And by “simplify” I mean “keep it cheap.”
Fortunately, cheap doesn’t have to translate into ugly.
Goodness knows my 8-year-old would just “diiiiiiiie!!” if I suggested we scale back on Halloween costumes and decor.
However, like many families the world over; we live on a budget. A tight budget, that doesn’t allow us to go bat wild celebrating pagan holidays.
Still, I don’t want her missing out on all of the candy-coated fun, so instead of canceling Halloween, I find frugal ways we can participate without going into debt.
Here are some of the inexpensive ways we keep the holiday fun, festive and affordable:
Tricked Out Treats: Instead of handing out plain candy to trick-or-treaters, spice up your treats by adding a little flair. We bought a big bag of lollipops on sale at Target and plan to dress-up each one as a ghost. Simply, wrap individual suckers with a white tissue or napkin, and then tie a piece of yarn around the stick. Finally, have your kids draw a ghost face on the tissue with a black marker.
Cheap Candy Containers: Upcycle leftover Chinese takeout containers by turning them into cute candy containers. If the food container has writing on it, paint it white, and allow to dry. Meanwhile, cut-out ghost shapes from black construction paper and glue them on the container. Then, wrap black and orange pipe cleaners around the containers’’ wire handle. When you are done, you can use the containers to store Halloween candy or give them away as little treat buckets.
Sock Pumpkin: Forget about draining your wallet on expensive Halloween decorations. Rather, raid your house collecting everyday items that can be transformed into festive decor. For example, you can stuff an old orange sock with cotton balls and tie closed with green ribbon. Next, draw a simple pumpkin face on with black marker to create a cute and cuddly stuffed pumpkin.
Pumpkin Pouch: If your budget only allows you to purchase one or two pumpkins this Halloween, supplement with paper ones. Start with two paper plates and cut one of them in half. Cover the front and back of each of the plates with orange paint. After the paint dries, glue or staple the plate and the half plate together, to form a pouch. Next, cut-out very simple jack-o-lantern features from black construction paper and glue them on. You can use the pouch to hold the amount of candy your child is allowed to eat each day or fill them with fall leaves and hang them up around your home to add a bit of Halloween spirit to each room.
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