How to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget and Still Have a Scary Good Time
Boo!
It’s officially spooky season. But spooky doesn’t have to be expensive.
We know, we know. It’s easy to get swept up in overspending on Halloween. (Yard skeletons, anyone?) With some creative thinking, you can avoid the festive money traps.
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5 Ways to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget
Keep spending under control this year with these money-saving suggestions.
1. Skip the Store-Bought Costume
Save a trip to the store and search the corners of your closet for something you can turn into a last-minute Halloween costume.
Throw on a brightly colored shirt and add shorts, sandals, shades and a sunscreened nose for a tourist look. Or go as a new-age witch with some drapey, black layers along with dark jewelry and goth makeup.
Speaking of makeup, check beauty stores and drug stores instead of party stores for better quality, selection and prices.
2. Shop at Dollar Stores for Decor
Sure, those motion-sensored decorations that make all the kids jump are neat. But we’ll pass on those prices.
Discount stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Five Below sell seasonal decor for just a few bucks. And don’t forget the ones you can make yourself.
3. Bring the Kids to a Free Event
Haunted hayrides, ghost tours and trips to amusement parks can cost you some inflated admission fees. Entertain the kids with free Halloween events instead.
Local fall festivals, costume parades, trunk-or-treat events and outdoor movie screenings are great options to get in the Halloween spirit without spending a dime. Check your city’s events calendar or your local newspaper for free Halloween events.
Or let the kids invite their friends over for pumpkin carving, a Halloween-themed arts-and-crafts session or a spooky movie marathon at home.
Related: Here’s How to Start Saving Money — Even If You Don’t Have Room in Your Budget
4. Nix the Candy
You don’t have to be a Scrooge (wrong holiday, we know) and ignore the knocks from trick-or-treaters come Oct. 31. But you don’t have to waste money buying what you hope is enough bags of fun-sized chocolate either.
Swap the sweets out for Halloween candy alternatives like stickers, spider rings or glow-in-the-dark bracelets. The cost of those trinkets may be comparable to candy, but the advantage is you can save leftovers for next year.
We’re not doubting you couldn’t eat your way through half a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups, but who wants all those extra calories — or the guilt trip from the dentist.
5. Make the Most Out of Your Pumpkin
There’s so much more you can do with that orange gourd than propping it in a window for decor.
You can add pumpkin puree to a pasta dish, roast pumpkin seeds, make a planter or whip up a pumpkin face mask.
And if you can’t get enough of pumpkin spice lattes, here’s how you can get them for less.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s taking his kids trick-or-treating this year.
Nicole Dow, a former senior writer, contributed to this post.
