Decorations

Decorating for Halloween is a great way to get into the spirit. The process of decorating can be just as fun as enjoying them throughout the month, and making your own decorations is an activity for the whole family. You don’t need to spend a fortune to turn your home into a spooky space, just a little creativity and maybe a few happy helpers. 

You might be surprised by how a little bit of paint and glue can change an otherwise normal item into Halloween decor. For example, line your walkway with witches' hats made out of traffic cones. The shape is perfect, all you need now is to spraypaint them black and tie some gold ribbon around the bottom and you have yourself the perfect witch hats. If you’re looking to add a bit more to your outdoor display, pull some string lights out of the Christmas box. Wrapping warm, white lights around your hats or some pumpkins is also a great way to keep your decorations visible at night. 

If you’re planning a Halloween party, or want to enjoy the holiday spirit with your family, you’ll need some decorations for inside too. Paper cutouts of bats, ghosts, and pumpkins can be taped around the house, or hung by a string from different places. You can also make a wreath out of materials like candy corn or black feathers. 

Costumes

According to Forbes, Americans will spend around $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes this year alone. Costumes from the store can be fun, but you usually only wear them once and never again. Instead of buying a brand new costume, see what you have from years in the past that could be used again. 

If you can’t find anything from old costumes, check your closet next. You might be surprised how a few pieces can be combined to create the base for a great costume. If you can find an all-white outfit, you’re almost finished with the perfect angel costume; just add some makeup and wings, and you’re finished. If you can sew, or know someone else who can, creating a simple costume from scratch is not as difficult as you think. 

However you choose to DIY you or your children’s Halloween costumes, try thinking outside of the box. If you tape a yellow oval to a white t-shirt and put on some devil horns, now you’re a “deviled egg”. Play-on word costumes like this can make a homemade costume unique, and you may even enjoy it more than something from the store. 

Opt out of Store Bought Candy

When it comes to serving trick-or-treaters, people often like to see pre-packaged candy for safety reasons. However, there are lots of other things you might need to bring a Halloween candy gift to, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy it from the store. Homemade candy and other treats are often an even bigger hit with friends and family than regular candy. If you already have a treat recipe you love, consider adding Halloween colored sprinkles to completely change the dish. Now you have Halloween chocolate chip cookies, instead of regular ones. 

You can also look into homemade candy recipes. For example, Reese's cups is pretty easy to make at home, and some people may even argue it’s better than the real thing. With orange and purple wrappers, and some sprinkles on top you’ll have a candy that is not just pretty but tastes great too. 

Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beach goer operating out of Southern New Jersey.