This time of year, retail stores get especially scary - everyone wants your money in exchange for flimsy, disposable Halloween decor and costumes - not to mention candy! Not only do you need to protect your wallet from zombie-like Halloween spending, it's also a busy time of year; Thanksgiving and its hefty food costs have just ended and the really expensive December holidays are right around the corner.
Despite the bank account drain, the frightening fun of Halloween can be contagious - especially if you're in the habit of being that house when trick or treaters come by. Fortunately, there's no need to go house poor when setting up the ultimate haunted house extravaganza. Here are a few inexpensive Halloween decorating tips.
If you do buy things this holiday, go for stuff that’s got long-term use. Check out some new locations — such as the dollar store, garden centre and craft bazaar. Whether expensive or cheap, only pick up decor items you can store easily and put up year after year.
For little money, you can make your home look spooky with stuff that’s just lying around. Pick up coloured light bulbs for your front porch and hall. Download spooky sounds and play hoots and screams from the stereo to set the mood.
Browse the internet for some cheap and cheerful crafts that won’t set you back much. Here are a few examples:
DIY Graveyard: Use cardboard from empty boxes cut into gravestone shapes. Paint them grey and use a black marker to write things like RIP. Use the kids to come up with funny tombstone sayings.
Specimen Jars: Gather up a collection of old jars. Drop in any old item: eggs, plastic spiders, broken doll parts, whatever you can find. Put water in the jars and add different colours of food colouring. Creepy!
Spooky Gourds: Take the colourful gourds you had on your Thanksgiving table and repurpose them. Paint them white with craft or spray paint. Then, use black paint or marker to draw on scary ghost faces with big eyes and wide-open mouths. Arrange them on your table or front porch.
No need to blow the budget this Halloween - a few cool ideas are all it takes to enjoy this quirky holiday without breaking the bank.