Halloween Ideas

Tips for a Frightfully Frugal Halloween

Decorations

Save money and have more fun by making your own decorations. You will tap into your creative juices and come up with creepy and fun Halloween ideas you didn't know you had! Visit my Halloween Decorations page for ideas on frugal decorations you can make yourself and to share your cool ideas. And if there's something you really want but just can't make yourself, buy it November 1, when all the Halloween-themed items go on sale, and incorporate it into next year's decorating plans.

Costumes

• Make your own. As with decorations, making your own costume will be more fun and give you the opportunity to be more creative than buying a pre-made outfit. Halloween ideas for costumes can be scary, funny, clever, sexy - anything you want! And many ideas can be pulled together with stuff you already have on hand. For some ideas to get you started, visit my Halloween Costumes page.
• Trade with friends. If you've got costumes you've either bought or made for Halloweens-past, chances are some of your friends do, too. Borrow from one another!
• Buy discount. If you really must buy a costume, check out the inventory at dollar stores and discount retailers before you pay top-dollar at a Halloween-themed store, and watch for sales.
• Plan ahead. The day after Halloween, all the unsold costumes will go on sale. Buy on clearance for next year. But remember not to buy anything too timely. Costumes based on current events will likely be stale by next year.

Candy

• Stick with regular packaging. Manufacturers have many Halloween ideas for packaging candy, but candy sold in special packaging is usually more expensive than the exact same candy in its normal packaging. Buy candy in plain packaging or buy early before the holiday branding starts. If it feels "un-festive" to hand out plain candy, decorate the candy yourself with black and orange cellophane or string, etc. But most kids care less about the packaging than just getting candy!
• Buy generic. Don't let your kids shame you into buying the high-dollar name-brand candy if you can't afford it. Buying generic or off-brand candy is much less expensive.
• Buy last minute. If you wait until the day of Halloween, many stores discount their candy to try and sell it before the holiday ends.
• Watch for coupons and sales. Coupons go into circulation sometimes long before the season is in full swing.
• Buy on clearance. Halloween-themed candy will go on sale as of November 1. Stock up on clearance candy and freeze it until next year.
• Give trinkets instead. Alot of party and dollar stores sell inexpensive trinkets you can hand out instead of candy - novelty rings, crayolas, etc. If you see a great stash go on sale during the year, stock up and you'll be ready when the goblins come out!

Note: Some people suggest preparing homemade treats for trick-or-treaters. While this may be cost-effective, Laughing Wallet doesn't recommend it. It's a sad fact, but parents must be cautious of candy their kids collect. If they can't be certain the candy hasn't been tampered with, they are likely to just throw it away. They can inspect sealed candy from a manufacturer, but they can't be sure that homemade fudge from who-knows-which-house is safe, and they'll likely just throw it away. Better to spend money on candy kids will eat than money, time and effort on food that will be thrown away.

Parties

• Buy generic white or black/orange cups, plates, etc. If you choose white, you can decorate them with stickers, non-toxic markers, etc.
• Name your food. Serve regular party foods (salsa, chicken wings, etc.), but label them with scary names (demon's blood, bat wings, etc.).

• Have a fortune teller station. Either you or someone who would enjoy playing a part in your party can dress up as a gypsy fortune teller. Decorate a separate room with eerie lighting and creepy music. Use a round lighting fixture for a crystal ball or use a deck of playing cards as fake tarot cards, then let the fortune-telling begin!
• Add Halloween-themed accents to food. For example, make cupcakes and use black piping to create cobwebs in the icing; or make chocolate cupcakes with orange icing and decorate the icing with candy corn or black piping bats. For more Halloween ideas for party food, visit my Halloween Recipes page.
• For kid parties, have a "Create Your Own Trick-or-Treat Bag" activity. For this activity, set up a station with paper bags, markers, stickers, glue, glitter and other craft supplies and let kids make their own bags for trick-or-treating.
• Make a haunted house. Consider sectioning off a portion of the house, yard or the garage as a haunted house.

Haunted House

The size of your haunted house and how long you operate it (one evening for a few hours or over the course of several days or weeks) depends on how much time, expense and effort you want to put into both creating and maintaining it. There are several low-cost details you can incorporate for a big effect on a small budget. Visit my Haunted House Ideas page for tips on how to create your own personal goblin mansion!

Pumpkins

If you get a pumpkin early in the season, though, wait until closer to Halloween to carve it or it will decay (unless you want a moldy jack-o-lantern). And be sure to collect the seeds and roast them for a crunchy treat.

How do you make Halloween frightfully awesome?

Do you have a great and frugal Halloween idea? Share it with your fellow readers and give them a treat!

What other visitors have said

Click below to see Halloween ideas from other visitors to this page.

Halloween Decorations

Halloween Costumes

Halloween Recipes

Haunted House Ideas

Frugal Holidays

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