Halloween is a time for candy, costumes and spooky decorations. If your budget is getting tight, you may wonder how you can enjoy this holiday more cheaply
. Although Halloween festivities do not typically cost as much as the winter holidays, it can still get expensive. Here are several tips for cutting costs while still having a fun Halloween.
Buying Candy
Halloween candy on grocery store shelves is overpriced. For this reason, your regular grocery store should never be your first stop when buying candy. First, shop online for deals. It is easy to compare prices and some companies let you buy in bulk. If you belong to a wholesale shopping club, go there next. Another option is dollar stores and 99-cent stores, where you can load up on cheap bags of candy. Discount retailers, such as Target and Wal-Mart, also have good deals sometimes, but they are still not as cheap as most 99 cent stores.
An alternative is to purchase cheap party favors to hand out instead of candy. Many kids love stickers, for example.
Purchasing Decorations
Dollar stores or 99-cent stores are also usually the cheapest places to find decorations. When Halloween is over, it is a good idea to check all the clearance sections of stores for hugely discounted decorations – this way, you will be all set for decorating next year,without having to spend a lot of money
. You can also look online for decorations, but pay attention to shipping costs.
Purchasing Costumes
Unless you have a huge crowd of trick-or-treaters, a Halloween costume will normally cost much more than candy. The cheapest way to dress for Halloween is to make your own costume with materials you already own. However, not everyone has the time or desire to do that. When looking for the cheapest costume, do not bother with your local stores yet. Instead, go online to look for deals. Many sites have many more costumes for lower prices than what you will find in your hometown. When shopping online, you may figuratively walk away with some awesome cheap Pricegrabber costumes
.
Just as with decorations, right after Halloween is the perfect time to hunt for bargain costumes. Stores want to clear their inventory and they want to do it fast. Buy next year’s costume then and you will not have to worry about it. Just box it neatly away until next October.
Hosting a Party
Being on a tight budget does not mean you cannot throw a party. Invite your closest friends and have the party be a potluck party and BYOB. This way, you are not stuck with buying a bunch of food and beverages and everyone still gets to have a good time. You can coordinate the menu, splitting it among the guests so that not everyone is bringing similar foods. Let people know what others are bringing. You could provide the soda and potato chips, other guests could provide dips, cold cuts and cake or cookies. Buy paper plates and cutlery at a cheap dollar store or 99-cent store.
