It may be Halloween, but that doesn’t mean your bank account should be scared. In fact, if you know what to do, Halloween can be one of the biggest savings months of your year.

In today’s article, I’m going to break down exactly how to make this year’s Halloween one of your best… and least expensive… ever!

Make A Budget

The first step I recommend is to make a budget of how much you’re willing to spend. This will help you think strategically. And with every purchase you make, you’ll know how much is left over for what you still need. By taking this simple step to plan ahead first, you ensure that you’ll be able to have a complete Halloween experience, and healthier finances than ever.

Use These Tips To Save On Costumes

One of the most exciting parts of Halloween are the costumes. But you’ve probably noticed… they can be expensive! Here are some ways you can save on costumes without sacrificing on quality.

• Visit a Thrift Store

During Halloween, the thrift stores near you will be packed with costumes. This is the first place I recommend looking, because you can often find exactly what you’re looking for right away.

This is especially true if you don’t already have a costume in mind. As you’re shopping, you’ll see something that you like and bam… you just solved two problems at once.

Dave Ramsey suggests a game you can play with your kids at the thrift store. Give each of them an envelope with $5 – $10 inside. Tell them they can get whatever they want for their costume, but it has to fit within that budget. Then watch as they go around the store and creatively put together a costume they’re proud to call their own.

• Talk to Your Neighbors

Halloween costumes are a little like prom dresses. Most people wear them once and never again. That means your neighbors probably have a lot of high-quality costumes laying around that they aren’t planning on using this year.

If you provide the leadership and organize a “costume swap”, you can get everyone in the neighborhood together to switch costumes.

• Make Your Own Costume

If you fancy yourself good at crafts, Halloween is the perfect time to let your talents fly. You can use apps like Instagram and TikTok and search the hashtags for Halloween costumes. See what’s trending and what other people are making. Then you can make the type of costume that can win a competition for pennies on the dollar… and with your own hand.

• Buy Costumes After Halloween

This won’t help you this year, but it could save you quite a bit next year. Right after Halloween, costumes will be on clearance. This is a great way to get an amazing, high-quality costume next year for about as cheap as it will get.

Other Halloween Savings Tips

Candy

Stores have major Halloween sales right before the holiday. So make sure you only buy candy that is specifically on sale. I especially recommend you go to a bulk food store like Costco or Sam’s club. Here you’ll be able to find massive boxes of great candy on sale.

Right after holiday is another time when stores have huge candy sales. This is a great time to load up on all the candy you’ll need for Christmas.

Decorations

Head to yard-sales, dollar stores, and even craigslist for inexpensive decorations. Use colored lightbulbs for a cheap way to get that eerie Halloween effect.

There are two schools of thought regarding decorations. You can either go cheap and rebuy every year, or you can buy more high-quality, expensive items that you reuse. Ultimately, after a few years, the high-quality décor will actually save you money. However, the one-use items will be far cheaper in the short-term, so use the strategy that works for your budget.

Entertainment

Make sure to attend free Halloween events around your city. This can include trunk-or-treats, cook offs, and other fun community experiences. To find out about these events, use Facebook events for October. Scroll through and specifically look for free events.

You can also check your city library or city council website for a list of city sponsored events (usually the most affordable and value packed).

And of course, there’s no better place to get free candy than trick-or-treating!

Retail Halloween Sales

Halloween is one of the biggest savings holidays of the year. This means you can buy all kinds of non-Halloween related goods for cheaper than usual. Most of your favorite retail stores will have some kind of fall/Halloween sale.

On Vipon.com, we have a huge list of Halloween coupons, as well as fall accessories that are on sale for 50% off or even more.