Trick Your Wallet to Save for a Treat
Posted By :Lindsey Kupfer
Posted At : Wednesday, Nov 03, 2010
Staff Writer Lindsey Kupfer Each year people struggle to have the perfect Halloween. Everyone tries to plan the best costume, have the most decorations and eat all the food associated with the holiday. These past couple years have been rough and some people forgo Halloween altogether, but there are ways to save some cash and still celebrate with family or friends. Whether you’re a parent or student looking to keep some of your savings this fall, check out some great tips to keep money in your wallet.
Ideas for the Younger Crowd
Halloween has become more than a night of dressing up and heading to your friend’s party. The 24-hour event has expanded to three or four nights of costumes and festivities. Instead of buying different costumes for each night, share with your friends. Pick three of your friends and rotate the costumes through the different parties you will be attending. One of the great things about going out on Halloween is you save money on the candy and decorations that you put out for trick-or-treaters.
If you want to save even more money, you can turn your Halloween costume into a craft project. Look in the depths of your closet for that “Why did I ever buy this?” outfit and turn it into a costume. One of the easiest costumes to make from home is your favorite celebrity. Whether you want to dress like “Snooki” from the Jersey Shore or Michael Jackson, it is easy to find outfits from your wardrobe and it’s also cheap to buy from places like Goodwill or Savers. Also check out Costumeideazone.com for more fun ideas.
Costumes For Kids
The best place to start for kids’ costumes is to ask your friends and family. Depending on how old they are, ask all parents in your children’s classes if they would want to swap costumes, so you don’t have to spend any money. Call your parents to see if they kept any of YOUR old costumes. It could be outdated, but if they are too young to care, then it doesn’t matter.
There are many costumes for kids that are easy to put together. One costume that’s really easy is Tommy Pickles from the cartoon Rugrats. All you need is a diaper and a small blue shirt and you’re finished. You can easily dress your kid as pop star Hannah Montana or a ninja dressed in all black. It’s time to get creative.
Home Decorations
Many people love to decorate for the occasion. This year, keep the inside decorations, but pass on the outside. Pumpkins are okay, but why make your house look good for the neighbors that you probably don’t know? Be crafty and make cut out ghosts or buy cheap stuffing and plastic spiders for a spooky web. You can also buy some cheap orange candles from the grocery store. Buying decorations online seems like it could be cheaper as well, but the shipping charges may end up costing you more than going to a local store.
Halloween Food
The best part of Halloween is the food. All the pumpkin treats are released, such as the fresh pies, and of course, the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks that you have been waiting for all year. Instead of paying the normal $5 that you would for a Starbucks drink, buy the pumpkin spice creamer by Coffee-Mate or International Delight and make homemade coffee. It is not only cheaper, but tastes the same. When it comes to the Halloween candy, buy it right when stores set up their holiday section and then hide it from children (and yourself). When kids come to your door, only give one piece so you don’t run out as fast.
The traditional Halloween has been changing since the decline of the economy. Remember when everyone you know would go out trick-or-treating? As a kid, it’s the highlight of their year. You are more likely to spend money when you are frantically trying to find a costume and decorate the week of October 31. Have fun this Halloween and save money at the same time. Start planning now.
