Cost-Effective Halloween: Budget-Friendly Tips for Celebrations

Halloween should be a festive occasion for fun and frights—not an opportunity to put your bank balance six feet underground. If you’re concerned about the cost of the season’s spookiest celebration, read on for a few budget-friendly tips to help you enjoy a delightfully horrific Halloween without overspending.

The Cost of Halloween

Halloween doesn’t have the same expectations as Thanksgiving or Christmas. There’s no gift-giving necessary, and the only food involved in a bag of treats—and yet, Halloween still comes with a surprisingly high price tag. Annual Halloween spending averages around $12 billion per year, as many households shell out hundreds of dollars for costumes, decorations and the all-important treats. Add in the cost of pet costumes, parties and pumpkin patch adventures, and it’s no wonder consumers are worried about overstretching their budget on Halloween.

Budgeting for Costumes and Décor

Households tend to spend the most on Halloween costumes and décor—so it’s a smart idea to budget ahead for these expenses. If you can, check how much you spent on costumes and décor last year. Are you happy with that number? Or looking to spend less this year? Either way, have a target figure in mind before you start spending. You might even withdraw your budget in cash and only make purchases with that money. Or, if you prefer to do your Halloween spending via a credit or debit card, track what you spend every time you pay.

DIY Ideas and Thrifting

With all the big box stores filled to the brim with Halloween gear, it’s tempting to do a one-stop shop and buy everything new. However, shopping with an alternative strategy can unlock big Halloween savings. Thrift stores offer Halloween costumes and decorations galore, with the added bonus that you’ll be reusing and recycling. Or, consider a DIY celebration. There are plenty of tutorials online to inspire your cheap-and-spooky Halloween crafting: from paper spiderwebs, to mason jar monsters, to fabric pumpkins and lots more.

Fun and Affordable Activities

While many families already budget for costumes, decorations and candy, they may forget to put money aside for October events. From Halloween-themed amusement park attractions, to corn mazes and haunted apple orchards, many local businesses take advantage of the spooky season to sell more tickets. Either budget ahead for these activities, or check online for free community events. Your local library is usually a good place to start the search for fun and affordable Halloween activities.

Hosting a Spooky Shindig

Halloween is an excellent opportunity to host a house party—whether you’re welcoming in the neighborhood kids for some apple bobbing, or hosting a creepy cocktail event for adults only. To keep costs low, you might make the event a potluck and ask everyone to bring a Halloween-themed dish to share. Recipes online will direct you on how to create fun and cheap dishes such as a mud pie graveyard, witches broomstick pretzels with cheese, and lots more. As for entertainment, avoid buying anything new and instead head to your local secondhand store. Cheap board games are readily available at thrift stores, or look for free Halloween game ideas online.