Halloween provides you with an opportunity to be creative, attend spooky parties, decorate your dorm room, and enjoy festive treats. However, the celebration of Halloween can be pretty costly. If you are a college student living on a tight budget, you surely would love to know how to celebrate Halloween without draining your wallet. A little creativity and planning go a long way. That’s why we have some great tips on how to be frugal during Halloween, yet have fun. The following guide will provide you with great DIY costumes and budget-friendly activities ideas. Let’s get started.
Set a Halloween Budget
Planning is the first step to enjoying Halloween without overspending. Setting a clear budget is an easy yet very effective way to avoid getting caught up in the excitement of the holiday and overspending. Decorations, costumes, and parties can cost a lot, so setting a spending limit will help you stay on track. Here’s how you can set up your Halloween budget:
- Determine your overall limit: Decide on the total amount that you are willing to spend on Halloween celebrations. This should include costumes, decorations, party expenses, and all other possible spending. Keep this within a reasonable portion of your monthly budget, for example, 10 to 20%.
- Break it down by category: Allocate a specific amount to different categories, such as costumes, decorations, and party supplies. Breaking down all spending will help you avoid additional and impulsive expenses.
- Track your expenses: Write down all your spending in your notes or track them in your budgeting app. If you are planning a larger party, for example, you can even use Excel sheets to budget and track your purchases.
Creating a budget is always a good idea, no matter the occasion. Be sure to start planning as early as possible when you still have time to fully prepare without making last-minute purchases.
DIY Halloween Costumes
One of the most significant expenses during Halloween is often your costume. Buying a premade costume can be pretty expensive, especially close to Halloween itself. It can easily cost up to $50, but you can save a large portion if you DIY your costume. It will be cheaper, creative, and fun to make a costume yourself.
- Look in your closet. Most of the time, you have something to wear as your costume in your closet. Being creative is what will allow you to use what you have on hand. For example, you can use your old clothes to dress as a zombie, as clothes pieces can be stained and ripped to transform you into a zombie. Additionally, use some makeup and fake blood.
- Different professions. If you combine a flannel shirt, jeans, and a beanie, you can easily transform yourself into a lumberjack. A similar approach works for other professions like librarians, bank workers, dancers, singers, artists, etc.
- Favorite TV show characters. Many TV show characters have iconic looks that you can recreate using classes from your wardrobe.
- Thrift stores and dollar stores also provide inexpensive costume pieces that you can use. For example, you can create a retro outfit by using unique accessories that you can find pretty cheap.
- Easy DIY costumes that can be created from things you already have work for cheap are: a ghost with a basic white sheet and cut-out eye holes; a Sims character with an iconic green diamond that you can create with paper or cardboard; a Greek goddess with a bedsheet used as a toga, etc.
As you can see, there are many ways to be creative on Halloween and make a costume without spending much.
Inexpensive or DIY Halloween Decorations
Decorating for Halloween is fun, and many look forward to it. However, it can also get expensive if you are not careful with your spending. Fortunately, there are many ways to be frugal when it comes to Halloween decorations.
DIY decorations
One of the best ways to save money on Halloween is to craft your own Halloween decorations. You can use this opportunity to bond with your friends and create something unique together.
- Save glass jars and paint them ghostly faces to create spooky lanterns. Just please some tea lights or fairy lights inside.
- Use black or white construction paper to cut out simple bat and ghost shapes. Place them on your walls and windows, or create a garland.
- Instead of spending money on pumpkins, which can be pretty pricey near Halloween, use orange balloons and draw faces on them.
Thrift or dollar store finds
If you don’t have time or materials, you can go to a thrift or a dollar store to find something suitable for Halloween. Sometimes, you might need to go there frequently during the weeks before Halloween, as many cool items can quickly go out of stock.
Frugal Halloween Party Ideas
Hosting a Halloween party can be pretty costly, especially when many small expenses add up to a large one. Here are some ways to throw a spooky party without overspending.
- Keep food and drinks simple. You don’t need to serve a huge number of meals but rather stick to simple and affordable snacks like popcorn, punch, homemade cookies, etc.
- You can also throw a potluck party, which will be much less expensive when everyone brings a spooky-themed dish, snack, or drink.
- DIY party games will allow you to skip expensive entertainment. For example, you can play pumpkin bowling, mummy wrapping, or hold a costume contest.
Enjoy free or low-cost Halloween activities
Celebrating Halloween on campus has its benefits. For example, there might be great activities that you can enjoy during the holiday for free or pretty cheap.
- Attend free campus events. Most colleges host free or low-cost Halloween events for their students. These could include haunted houses, pumpkin carving contests, parties, and even movie nights. Check the campus calendar to know which activities are offered.
- Halloween movie marathon. If you want to stay in, you can host a Halloween movie marathon with your friends. Just pick a few classic horror films, make some popcorn, and enjoy a spooky night.
- Explore a local pumpkin patch or haunted house. Chances are there are some events and options that you can find nearby. For example, local firms often offer free or low-cost activities.
Start early
The most important thing about celebrating Halloween is that you need to start early. This includes buying candy beforehand (you can use coupons or buy in bulk), purchasing Halloween decorations when the high season is over or hasn’t started yet, and saving as many decorations from your last Halloween for future ones.
Conclusion
The celebration shouldn’t be expensive to be fun. That rule applies to Halloween as well. By planning, setting a budget, and getting creative with your DIY costumes and decorations, you can enjoy a Halloween without breaking the bank. College students are often experts at making the most of limited resources, and Halloween is the perfect time to showcase this ability. Go ahead and embrace the opportunity to be creative. Happy Halloween!
Karen Palmer
