Move over Christmas: Halloween is turning into a major shopping holiday, with Americans expected to spend $5 billion dollars in 2007 on this spooky celebration, so says a National Retail Federation study on consumers’ Halloween spending habits. Broken down it comes out to just under $65 per person. That’s a number that can give a frugal gal like me a fright.
The challenge for us this year will be to allow our girls to enjoy Halloween without feeling like we overspent and they didn’t get ripped off. Plus, I’ve got to stay true to my green mission. Here are some ways I’m planning on maintaining my budget and not leave our bank account in a scary state:
* Start clipping coupons now. I noticed that in my last Sunday circular that there were a ton more candy coupons. I’m sure it’s timed to go along with Halloween shopping and that’s OK. I’m cutting them out, even though at our new house we probably won’t get any trick or treaters. We live down a dark, dirt road, and I doubt anyone would dare venture down here after dark on October 31. But I might need candy for one of the kid’s classroom parties. Hey, if I can save $1 here or there, that’s great.
* Use gift cards whenever possible. For years now we’ve had a Toys R Us credit card that gives us Geoffrey Dollars/Toys R Us gift cards as our reward. If I need candy or anything for my kids’ costumes, I’ll make sure I shop at the stores where I’ve got gift cards first. (Note to self: remember those canvas bags in the car’s trunk so you can avoid taking any new shopping bags from the store. Hey, these canvas bags could double as terrific trick-or-treating bags, too!)
* Minimize costumes. One year, my eldest daughter was determined to be Dracula’s daughter for Halloween. Since we didn’t have any appropriate clothes in our dress-up box, I decided to splurge on a costume from one of those seasonal Halloween stores. If you’ve ever been to one of these places, you can imagine how I started shaking in my shoes when I saw the price tag for her desired costume: $60. This year I’m encouraging my daughters to be a zombie soccer player and a zombie volleyball player so that they can each wear their team uniforms, and all we need to do to complete their costume is use stage makeup (from our dress-up box) to make them look dead. I might tease out their hair, too, but even with that added part of the costume, I know that I’ve got all the supplies I need under the bathroom sink.
* Use what you already own for decorations. One of my favorite Halloween decorations is a scarecrow, something I remember my mother making each year when I was a kid. The scarecrow would sit on the front stoop and “greet” our trick or treaters. She would use her “grubs” (grungy clothes she wore for gardening) to dress the scarecrow. All she needed to buy was some hay. If you don’t have any “grubs,” you could raid your hand-me-down clothes or the ones you were going to donate to charity, and use them to make your scarecrow. After Halloween, compost the hay and keep the clothes for next year’s scarecrow. (If you’d like some inspiration for clever scarecrows and you’re in the Philadelphia area, you should check out the scarecrow competition and show at Peddler’s Village, an old-fashioned shopping destination.)
What are some of the ways that you remain frugal and green at Halloween?
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
I was at the Salvation Army for something else entirely-and they had a whole rack of Halloween costumes out. I was able to buy Princess a rock star costume for $6-looking at similar ones in Wally world they run $12 to $20.
My freecycle group put up a post that challenged everyone to look at what they have that could be posted for other people to use toward Halloween costumes.
I also saw a crafting idea in Woman’s Day about using plastic milk jugs, white holiday lights and a sharpie marker to make lighted Halloween decorations. I’ll be doing that. As for the scarecrow, well, the boyfriend might dress up as one and sit outside my house and scare the kiddies. That’s cheap decorating for me!
I was determined to make my daughter a princess costume since I was seeing stuff in stores–for a 4 y.o., mind you– for $40.
Oh, I made a costume all right. It was gorgeous. You never saw anything like it. And after all was said and done? It cost me about $50! Granted, it was way nicer than the cheapo one for $40, but…I realize now that it is a good way to end up with a nice costume, but not necessarily a way to end up with a cheap costume (I think the pattern alone cost me about $8!)
Our church does a Harvest Festival.. you could take your children to a local one, if available, and that saves you on buying candy to give out because you won’t be home AND your children will have fun in a safe environment..
God bless,
Sallie
Thrift stores for costumes: Yes! I plan to go to school on Halloween this year wearing my usual professional attire and a name tage that says “Hello, my name is Minerva.”
Old Navy had cute toddler costumes. $20 with 25% off. We also bought decorations at the end of last year’s Halloween season.
We’re considering creating some decorations out of paper shopping bags. Some lunch bag illuminaries maybe painted orange with craft paint for a jack-o-lantern look. Perhaps we’ll stuff our paper leaves bags and paint them up, too. Frankensteins, ghosts or more pumpkins. Anything’s possible.
After Halloween you can get costumes on clearance, or better yet you can get odds & ends from costumes that are missing pieces for 25 cents a few weeks after Halloween. I pick these up & put them in the dress up bin (every day is Halloween at my house, with 2 creative kiddos who love to dress up) and then when Halloween rolls around, there’s plenty to choose from to make great costumes with.
I would save a lot of money at Halloween if I wouldn’t buy candy for myself to eat for the 2 months its on the shelves prior to the holiday!