Halloween season is almost upon us, and that means stores filled with candy, costumes, and spooky decorations! It’s easy to be drawn in to all of the orange and black, and maybe you buy just one or two things here and there, but if you do that every time you go out, you would be surprised at how much money you actually spend on it all. Well don’t you worry, because I’ve got some money-saving tips that could keep you strong during those shopping urges! It is possible to have an awesome Halloween without spending your entire month’s paycheck. Keep reading to see how!

Costumes & Decorations

Consider using items from around the house to decorate. Go back to your childhood and get creative with pumpkin designs on construction paper. Use glitter, string, stickers, paint, whatever you may have on hand! Have any old sheets? Tear them up a bit and use them as tablecloths or wall backdrops. Use food coloring or Kool-Aid for “blood” stains.

Bust out your stash of decorations from last year, and think about different ways to incorporate them into your design. There’s no need buying new ones if the ones you already have work just as fine.

Check out thrift stores and consignment shops. During this time of year, thrift stores usually have a pretty decent supply of costumes both used and new. You can also find some pretty neat decorations to boost your décor as well.

Take a look through your local Facebook marketplace and Craigslist. People during this time are opening boxes of Halloween stuff, and realize that they have things they no longer want. Take advantage of that and you can possibly scoop up something sweet for a great price, or maybe even free!

Just as with the decorations, you can find that you already have what you need in your home to make a decent costume.

Example: Last year I wanted to be Jigsaw from the SAW movies (he’s the little creepy puppet that rides around on the tricycle), but I didn’t have the time (or money) to hunt for a costume. Looking at the design, I realized that I already had just about everything I needed right in my home (down to the little red tricycle that I borrowed from my kids). I had a white button up shirt, a black suit jacket, black shoes, etc. All I needed was a little bowtie and some red makeup for the swirly cheeks. It was cheap, and I came in second place for the costume contest (behind my very good friend, who was Consuela from Family Guy. He pulled it off quite nicely).

Pumpkin Carving

Opt out of those fancy pumpkin carving tool kits

and go the old fashioned route; kitchen knives and spoons. I personally prefer the old fashioned jack-o-lantern style over the super-detailed carvings that are hot right now. It just feels…traditional.

Consider saving the seeds for baking and snacking! Clean them real good and throw them on a baking sheet and heat for a bit in the oven. Sprinkle a little salt on those bad boys and you have a delicious snack!

If you have kids, plan an evening for pumpkin carving or decorating. This is a great alternative to going out and spending money on some other Halloween festivity.

Parties

If you’re having an adult party, hold a “witches brew” competition. Participants create an alcoholic drink to share, and at the end of the night everyone votes on which one is the most wicked! (This is a good way to save money by not having to pay for all of the alcohol!)

Similar to the witches brew, have everyone bring a themed snack to share. (Jell-o fingers, anyone?)

Charge “admission”. And no, I don’t mean money.

Example: One time, we held a party and forgot to stock up on toilet paper, so we had an admission fee to enter; one roll of TP. It was cheap for them, and saved us the time and money that it would have taken to run out and stock up, and when you live in the middle of the woods, you can’t just go to the local store without making a 45 minute trip out of it. Of course not everyone contributed, but out of the handful who did, we were well stocked for the party.

CAUTION: Please don’t ever charge your friends monetary admission. That just makes you look cheap. Unless of course you get a keg or something, and have them pitch in a small amount if they plan on drinking from it.

Other

If you like your home to smell nice before inviting someone over, you don’t necessarily need to run out and get a gazillion plug-ins for your home. You can find crockpot recipes for fragrance purposes, or consider baking something. Slice up some apples, coat them in cinnamon and sugar, and bake for a few hours on low heat. Your house will smell AMAZING, and afterwards you can enjoy a tasty snack!

If you are walking around a store during the Halloween season, you will probably run across a CD filled with spooky sounds and music. It may be tempting (especially when you think about freaking out the trick-or-treaters), but you may not need it! You can find spooky sounds on YouTube. I promise. Grab yourself a speaker or Echo Dot, and you’re golden. Plus, you don’t have to store the CD for a year until you can use it again.

Check out your local library or newspaper for free or discounted events during this time.

Toward the end of the crop season, you can find pumpkins and gourds for really low prices.

Find a few sugar baby pumpkins, and whip yourself up a pie from scratch! They are super tasty.

Make sure to keep an eye out for candy coupons so you can stock up and not break the bank.

I hope that these tips have inspired you to use your imagination a bit this season! You don’t NEED to buy all of the latest decorations and costumes. You can be more original by being creative with what you already have.

Wishing you all a happy Halloween!

How do you save money during the halloween season? Let me know in the comments below!