Trick or Treat: Planning for a Unique Halloween

We are all a few months away from Christmas, but before we start collecting coupons and calculating the budget for that, how about we allocate some funds for Halloween? Yes, the occasion is celebrated only for one day –October 31– but every parent or event organizer will tell you that there are plenty of preparations and expenses needed to throw a successful Halloween party: costumes, party supplies, trick-or-treat ideas, food, Jack-O-Lanterns. But it is possible to save time and money for Halloween.

Let’s start with costumes. Some schools like to celebrate Halloween and ask students to show up on that day in the most creative or most frightening costumes they can think of. Some neighborhoods make it a tradition to celebrate the same way. If you don’t want your child’s self-esteem reeling badly from Halloween costume criticism, then assist him or her in selecting which ones will work, and which ones they will be confident enough to wear: a Superman impersonation? Voldemort? It doesn’t have to be scary; they can be dressed up as, say, Cinderella, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, or a Star Wars character. There are plenty of online stores Buycostumes.com and Halloweencostumes4u.com that offer customized, highly-detailed, and yet affordable costumes – and most of them also offer coupons so that you can save money on your costume purchase. Even better, make your own costume!

As for party supplies and decorations, don’t worry. It’s not as bad a logistical nightmare as you think, but only if you plan properly. Before making a decision on anything, research on possible suppliers, food and drinks caterers, candy makers, souvenir stores, and party decorators to make your Halloween a truly unique fright fest. Again, there are a number of all-in-one merchants which you will find online that can offer you their products, services, and coupons at a very affordable price. One of them is Shindigz.com. But be creative, not expensive. Learn the recipe for candy apples, or toffee, instead of buying them ready-made from a store. Also, you can search for a spooky song to serve as soundtrack for your party. You can put up fake cobwebs on your front door and in the corners of your living room ceiling, and “Trick or Treat” banners to cover up the real cobwebs. As for trick-or-treat, you can make use of an empty pillow case for your child to use instead of buying an unnecessary bag. If you are going to spend on anything, just be sure that you get the best value in making your house a haunted one (even if just for a day).

It would also help make a memorable Halloween if you actually participate in the festivities. Don’t just let your children have a grand time; make it even grander by joining them. Organize party games and give away cheap novelty items – like bobbleheads, snow globes, and horror books – as prizes for the winners. You can make a small bonfire in your backyard garden for a horror story telling session. You can rent a classic horror film DVD and gather the whole family for a night of movie viewing. As long as your active effort is there (and you use coupons to ease your budget constraints), then there’s no need to be scared of Halloween preparations.