land of honey: Easy DIY Sukkah Decorations for Sukkot (Budget Friendly and Eco Friendly)

Picture is a collage of sukkah decoration ideas including painted pumpkins, floral arrangements, leaf garlands, and a balloon centerpiece.

Here are DIY sukkah decoration ideas that you can make for Sukkot! Whether you have a traditional sukkah, or some other sort of booth or temporary dwelling - or even a camper or campsite - make it festive with creative sukkah dwellings made with natural materials, and other easy-to-source items you may have on hand. This post will have ideas that are eco-friendly and budget friendly, as well as tips for decorating what is usually a small space.

Tips for decorating your sukkah affordably:

-You don't need a lot of things to have a lovely setup. You can decorate with lights, candles, kids artwork, leaf garlands, streamers, balloons, pumpkins...but all of them would be a bit much! Pick one or two things to make a statement...you really don't need more.

-Use what you already have. The Biblical holidays are a great time to get out your special dishes or find the string lights in the garage. You could reuse curtains to make pretty walls in your sukkah, or break out a seldom used tablecloth. Do you own a menorah? Sukkot is a perfect time to get it out.

-Do you like free things? Head outside to gather in decorations free of cost! Gather leaves to make a garland or make a centerpiece out of acorns or pinecones. Clip a few leafy branches and put them in vases. Greenery from your yard can be used for bouquets or for wall hangings. These are very eco-friendly as well as free!

-Showcase seasonal things like pumpkins and apples in your sukkah. What's in season tends to be affordable, and you can eat the goods (as long as they weren't painted on) later on so that nothing goes to waste. You could even make an outing to a u-pick flower farm or apple orchard part of the festivities around Tabernacles.

-Have kids make artwork or paperchains or write out Bible verses to hang in the sukkah. This gets them involved in an important Biblical holiday, and if kids are in charge of the decoration no one expects perfection.

-Remember that the point of this holiday is not in decorations but in honoring the Creator and celebrating with others. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a simple setup if that frees up your energy to focus on other things.

Budget friendly sukkah decorations you can make from natural materials:

Fall Leaf Streamer from The House that Lars Built

5 Minute Pumpkin Table Runner from Julie Blanner

Painted Pumpkin DIY from A Beautiful Mess

DIY Sukkah Leaf Garland

Tips for Beautiful Fall Flower Arrangements from Inspired by Charm
*Fresh flowers aren't always very affordable, especially if you're buying arrangements from a florist or purchasing them at grocery store where they have been flown in from another continent. Using what's available in your area - whether picking out of your garden, picking wildflowers, or getting them from a local farm is a sure way to cut the cost down and have fresh flowers in a sustainable way.

Wax Dipped Pinecones from Hello Glow
*You don't have to dip pinecones in wax unless you want to! Just gather pinecones and as long as they are not crawling with bugs they are good to be used for decoration in your sukkah.