by Halloween is just around the corner! Don’t let the expense of Halloween spook you! Check out these awesome ways to save money on Halloween, so you can enjoy more tricks and treats!
The air is getting crisper, the sun is setting earlier and the leaves are falling – that means one thing – it’s Halloween time!
I love Halloween. Well, I love how excited my kids get over the idea of dressing up and visiting our neighbours’ houses. However, like with just about everything else, I have a habit of going over board. That’s why I use the following tricks to help make Halloween more affordable.
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Buy Used
My kids are young, and frankly, they have no idea if something I buy them has been used before or not. This makes the buying used hack so easy for me. I find that mid-September through October, many costumes start popping up on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, as parents start their own Halloween shopping for this year. If shopping in person is more your thing, be sure to check out used kids stores like Once Upon A Child which will be trying to get rid of the costumes they’ve accumulated throughout the year.
An awesome bonus is that since Halloween only comes around once a year, most of the costumes that get posted are in almost new condition! This is definitely a great way to save!
Get Crafty
Have you ever heard of a little site called Pinterest? Well, it’s a rabbit hole I know all too well! Pinterest is an amazing site chalk full of incredible DIY Halloween ideas.
Even those of us who aren’t particularly crafty, can find easy to do, creative, fun and AFFORDABLE crafts to get in the Halloween spirit.
Not only can you find crafts, but also lots of simple, frugal and fabulous DIY Halloween costume ideas!
When you have easy to follow instructions, DIY can be an affordable and fun way to celebrate Halloween.
Don’t Forget the Dollar Store
Dollar stores are a favourite place for frugal folks like me. Especially around the holidays. My local dollar stores tend to go all out at Halloween and fill aisles with costumes, treats, crafts, decor and toys. There is seriously so much for so cheap! Of course, the low prices make it easy to go overboard, so be sure to be mindful of your holiday budget while loading up on goodies!
Be Creative with Treats
The standard treats for trick or treaters is usually the bite size chocolates or single serving candies. These are certainly great, but depending on your neighbourhood, they can really add up. This year, get creative with the treats you hand out.
Last year we gave out Happy Meal Toys. All year long, I stuck extra Happy Meal toys that the kids didn’t want or notice in a drawer. Then at Halloween time, I pulled out all the toys and handed them out to Trick or Treaters. The kids were thrilled to get little toys and I’m sure parents were pretty happy about a little less sugar!
Other ideas include:
Clearance crayons (this year Walmart had crayons marked down to 10 cents a box!)
Party Favours from Party Stores/Dollar Stores (they don’t have to be Halloween themed)
Halloween Play Doh or unthemed Play Doh
Use Coupons
One of the best ways to save money on just about anything is by using coupons. Along with the Happy Meal toys I gave out last year, I also gave out Kool Aid Jammers. Last summer they went on sale for $1 at one point and I had coupons for 50 cents off. I then stocked up on Jammers for Halloween. The kids who didn’t want toys (and the bigger kids) lost their minds over the Kool Aid Jammers – and I was pretty pumped since they cost me about 6 cents each!
Be on the lookout for sales on pre-packaged items that you have coupons for. These can add up and give you some pretty awesome savings on Halloween treats!
In addition, watch for coupons and coupon codes from Halloween and party specific stores. This is one of their biggest earning times and they want people shopping with them. This means that they will be offering up many coupons and codes to be used specifically in their stores.
Use Your Points
You know all those loyalty point cards that are making your wallet hard to close? Get them out! Check your account balances and redeem the points for Halloween treats. This is one of the best ways to dramatically and easily reduce the amount you spend out of pocket this year.
Just the same, be on the lookout for purchases that will give you more points. After the Thanksgiving rewards are through, stores will be looking to get people to buy Halloween stuff at their stores, and as such, will likely have many bonus point offers on Halloween goodies.
Buy a Grocery Store Pumpkin
My kids love going to pick their own pumpkins at a farm, but it’s just so expensive. The experience is great, and I understand that part of the expense of buying a pumpkin from the farm is to pay for the experience, but it can be a bit excessive.
So if you’re looking to save some money and the experience isn’t a big deal, then just go to the grocery store to buy your pumpkin. Typically store bought pumpkins are in the $4.99-$6.99 range, where as the pick your own (at least in my area) are $2-$3 per pound. And those suckers are heavy!
Also be on the look out while shopping on the 31st. A couple of years ago I popped into Longos to grab a few things around 2pm on Halloween. One of the employees spotted me and my kids and told us to take as many pumpkins as we’d like FOR FREE!
Stores end up with a lot of pumpkins and obviously don’t want them to go to waste. So on the 31st, don’t be shy about hanging around the pumpkin area with some cute kids – who knows what you’ll get 😉
Buy a Re-usable Pumpkin
Not only is a re-usable pumpkin (that actually gets re-used) good for the environment, but it’s good for your wallet too! Head over to the Dollar Store or your local Michaels (with a coupon of course) and pick up a pumpkin that you can use again and again and again.
There’s no need to worry about the mess of carving, scrambling for a last minute pumpkin or disposing of a rotten carcass when the event is over. A re-usable pumpkin will save you time and money, year after year!
Upload Your Receipts
After you finish buying your Halloween goodies, be sure to use your receipt apps to get money back on your purchases. Some sites (i.e. Caddle and Checkout 51) require you to purchase specific items for the rebate, but other apps like Receipt Hog and Swagbucks Answer will give you rewards for almost any receipt.
Get Cashback when Shopping Online
If you’re like me and prefer to as much of your shopping online as possible, don’t forget to stop at Ebates or Swagbucks Shop first!
With a few extra clicks, you can find yourself getting a percentage of your purchase price back in your wallet! It literally costs nothing to do and can save you lots!
Not sure how it works? Check out this video walk through of Ebates:
Plan Ahead
Now this hack may not work for you this year, but it will set you up for savings next year!
Once Halloween is over, stores are going to be looking to fill the space the spooky stuff has taken up with Christmas items. This means great savings for those of us who wait!
This is the best time to pick up Halloween decorations and costumes for next year! Also be on the lookout for nonperishable items that can be used as treats next year (i.e. pencils, erasers, notebooks, stickers, etc.)
How do you save money at Halloween? Share your favourite tips in the comments below!
I love the idea of handing out happy meal toys. Very clever! we never threw away anything that was Halloween. Old costumes were recycled into outfits for stuffed bodies on the lawn. Ghost costumes were hung from the porch.
Re-purposing is such a great idea! I especially love the idea of turning old costumes into decorations – brilliant! Happy Halloween!
I love all these ideas especially the one to get creative about treats! I usually just trash all the little toys we get through the year that my kids won’t/don’t play with. I will collect them going forward for Halloween. It will be perfect to go along with the teal pumpkin toys I usually buy.
That’s an awesome idea! I started saving them for teal pumpkins and then realized that it was just a great way to go in general! Happy Halloween!
With Halloween right around the corner, these are great tips to know! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad you found them helpful! Happy Halloween!