Halloween on a Budget: Cheap Ideas
Killer Ways to Save! 🎃 👻
Planning Halloween on a budget? Save money by reusing costumes and decorations, shopping second-hand, comparing the cost of sweets and making simple party food at home. These ideas can help UK and Guernsey families celebrate Halloween for less.
Halloween can be great fun, but costumes, decorations and party food can soon add up. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot to enjoy it. With a little planning, you can reuse things you already own, find bargains and make simple costumes, decorations, bakes and treats at home.
Here are some easy ways to have a fun Halloween for less...
Quick Ways to Save at Halloween
Make a costume from clothes you already own or swap one with a friend.
Check charity shops and local second-hand groups before buying a new outfit or props.
Reuse decorations and craft materials instead of buying new ones each year.
Compare the price per 100g when buying sweets, so you can see which pack is better value.
Keep party food simple with homemade treats or ask guests to bring a dish to share.
Use the pumpkin wisely by saving the flesh and seeds for cooking, provided they’ve been kept clean and stored safely.
Visit our Halloween Amazon store!
Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas
You don’t need a brand-new costume to create a spooky look. Start with what’s already in your wardrobe, then add simple accessories or make-up you have at home.
Easy costumes using clothes you own...
Here are some cheap to make Halloween costume ideas that you can create yourself:
Witch or wizard: dark clothes, a hat or scarf, and a wand made from a stick.
Vampire: a white shirt, dark trousers and a little face paint.
Black cat: black clothes, drawn-on whiskers and homemade ears.
Zombie or skeleton: old clothes and face paint. If you alter any clothing, cut it while it’s off and make sure you can still move comfortably.
Ghost: an old white sheet, with suitable eye holes so you can see clearly.
Movie Characters: Addams Family, Harry Potter, Ghostbusters...
For couples or families, try a simple theme such as witches and wizards, vampires, or the Addams Family. Choosing a theme around clothes you already have can make it easier to put everyone’s outfits together without buying a complete set of costumes. You can turn any outfit into a Halloween costume with a little black, white, green or red face paint, makeup or lipstick!
Try a costume swap or charity shop
Ask friends or family if they have a Halloween themed costume or goulish accessories you could borrow. You could lend them something in return, or look in charity shops and local second-hand groups for inexpensive outfits, wigs, bags and props.
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!
DIY Halloween Decorations
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 🧪🕸️🕷️
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 🐈⬛🦇🕷️
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 -
Free Halloween Templates 
Free Bat Templates 
Halloween Printables
Repurpose Christmas fairy lights and LED tea lights. Use 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 cheap but effective homemade Halloween decoration ideas -
Use Free Natural Autumnal Decorations
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 Halloween Pumpkins! 🎃
There are pumpkins 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 most local stores and supermarkets.
I don't actually remember having pumpkins as a child, our Halloween decorations were made using a turnip or a swede (took ages digging out the insides with a spoon!)
Tips on pumpkin carving - use a wipeable marker pen to draw your design on to the flesh of the pumpkin first, then carve out your design. Or download a free Pumpkin Carving Stencil online, cut it out or draw it on to your pumpkin! 🎃 Search online for "Pumpkin Carving Stencils" - here's a few we've found:
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
How to Save on Halloween Treats and Party Food
Whether you're expecting trick-or-treaters or hosting a ghoulish gathering, keeping the food budget in check is crucial.
Save money by bulk buying
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 sneaky 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 -
30 lollies £2.08 
440g £3.33 
1425g £10.16
You can view all of our Halloween themed recommendations over on our Amazon store here - SuperSavvySavers Halloween recommendations.
Reduced items at local stores and supermarkets
Keep an eye on the reduced sections in local stores and supermarkets the day before Halloween (or just after). You might snag bargains on seasonal treats, pumpkins, or party food that can be frozen or used immediately.
Homemade Halloween Bakes & Treats
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.
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 pumpkin masterpiece, don't discard the flesh! Roast the pumpkin seeds for a tasty snack, or turn the pumpkin meat into a hearty soup, a warming curry, or a delicious pumpkin pie.
Bring a Halloween Party Plate!
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 -
Halloween Fun Food Ideas 
50 Halloween Food Ideas 
77 Halloween Recipes
Halloween Healthy Treat Alternatives
If you want to cut back on the sugary treats - 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! 🤣
If you want some Halloween on a Budget ideas - visit our Amazon Storefront!
Here's to a Frightfully Cheap and Fun Halloween! 👻
For more Autumn themed money saving tips and ideas, read our blog all about Autumn Ways to Save!
