Ways to save money on Halloween
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. As a child I loved making my costumes and mapping my route based on who gave full size candy bars the year before. Now as an adult, I love handing out candy and trying to guess what all the costumes are. According to a poll from the National Retail Federation, Americans are planning on spending more than ever this Halloween. It’s estimated that we will spend $8.4 billion this year, which breaks down to an average $82.93 per shopper. If that number seems too spooky, follow these saving tricks to treat your budget.
Get your candy from warehouse clubs
Places like Sam’s Club or Costco are great for buying anything in bulk and yield a ton in savings. If you have a membership to one of these stores, they already have a variety of candies available. You’ll save enough to be able to buy a few extra bags, which is great for anyone like me who has no self-control at all when it comes to chocolate.
Hold off on buying those pumpkins
The search for the perfect pumpkin is one of the best parts of the holiday. Postpone the search until as close to Halloween a possible, as many stores will give discounts in order to clear out inventory. Not to mention the pumpkins you carve won’t have time to rot before their big day, and you can use the uncarved pumpkins for Thanksgiving decorations!
Search around for free activities in the community
A lot of community centers, schools, museums, churches and other local venues host free Halloween events for their communities. Look at your local newspaper, Facebook events, or community calendars to plan your holiday outings.
Make or share your Halloween costumes
You can find plenty of tutorials and tips online for making Halloween costumes with inexpensive materials. Some blogs suggest making the costume creation process a competition with your kids by giving them a budget and letting them loose in a thrift shop. My family got into the habit of lending and borrowing costumes with our friends which is great way to not spend anything and still look good.
Craft your own decorations
Having the spookiest house on the street provided a sense of pride in my neighborhood when I was a kid. Now the scariest part of Halloween isn’t the decorations themselves, it’s how much they can cost. To save big, head over to your local dollar store and pick up some supplies to craft your own decorations.
