Halloween may be the spookiest time of year, but it can be even more terrifying when you see the cost of hosting a Halloween bash for friends and family. However, you can cut the cost of your gathering by using some of these budget-friendly party tips.

Decorate your home’s exterior

Start the party right by greeting your guests with your home’s exterior adorned in Halloween decorations. Instead of breaking the bank on expensive decor, you can try some of these low-cost options:

  • Stretch cotton batting over trees and shrubs to create a cobweb effect, and place plastic spiders throughout the web.
  • Decorate a tomato cage with a Styrofoam ball, string lights, and a sheet for a light-up porch ghost.
  • Incorporate pine cones and colorful leaves into a natural twig wreath.
  • Drape gauze fabric over a balloon, and attach it to an object in your yard with a string for a floating ghost.
  • Use these pumpkin carving tips and templates to have the best-looking jack-o’-lanterns on your block.

Set the mood

An easy way to set a genuine Halloween vibe is to switch up the lighting inside your home. You can lower your lights with dimmers, drape fabric over lampshades, or place electric candles around your house. You can also replace some of your standard light bulbs with colored bulbs to take your rooms from ordinary to eerie.

Don’t forget to play some appropriate Halloween music for the occasion. You can find numerous Halloween playlists online that will have your guests doing the Monster Mash all evening long. If you’re more of a movie buff, pick some of these Halloween favorites and play them in the background of your party.

Make DIY decorations

One of the best parts of Halloween is decorating your home with spooky decor. However, buying decorations online or from a store can come back to haunt your budget. If you’re looking to decorate the inside of your home in style, try making some DIY decor. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

Have a costume contest

Ask your guests to come dressed to impress for a Halloween costume contest. Plan a fun prize, such as a coffee shop gift card or a basket of Halloween candy, and have everyone vote for their favorite costume of the evening before presenting the winner with their prize.

Make Halloween-themed food

A party is sometimes only as good as the food that you serve. Instead of ordering out, try the food yourself. While Halloween is known for candy, there are plenty of other tasty options that fit the occasion. These recipes are not only Halloween themed, but they’re also scary good:

To save time on your food preparation, make your Halloween party a potluck. Ask your guests to bring along a side, beverage, or dessert, so you can make the food you prepare go further and save time on preparation.

Plan a feel box

This classic game of the senses requires your party guests to stick their hands in covered boxes filled with everyday items that feel like Halloween horrors and creepy crawlers. Whoever makes the most correct guesses wins the game. Add some of these items to your feel boxes to creep your guests out:

  • Cold cooked spaghetti: worms
  • Rubber glove filled with flour: hand
  • Grape stems: spider legs
  • Peeled grapes: eyeballs
  • Baby carrots: toes
  • Yarn: monster hair

By using some of these ideas, you can make sure your Halloween party is both budget-friendly and a spook-tacular good time!

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