There are a lot of expenses during Halloween and a lot of potential ways to save. Be smart and a little frugal and you can get through it without blowing that budget.
Save Money On Costumes
Costumes are probably one of the first things that you think about when the season rolls around. You can go big with costumes or save money by using some planning and/or creativity.
Get Creative
Thinking back to your childhood, weren’t the best costumes the ones that you made. They were also thankfully the cheapest, so consider just using what you have around the home. Here is a list of over 50 do it yourself costumes. You are sure to find one that you like or at least get inspired to create one of your own.
Borrow A Costume
Most people tend to save old costumes. Ask your friends or just put the word out that you are looking for a costume for yourself or your child. People are sure to offer up some freebies that can help you save some money.
Shop Early
Like, really early. The best time to buy a Halloween costume is immediately after Halloween. These stores do not want to store everything until the next year. It makes far more sense to them to drastically cut their inventory which means huge savings for you.
If you go this route, you would obviously want to stay away from topical costumes and go after the classics. Also, do your best to judge children’s sizes 12 months in advance, erring towards the larger size is a good idea.
Save Money On Decorations
You probably have that one house on the block that goes crazy every holiday. You know the guy with 5000 dollars in Hollywood props in the yard. Some people just love the holiday and celebrate with complete disregard of a budget. Don’t let that be you. Celebrate but with restraint. When it comes time to decorate, make some smart choices.
Shop Dollar Stores
You can get lot of good stuff at the dollar store if you shop selectively. Fake spiders, fake spider webs and even strobe lights and spooky noise makers. If spooky is not your thing and you want to go small kid friendly, you have even more options for friendlier decorations. Shop early for the best selection.
Make Your Own Decorations
If your crafty, this is your time to shine. Make your own mummies, ghosts, bats and spiders. Get creative with old clothing and knick knacks from around the home and you can throw up quite a display.
Go Minimal
If all else fails, just go with a bare minimum of decorations. Throw up a couple of spooky lights and call it a day. For less than ten dollars, you can create a holiday mood without all of the complicated decorations.
Save Money On Candy
Ask a kid about Halloween and they think about candy. It is a big part of the fun but that does not mean that you need to break the bank. Here is how to get away with spending less on candy for the kiddos.
Use A Filler
Okay, nobody likes the house that just serves the cheap candy like Mary Janes but this does not mean that you have to hand out full sized snickers bars either. Get a bag of good candy and then add a couple of bags of cheaper filler candy. The kids will eye the good stuff when they see the bowl and will have no idea what you actually gave them at the end of the night. It all gets mixed together anyway.
Limit The Quantity
This can be taken two ways. First, don’t throw an overflowing handful of candy in each kids bag or bucket. Make them work for it a little bit, just a few pieces.
Also, limit how many bags of candy that you buy. Halloween crowds are getting smaller and smaller each year. You would hate to be stuck with 20 pounds of candy at the end of the day.
Buy From A Warehouse Store
If you have one of those neighborhoods where you expect a lot of trick or treaters, shop for candy at the big warehouse store. Both Sam’s Club and Costco will sell huge bags of candy mixes for a fraction of the cost that you would pay at the drug store or grocery store. Just don’t let the low price cause you to over buy.
Skip The Candy
If you really want to save, skip the candy altogether and just turn the lights off. More and more people are skipping the door to door thing each year anyway. People tend to take their kids trick or treating at schools, churches and city events nowadays because it is easier and much safer.
Wrapping Up
Holidays do not have to be budget busters if you use a little restraint and creativity. You can still have fun while sticking to your budget, even if you have kids and love Halloween. Just be on the lookout for free and discounted opportunities and you will be in good shape moving into the rest of the holiday season. Remember, save as much as you can now, the upcoming holidays only get more expensive from here and you will need the money. Good luck and happy holidays.
