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According to the National Retail Federation, spending on Halloween this year is expected to exceed $12 billion. But did you know there are easy ways to save money on Halloween?
Whether you’re shopping for costumes, candy or party decorations, there are things you can do to lessen the holiday’s impact on your budget.
How to Save Money on Halloween
Halloween spending climbs every year. A report from the National Retail Federation shows that last year’s record $10.2 billion in spending will be more than 20 percent higher this year.
Want to find a way to enjoy Halloween without dumping money on your family? We have a few suggestions to help you celebrate Halloween on the cheap.
- Create your own costume
You can likely find some Halloween costume ideas for kids and adults in your own home, or take a trip to your local thrift store.
Here are some thrifty Halloween costume ideas to consider.
Cover your child’s head with a plain white sheet, cut out a few eyes and send them off as ghosts. Tie-dyeing your ghostly bed sheet will be even more fun.
Grab any old clothes you still have from the 80’s and 90’s and dress them up vintage style – or go shopping in the vintage section of your nearest thrift store.
Pair a basic black skirt and black top with some black cat ears you can pick up at your local big box store. Or make your own cat ears out of black paper. Finish the look by drawing some whiskers on your face with a black eyeliner pencil
Wear white and make some white bunny ears out of paper or buy some bunny ears
Bats, witches, scarecrows and zombies are other cheap ideas.
- Cheap Decorations
Halloween and fall decorations are easy to find in your storage bins, in nature, and at your local store. Here are some suggestions.
Buy some cotton wool stretched into spider webs
Sprinkle some red paint on an old wooden pallet and place it next to the front door
Stuff your jeans and shirts with sheets or other clothing and put them in the house or yard, wear a hat where your head should go
Make your own bats or spiders out of black construction paper
Stuff your black garbage bag full of clothes to make a giant black cat, use string for the neck and cut orange scrapbook paper for the eyes near the top. Use black paper for the ears.
Draw teeth and eyes on white paper and add some green construction paper to the eyes to make the entrance to your house look like a monster.
Use leaves, hay, corn stalks, brooms and other natural items.
Also, search your storage bins! You’re sure to have decorations from previous fall and Halloween years. Search online for more inexpensive decorating ideas.
- Shop at the dollar store
The dollar store can be a great resource for everything from costumes to fall and Halloween decorations.
You can get paper plates for candy, napkins and bags, and a ton of items to decorate your home or your favorite room.
You can also get great deals on candy at many dollar stores. Search for brick and mortar dollar stores or store for specials at the best dollar stores online.
- Buy candy in bulk
Buying candy in bulk is a great way to save money on Halloween. Check out warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club.
Or buy big bags of candy at your local big box store. Tip:Be sure to check the unit price on the candy. Not all bulk purchases are cost-effective!
- Take advantage of free events
Many communities have free events for families to celebrate Halloween. For example, my church hosts an annual “trick or treat” celebration where kids can go and get free candy.
Neighboring towns host trick-or-treating on Main Street, where local businesses provide candy for kids and everyone dresses up.
Search online for “free Halloween events near me” or check your city’s website or Facebook page for information on events. 6.
- Plan a Frugal Halloween Party
Halloween parties don’t have to be expensive!!! Plan a party and buy your decorations and paper from the dollar store.
Make it a potluck event where each guest brings a fun Halloween themed dish or dessert. Play some great Halloween music with your Spotify playlist and play some simple, frugal games like Ghost in the Graveyard.
- Celebrate with an evening at home
My family lives in a rural community where trick-or-treating is not easy because the houses are far apart.
For this reason, we celebrate Halloween with a fun night at home. First, we buy a new movie from the dollar garbage can at the local big box store.
Then we pick out a few bags of our favorite candy, make some fun appetizers, and watch movies and eat candy all night.
- Buy pumpkins at the last minute
Pumpkins are an integral part of Halloween! If you shop last minute, you can find great deals on pumpkins.
Stores are clearing out pumpkins to make room for Christmas merchandise. Because of this, they usually cut their prices in half or even lower.
Bonus tip:Check out your local farms to find specials on pumpkins as well.
- Online shopping
Online shopping sites are a great place to buy discounted Halloween items such as costumes, candy, and more.
We’ve discussed online dollar stores before. However, there are hundreds of other online stores, such as Oriental Trading, that offer surprisingly cheap deals on Halloween merchandise.
When you’re done with your Halloween shopping, don’t forget to check out great places to buy cheap clothes online.
- Buy next year’s clearance items
Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean you can’t save a ton of money on Halloween. Shop at your favorite stores on November 1 – or even October 31 – for great sale items.
Save clearance items for next year and make next year’s Halloween celebration even more thrifty.
To summarize.
Finding easy ways to save money on Halloween is definitely possible.
