8 ways to celebrate Halloween on a budget
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Luke Hilton is a Warrington-based email content writer and designer in the financial services industry. He enjoys mixing analytics and creativity and can usually be found with his head buried in stats, piecing together the patterns that make good content. In his spare time, the drive to figure things out continues with what can only be described as a love-hate relationship with DIY. With a keen love of the outdoors, Luke is usually up a mountain somewhere or in his garden growing his own oasis.
Wednesday 27th September 2023
Spooky season has arrived and, if you’re looking to celebrate in style, you’ve come to the right place. We’re sharing some fang-tastic ways to get into the Halloween spirit without splashing too much cash.
1. Tell ghost stories
There’s nothing quite like tales of haunted mansions and mysterious happenings. You’ll have the whole family bewitched when you share spooky stories this Halloween. If you have little ones, you could always steer clear of curses and ghosts and focus on magical tales of witches and wizards instead.
You can either get creative and ask everyone to come up with their very own story or head to your local library to pick out the perfect book to read together.
Take this activity to the next level by giving your living room a campfire atmosphere. Flickering electric candles, hot chocolate with marshmallows and the soundtrack of a babbling brook in the background will give you the perfect storytelling setting.
2. Pumpkin carving contest
Is it really Halloween without pumpkin carving? There are loads of designs online, from simple faces to intricate templates you can follow.
Start by cutting off the lid, scooping out the insides (which you can use to make a whole host of treats from hummus to cupcakes – but more on that later) and gently cutting out a design. Be extremely cautious when pumpkin carving with little ones, though. Let your kids draw the design on the outside of the pumpkin but leave the actual carving to the grown-ups.
3. Creepy cinema experience
Settle down for a movie marathon this Halloween. There are loads of films to choose from, whether you prefer a magical movie or something a little spookier.
Classics like Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, The Addams Family, Coco or The Witches will go down a treat with the whole family. Don’t forget the popcorn!
4. Costume creation
These days you can buy ready-made Halloween costumes in almost every supermarket. But if you become a costumier for the day you can enjoy a great family-friendly activity and create the perfect Halloween get-up at the same time.
Decorate fairy wings with sequins and sparkles, conjure up a wizard’s wand or make wiggly spider legs out of old black socks. You’ll save your hard-earned cash by getting creative with your trick-or-treating costumes.
5. DIY decorations
Transform your home into a ghoulish grotto without going over budget. Buying oodles of Halloween merch can be tempting but you can still add a spook-tacular touch with some DIY decorations.
Create toilet roll mummies by decorating an old toilet roll with white masking tape or yarn – don’t forget the googly eyes! You could also create a Halloween-themed paper chain complete with pumpkins, zombies or black cats. Hang your paper chains across your living room or hallway and dot the mummies on your windowsills.
6. Play classic party games with a twist
There’s nothing like a party game to get the fun started. Go bobbing for apples, pin the spider on the web or play musical chairs to a specially created Halloween playlist. You could even paint some spooky eyeballs on boiled eggs for a Halloween-themed egg and spoon race!
7. Get out and about pumpkin spotting
Take some time to appreciate the efforts of your community. Head out on a family walk around your local neighbourhood to spot boo-tiful Halloween displays.
You could also organise a Halloween-themed treasure hunt with friends. Similar to an Easter egg hunt, but with Halloween treats, you can leave your little ones clues and riddles to solve that lead them straight to a prize.
8. Halloween baking contest
Use up all that leftover pumpkin by making a host of sweet treats. Pumpkin pie, cupcakes, traybakes or cookies will go down well and you’ll be reducing waste at the same time.
Add a competitive edge to your baking bonanza by having a member of your family judge your creations. Who’ll be this year’s winner?
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