The most popular time to start decorating for Halloween is the first two weeks of October. Whether you are a seasoned DIY enthusiast and want to try a few simple projects or prefer to buy all the decorations, a few money-saving tips give you the most impressive house. If saving money is your goal, there are a few things you should do before buying decorations.
To reduce impulse buying, stick to a theme. A theme gives your home a cohesive look and helps you avoid wasting money on over-purchasing decor that doesn't help your design plan. From vampires and mummies to scary clowns and witches, a cohesive theme can make your decor shopping easier.
Only after you've decided on a theme should you choose to spend money on Halloween decorations, including craft supplies for DIY projects. This is where setting a budget comes in.
In addition to shopping sales and using coupons, saving money requires careful planning. In addition, it helps to keep your spending in line with your resources, which you will only know once you have assessed your ability to spend on Halloween decorations.
At this time of year, Halloween stores start popping up everywhere in temporary storefronts. While it's easy to think of this as the ideal place to buy Halloween decorations, the prices can be high even if you manage to get some coupons. Instead, stick with thrift stores like Goodwill, dollar stores and discount retailers like Walmart and Target.
It's important to support local growers, but to save money, buy your pumpkins at a big box store or grocery store. Local pumpkin farms often charge an entrance fee as well. Attractions like hayrides and corn mazes often require additional admission that kids are sure to beg for.
If you run into something out of budget, wait until the post-Halloween clearance sale to stock up for next year. This is my go-to strategy for saving a lot of money on Halloween decorations each year. Getting 50% to 90% off during the post-Halloween clearance sale can help you save a lot of money for the future.
Shopping online can be tricky. Sometimes, the products you buy don't match your expectations. The answer is a simple Google or Bing search. First, search for decorative items using product keywords like "plastic body skeleton". Then select the Shopping tab from the menu at the top of the results page. It provides a convenient list of online retailers that sell what you're looking for.
As with brick-and-mortar stores, there are discount retailers for online shopping. One place to check for budget Halloween decorations is Amazon's Halloween store. There are higher-end decorations, but there are also many budget ones.
Buy decorations that can be reused every year to make your Halloween budget work over time. For example, instead of splitting up the annual pumpkin lights, opt for a fake one. Even inexpensive lights can be kept for years.
You can even get extra mileage out of these decorations by reusing them on other holidays. For example, you can reuse the leaf garland at Thanksgiving and the battery-powered candles at Christmas.
While certain dollar store decorations do get you through many Halloweens, other decorations (usually the ones you use outdoors, such as inflatables, lawn statues and electronic animations) need to be of a higher quality to last.
If you're on a tight budget, it's easier to stock up on quality decorations by investing in just one or two high-end decorations per year.
If you have a budget with minimal decorating space, skip the frills and use lighting. To get that fall harvest feel, use candlelight. If you want a scarier factor, replace the lights in the haunted area with red bulbs. To be on the safe side, light your pumpkin lights with LED tea lights instead of candles. Or opt for glow sticks, which you can get in different colors.
Hosting a Halloween party? Visit NANSHEN website and find more interesting things to get your party planning started. You can also choose from a variety of themed Halloween party invitations to match your Halloween decorations.
