Halloween on a Boo-dget
- SuperSavvySavers
- Oct 10
- 7 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Have a Budget Friendly Halloween with our Killer Ways to Save! 🎃 👻 🕷️
Halloween is a time for ghoulish delights, spooky costumes, and mountains of treats. But let's be honest, it can also be a fright for your finances if you're not careful! From elaborate costumes, bags of sweets, cakes and decorations, the costs can quickly add up, leaving your bank account feeling more haunted than your house.
But fear not, savvy savers! You don't need to get spooked by spending and you don't need a wizard's budget to have a spooktacular celebration. With a dash of creativity, a sprinkle of planning, and some clever money-saving tips, you can enjoy all the thrills without the financial chills 👻
1. Thrilling Costumes: Don't Buy it - DIY it!
The average Halloween costume can set you back a pretty penny, often for just one night's wear. This year, challenge yourself to think outside of the shop-bought box!
Raid Your Wardrobe
Before you even think of buying from a store, have a rummage through your own wardrobe. You'd be amazed what you can create! You can literally turn anything you already have into a 'zombie' costume! Or if you have anything black, turn it into the Grim Reaper, a Witch or a Warlord, a lucky black cat, a spooky spider or a Morticia or Wednesday Addams. You can turn any outfit into a Halloween costume with a little black, white, green or red face paint, makeup or lipstick! 🎭
DIY Masterpieces
Some of the best costumes are homemade. A few rolls of toilet paper and some bandages make a fantastic mummy. An old white sheet, cut strategically, is the classic ghost. A few slashes in an old t-shirts with some green or white face paint and you've got yourself a zombie! Get the kids involved – the crafting is part of the fun!
The Secondhand Haul
If you can't find anything suitable in your wardrobe, head along to your local Charity shops, car boot sales, and online marketplaces like Facebook secondhand groups are treasure troves for cheap clothing items you can transform. A simple black dress can become a witch's gown, or a lab coat can turn you into a mad scientist. Or pick up an old looking suit for a zombie or a Gomez Addams.
Many charity shops also offer a selection of 'off-the-shelf' shop bought costumes that have inevitably found their way to the charity store after a single use the previous year. You can also find lots of props including toy swords, wigs, belts, shoes, bags and lots of costume jewellery. Go for a rummage before buying or ordering anything new!
Makeup Magic ✨
Ditch the expensive masks and make your own face up with a bit of face paint, eyeliner and eyeshadow. YouTube tutorials can guide you to create incredible zombie, skeleton, or animal looks for free!
Costume Swaps
Can't find anything suitable in your own wardrobe or at the charity shop? Check in with friends and family members - what outfits and costumes do they have you can swap? Did they have a great costume last year that you can use this year? Can your friends use your old costumes?
Here's some costume ideas you can make yourself:
Witches (Wicked characters are popular, Maleficent, or traditional black witch costume)
Vampires, (black clothes, white face and fangs)
Zombies and Skeletons (and other Minecraft characters)
Zombies (old ripped and dirty clothes... think Shaun of the Dead)
Zombie variations... zombie priest, zombie nun, zombie doctor, zombie nurse, zombie convicts, zombie cheerleader, zombie prom queen...
The Devil (red skirt/ trousers, black or red top, horns headband, red face paint or lipstick)
The Addams Family (Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday Addams, Pugsley, Uncle Fester)
Wizards (Harry Potter characters, Lord of the Rings, Merlin)
Pirates (Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, Captain Hook...)
Freddy Kruger - Nightmare on Elm Street (red and green stripy jumper)
Jason Voorhees - Friday the 13th (hockey mask)
Dracula (white shirt with upright collar, slicked back dark hair and vampire make-up)
Clowns (Pennywise from IT)
Ghostbusters (jumpsuit and a backpack with a vacuum hose attached!)
Beetlejuice (black and white striped suit)
Scream (long black cloak and Scream mask)
Casper the Ghost / Traditional Ghost (white sheet with slits)
Mad Scientist (white apron, white hair)
Werewolf, Grim Reaper, Frankenstein, Little Red Riding Hood
Doctor or nurse, Priest or Nun, Chef (blood splashes on costumes)
Spiders, Aliens, Black Cat, Owl
Couples Halloween costume ideas:
The Joker & Harley Quinn
Zombie Bride & Groom, Zombie Doctor & Nurse, Zombie Captain & Cabin Crew Attendant, Zombie Convicts, Zombie Bonnie & Clyde, Zombie Sandy & Danny (Grease)
Squid Game Doll & Contestant
Gomez and Morticia Addams
Frankenstein & Frankenstein's Bride
Chucky & Bride of Chucky
Day of the Dead
Freddy Kruger (his and her versions)
Beetlejuice & Lydia
Pirates of the Caribbean couple
Scary Clown Couple
Jack & Sally (The Nightmare before Christmas)
2. Delectable Decorations: Craft, Don't Splurge!
Those plastic skeletons and cobweb kits can quickly drain your funds. The most charming and unique Halloween decorations are often the ones you make yourself.
Household Haunts
Look around your home for items you can repurpose. Cotton wool stretched thinly makes surprisingly realistic cobwebs. Old glass jars and bottles can be filled with coloured water, glitter, and you can add custom "poison" labels to the bottles for a witch's pantry look 🧪🕸️🕷️
Paper & Cardboard Creations
Unleash the power of paper! Print free bat or ghost templates online and cut them out. Black yarn can be used to weave giant spider webs. Old cardboard boxes can be painted and shaped into eerie tombstones or a spooky mini-haunted house facade. 🐈⬛🦇🕷️
Here's some of our favourite FREE downloads and printables we've found including cats, bats, ghosts, pumpkins and lots of other spooky free stuff -
Eerie Illumination
Repurpose old Christmas fairy lights. Drape them over windows, inside jars, or under sheer fabric for a wonderfully spooky glow.
There are loads of ideas over on Pinterest for Halloween decorations around the home. Check out some of these -
Nature's Nook
Collect fallen leaves, twigs, and branches from your garden or local park. These can be used to create rustic wreaths, spooky tree branches indoors, or even tiny twig skeletons. 🎃🍁🍂
Decorate Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkins! 🎃 🎃
And of course there are pumpkins galore everywhere you look at this time of year. Local pumpkin farms often offer good value on pumpkins suitable for carving. You can also spot pumpkins in all the local supermarkets. M&S have a stock of reasonably sized pumpkins for just £1. I don't actually remember having pumpkins as a child, our jack-o-lanterns were made using a turnip or a swede (took ages digging out the insides with a spoon!)
Tips on pumpkin carving - If you're dreadful at carving a pumpkin by yourself, use a wipeable marker pen to draw your design on to the flesh of the pumpkin first, then carve out your design. Or if you're rotten at freehand, download a free Pumpkin Carving Stencil online, cut it out or draw it on to your pumpkin! 🎃 Search online for Pumpkin Carving Stencils 🎃
Tips to make your pumpkin last longer - Don't carve too early or your pumpkin will be a gooey mess by Halloween! The best place to store your carved pumpkin is outside in the cold and preferably in the shade away from direct sunlight.
Of course you don't need to carve a pumpkin at all - why not decorate one instead! There are lots of ideas for decorating pumpkins, whether drawing direct on to the pumpkin itself, painting it or decorating the pumpkin with stick on jewels, adornments and ribbons. Get creative! 🎃
Or if you're lucky enough to find an Autumnal flower bouquet reduced at your local supermarket or garage, pick one up and have a go and making one of these fabulous Pumpkin Floral Arrangements 🎃 Read the instructions here - How to Make a Pumpkin Floral Arrangement
3. Thrilling Treats & Party Feasts: Smart Snacking for Less!
Whether you're expecting trick-or-treaters or hosting a ghoulish gathering, keeping the food budget in check is crucial.
Bulk Buy Bonanza
Larger packs of Halloween trick-or-treat themed sweets and chocolates are often available in the majority of supermarkets at this time of year. Be careful to check the prices carefully though! Manufacturers can be sneeky and what looks like a large bag may actually contain far less product than the smaller looking pack on the lower shelf! Always check the price per gram rather than the total price. The price per gram should be displayed on the price ticket.
Amazon offer some good deals on Halloween themed sweets and chocolates. Try these -
Yellow Sticker Superheroes
Keep an eye on the reduced sections in supermarkets the day before Halloween. You might snag bargains on seasonal treats, pumpkins, or party food that can be frozen or used immediately.
Bake Your Own Spooks
Homemade treats are often more budget-friendly and delicious. Simple sugar cookies can be decorated to look like ghosts or monsters. Meringue ghosts are easy to whip up and look fantastic.
Clever Party Food
If you're hosting a Halloween party, get creative with simple ingredients. "Hot Dog Fingers" (sausages with an onion "fingernail" and a dab of ketchup blood) are a classic. A "Witches Brew" punch can be made with cheap juice and fizzy water.
Don't Waste the Pumpkin!
After carving your masterpiece, don't discard the flesh! Roast the seeds for a tasty snack, or turn the pumpkin meat into a hearty soup, a warming curry, or a delicious pie.
Bring a Plate Power
For adult parties, make it a BYO - 'Bring Your Own'. Ask guests to bring a spooky dish or their own 'potion' drinks that everyone can share. It reduces your workload and your spending!
There are loads of Halloween themed party food ideas available. Here's some of our favourites links to Halloween party food ideas -
Alternative Treats
If you want to cut back on sweets, small stickers, pencils, or fun erasers can be cheap and exciting alternatives for trick-or-treaters. My kids have even been 'treated' to mini sized tubes of toothpaste! (which I thought was a brilliant idea! The kids weren't quite so pleased though 🤣)
This Halloween, prove that you don't need a bottomless cauldron of cash to create magical, memorable, and wonderfully spooky moments. Embrace your inner ghoul-saver, get creative, and enjoy a truly frugal fright night!
For more Autumn themed money saving tips and ideas, read our blog all about Autumnal Ways to Save!
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