Because I am such a frugal mom, decorating for Halloween can be challenging for us as a family. I prefer to avoid the limited decorations that are holiday exclusive to Halloween. So often, we make our own and the things that I purchase go towards the autumn season rather than the Halloween season.
Several years ago I tried some new things that helped add some spice to the autumn season, didn’t break the bank and I was able to put up from the end of September until I began decorating for Christmas. I thought I’d share a few of them with you.
Pumpkin Lights
What Halloween wouldn’t be complete without some pumpkins? Over the years I have purchased several of the fake pumpkins on sale at Michaels. The reason for this is so that I can reuse my decorations year after year. However, this idea works for real pumpkins too.
Begin by carving the pumpkin. The fake pumpkins are easy to do as there is no pulp or other stuff inside them. Once finished, drill holes all over the outside of the pumpkin. You might wish to try different things for each pumpkin. The concept started with an over abundance of clear Christmas lights that I didn’t need anymore because we have a prelit tree. What was I supposed to do with all those lights? So I drilled holes in the pumpkin large enough to thread the lights through. I added some strands of autumn leaves that I picked up cheap at Walmart. It looks really cute as a side table decoration or on the front porch too! After I did that, I decide to drill holes all over the outside of another pumpkin. These were a bit smaller holes, and I just placed a large amount of candles inside to light the pumpkin up. (don’t do this with real ones unless you use a light bulb instead of candles or you’ll burn down the house!) The light coming through the little holes looks quite elegant. You can place autumn leaves all over the base of the pumpkin or drape a strand over the pumpkin.
Outdoor Decorations
Because I also am strange about the outside appearance of my house and I hate purchasing all those expensive outdoor decorations, I’ve come up with some ideas of my own. First, grab several strings of clear Christmas lights and drape them through bushes, around your front porch, door, etc. Then entwine some autumn leave strands through. Add a wreath to your door. You can place pumpkins and gourds all around too. You can typically get a large hay bale for about $3.00 and put it in your yard with pumpkins and other items decorating it.
Indoor Decorations
You can also add clay pots, bowls and other things to the whole decoration mix and use leaf strands and clear lights to drape over them. Purchase some cheap fabric and create your own table clothes and runners to add some festivity.
Of course there are several other ideas that you can use to decorate frugally and add some festivity to your home. Do you have any you could share?
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