You would have been hard pressed to find a can of pumpkin a month or two ago.  There was a pumpkin shortage recently and it was hard to find any until now, as we get closer to the holiday season.
I say you don't have to be a slave to any shortage! You can have pumpkin any time you want it. It just takes some planning.
The way I see it, you have two options.
1-If canned pumpkin is your thing, get it now while the getting is good. Stock up now that it is available. Pinchingyourpennies.com is your go to source for the best price available. When it happens, stock up!
2-Cook your own fresh pumpkin. It's not hard at all. And the flavor is better than canned in my opinion. Wait for a really great price on fresh pumpkins and stock up that way.
Choose firm pumpkins without blemishes. Smaller pumpkins are sweeter and more tender.
To save your pumpkin for a rainy day, you can bake, boil or steam it. I prefer the texture of baked.
To bake: Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds. Place the two halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake for about 90 minutes at 350 degrees. It's done when you can easily pierce it with a fork.  Let cool and then scoop out all the flesh and puree in a blender or food processor. Discard the skin.
To steam: Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into chunks that will fit in a steamer basket. Steam about 20 minutes or until very tender. Let cool, remove and discard skin. Puree pumpkin flesh in blender or food processor.
To boil: Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds. Cut in small chunks and peel. (It's easier to peel the smaller chunks as opposed to larger ones.) Place in large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil 25 minutes or until very tender. Drain very well. Puree in blender or food processor.
You will get about 2 cups of puree from each 5 pounds of pumpkin as you buy it in the store. 2 cups of puree is approximately the amount in a small can of pumpkin puree.
Even at 20 cents per pound (and they are often even cheaper than that!) this comes to about 50 cents per "can".
I like to freeze the puree in 2 cup portions. I find that it's the most convenient portion for using in recipes.
Place 2 cups of puree in a quart sized freezer bag. Expel as much air as possible and seal. Label and freeze.
Now you can astound your friends and neighbors with fresh baked pumpkin cookies, cakes and muffins during the next pumpkin shortage.