I love Halloween, in fact, I love any reason or occasion to celebrate but I also love being frugal. Trying to live a frugal or money-saving lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to miss out on having fun and celebrating Halloween. Over the years I’ve come up with lots of ways to celebrate a frugal Halloween to the max without breaking my budget.

Celebrating Halloween is fast becoming as popular as celebrating Christmas and Easter but with that comes more pressure to spend money. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to spend a fortune and share some of the things I have done over the years to have a fun but frugal Halloween.

Pumpkins

Quite a few years back I took the kids to a local pumpkin patch, this was before they became popular and it was lovely and affordable. Jump forward a few years and events like this have become overcrowded and expensive. Making memories like this is lovely but don’t let it become something you feel you have to do every single year.

You could alternate between a pumpkin patch visit one year and taking a family trip to the supermarket to choose a pumpkin each. Either one of these is fun and still creates a memory or a tradition. We make it a competition in the store to see who can find the biggest, ugliest or most unusual pumpkin. Store-bought pumpkins are much cheaper than from a special pumpkin patch but are still carvable and utterly delicious as a pie or soup.

Shop All Year Round

If you love to decorate your home for Halloween like I do then you can make it more affordable by shopping all year round. Stores start reducing their Halloween stock a couple of days before the event as they want to make space for the onslaught of Christmas goodies. If you visit on the day itself you will often find even bigger reductions some up to 75% off the original prices. If you have the space then stock up for the following year and save yourself lots of money.

Another way to save is to shop second-hand, I use Vinted for costumes and charity shops for home decor, toys and spooky accessories. Last year I found a Darth Vader costume for my son, brand new in packaging for half the original cost in store. I’ve also picked up some fantastic decor pieces from charity shops for pennies.

Penny-Pinching Party

Just because you are being frugal doesn’t mean you can’t throw a fun party for kids or grown-ups. Ask everyone to bring a spooky dish with them, people love contributing to a party and it makes the spread more interesting. Borrow plates, cups or cutlery from family or friends to save money and the planet by not buying disposable items.

Have a look on Pinterest or craft blogs to find ideas for games and decorations to make yourself at home. We used to love wrapping each other in crepe or toilet paper as mummies, whoever did it the fastest won a little prize. You could also pin the fangs on the vampire or play musical zombies.

Sweets & Treats

If you want to treat the kids and the trick-or-treaters to some sweets or chocolate then looking for deals or bulk buying is the way to go. This time of year you can find bags of 20 lollipops for £1, even if you set yourself a budget of £5 that’s 100 lollipops for the crowds.

Shop at discount retailers like Home Bargains or Farm Foods and avoid the overpriced Halloween-themed packaging and go for off-brand instead. It should be all about the fun of trick-or-treating not who has the fanciest sweet treats.

Use Cashback Apps

For anything you do need to buy then make sure you are making full use of cashback apps like Top Cashback, Quidco, Airtime Rewards and JamDoughnut. Any cashback no matter how small is better in your pocket.

Also check apps like Shopmium, CheckoutSmart and Green Jinn for cashback offers or freebies on food for your party. I have been able to claim free pumpkins, snacks and drinks over the past few years.

Free Fun

I have seen so many local shopping centres and libraries offering free Halloween events this year. They often include things like craft making, face painting, and games in which you can win prizes. If you think you will be tempted to spend money at the shopping centres make sure you load your bag with homemade snacks and drinks.

Costumes

Homemade costumes are a cheap and frugal way to save lots of money. You can either use what you have or source inexpensive items at charity shops or discount retailers. I grew up in the 1980’s where my costume consisted of a bin bag and a witches hat made out of crepe paper and cardboard, I still had lots of fun. Pinterest has a massive amount of costume ideas and you don’t need to be super creative or crafty to make them.

I hope I’ve shown you that celebrating Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive or budget-breaking with these ideas. Living a frugal lifestyle often comes hand in hand with getting creative and thinking outside the box and that’s no bad thing.

If you have any other ideas then do leave me a comment. I love reading about what other people do to celebrate Halloween on a budget.