Haunted homes and tombstone yards can be frightfully fun for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. However, the cost of a few decorations can get eerily uncomfortable— and make you say boo to spooky decorations. Although it’s tempting to spends hundreds of dollars for one large inflatable pumpkin, black cat, or motion-activated witch or skeleton, you don’t want to dig yourself into a hole, financially.
As a money-saving writer and budgeting boy mom, I’m here to say it’s possible to make your home creepy without breaking the bank. Even if you’re not an overly crafty mom, these few options are easy enough for any ghoul to make. Here are four Halloween Decorations for the budgeting mom.
1. White Paper Bag Lanterns
Order in bulk white paper lunch bags and take grab a sharpie to pen ghost eyes and mouth. I found a pack of 100 on Amazon for only $11.99. Add some tea lights, battery operated ones, such as this 24-pack of tea lights on Amazon, and you have some easy, boo-tastic lanterns. Place them along your stairs inside, or the steps of the sidewalk to your home. This is one craft that you can get smaller hands helping with too!
2. Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Roll “Glowing” Eyes
Start saving all the empty paper rolls to create glowing eyes for Halloween night. Cut out the eyes with a jack-o-lantern knife or box cutter and create various eye shapes. Next, insert a glow stick (make sure it’s glowing of course), and tape both ends of the roll shut. You can place them in your bushes or tree branches, so that little visitors think something is lurking about— and watching their every move. The only cost to this project are the glow sticks, which are very inexpensive and can be purchased just about anywhere.
Supplies you need:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Glow sticks
- tape
3. Potion Bottles
Head to the dollar store and look for different shaped vases. You can spray them black with spray paint from any craft department for a few measly dollars. Also, leave a portion blank and put a skeleton head, or rubber rat inside. Another place you can look is a second-hand store. They will have a selection of vases and bottles for a fraction of the price than purchasing new or already decorated. Also, you can find old vintage books that can easily be made to look like a “spell book”. Stack them on your mantle, your entry table, or anywhere in between. As they say, “if you haunt it, flaunt it.”
4. Ghastly Figure
Do you have old clothes that you were going to donate anyway? Try repurposing for this eerie lawn prop. Take anything, such as an old pair of jeans and flannel top, stuff them with newspaper and bags to fill them out into life-size form. Next, either use a plastic pumpkin, empty milk jug, or just crunch newspaper into a ball and duct tape to make the head. Add a Halloween mask of your choice and tie to a tree or sit the figure on your porch. You can also fill out the clothes and then wrap in black garbage bags and tie up to look like dead bodies. The choices are endless and deathly cheap!
Whether you try these cheap Halloween decor alternatives or find other creative ways, the main take away is this: don’t get buried in debt for simple Halloween fright nights. Halloween Decorations for the budgeting mom is a win for everyone!
