves for frugal fall decorating.

- Make your own fall-inspired wreaths.

- Forage for pine cones, acorns, leaves and prepare autumn potpourri for display (switch out the dried citrus for dried apples to make it more autumn inspired).

- Burn autumn scented candles.

- Prepare simmering potpourri (add nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, apples slices/cores/peels, or citrus slices with water and simmer for a soothing fall scent).

- Change out linens. Replace lightweight bedding with heavier blankets (and in fall colors if available), change out shower curtains to reflect the fall season (if available) and use kitchen linens to reflect autumn colors (use earth-toned tablecloths and napkins if you have them).

- Pull out your fall clothing (sweaters, scarves, corduroy, etc.) and move to the front of the closet for easy access. Make sure you have a nice selection of warm underclothes such as tights and leggings and overclothes such as a heavy jacket and cardigans (shop the thrift stores if you are lacking -- I find so many warm and cozy clothes there!).

- Read fall inspired books and watch fall inspired movies (some of my favorites are shared in the links below). Although the pictured book isn't autumn inspired, it certainly has a beautiful autumn cover so this counts! 🤎 (A caveat... I pictured the book above because of its lovely fall colors, but I have not read it yet as it is my latest thrift store acquisition so I am not necessarily recommending it yet...)

And finally, here are some autumn inspired gift tags to print for any of these fall inspired projects (pictured below)!

With this in mind, how can you ever be bored at home? There is so much to do when you are a season loving homemaker!

Here is a link to our PRINTABLE FALL HOMEMAKING CHECKLIST for those of you who love lists! 

You can also find the PRINTABLE Martha Stewart Fall Home Maintenance Checklist HERE which shares a very practical side of the autumn chore list! 

Happy homemaking! 🤎