Budget Halloween Ideas

Budget Halloween Ideas

My daughter announced last year that she likes Halloween more than Christmas. No pressure there! Unfortunately, our budget does not extend as far as I’d like it to. I want to make Halloween extra special for her but it also has to be done a shoestring.

Halloween can be an expensive business, especially as it always falls around half term. Costumes, parties, days out and activities all mount up. However, there are ways to make it special without spending a fortune. If you’re also looking for cheap or free Halloween activities, crafts and events then here are some ideas to help.

Events and Activities:

Check out:

Your local library:

 Our library has free Halloween craft sessions during the October half term and I’m willing to bet most other libraries will do the same. You could also pick up a few spooky stories to share.

Cost: Free

Shopping Centres:

Budget Halloween Ideas

 Our local shopping centres also put on free crafts and activities. They also do face painting, which costs a couple of pounds. It worth seeing if your local shopping centre puts on activities at half term.

Cost: Free or under £5

Churches:

 I know it’s unlikely to be Halloween themed, but some churches organise alternative celebrations. For example, on Halloween our local church is having a ‘Light Party’. There will be games, craft, a bouncy castle and food and it’s all free. All they ask for is a donation and you don’t have to be a regular church goer to attend. Have a look and see if your church is organising something over half term.

Cost: Free (with optional donation)

Arts Centres:

Our local arts centre is really going to town with Halloween activities this year. There are zombie invasion workshops, craft sessions and a spooky cinema. They do charge but the cost is lower than many other activities.

Cost: £5 – £10 per activity

Sppoky Halloween Walk

Budget Halloween Ideas

If you can’t find anything suitable, how about organising a spooky Halloween walk in the woods? All you need to do is cut out some Halloween pictures of cats, spiders etc (which you could find in free magazines from supermarkets and other stores) and hang them in the trees. Then take the kids and create a Halloween trail to find them.

Cost: Free. Weather dependant!

Crafts:

 All young children love making Halloween decorations. Here are some ideas of cheap Halloween decorations you can make, which don’t involve hacking up a pumpkin!

Spooky Halloween Hanging Decoration Here’s an easy decoration that even the littlest of hands will be able to make.

Cost: Under £5

Intestine Jelly I love this idea and the effect is pretty gory!

Cost: Under £5

Spooky Fruit For Halloween If pumpkin carving isn’t your thing or you run out of time to get one, then this is a fabulous alternative. I think the effect is just as good, if not better than a pumpkin.

Cost: Depends how much fruit you use, could be as little as £1.

Pebble Monsters For some reason, all kids love stones and pebbles. If your kids are anything like mine, you’ll likely have a stash of pebbles and stones somewhere in your house. You can put them to good use my making them into pebble monsters! All you need is acrylic paint, some googly eyes and a permanent marker pen.

Cost: Under £5 (depending on how many colours of paint you use).

Hama Bead Decorations If your kids are into Hama beads, why not make some Halloween decorations from them?

Costs: Free if you already have Hama Beads, but you can buy them for under £5.

Hand Print Spiders Another brilliant budget activity, which is easy for younger children to take part in.

Cost:  Under £5

And don’t forget to check out our three budget craft ideas for kids here.

Budget Halloween Ideas

Shop Around:

Pound stores and discount shops often have tons of cheap Halloween decorations and costumes, as do stores like Wilkos and Matalan. Don’t forget to check out the extensive Halloween ranges at Lidl and Aldi too.

Home Activities:

 A Spooky Film Night: My daughter loves having a spooky film night around Halloween. All you need is a film, some popcorn, a dark room and some candles (or these cute Mummy jars).

Some of our favourite film ideas are: Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Casper, The Adams Family, Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, Harry Potter, Halloweentown, The Worst Witch, Labyrinth, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Witches.

Cost: Under £5

Pumpkin Bowling: This is guaranteed fun for all the family and all you need is a small pumpkin and some toilet roll! Simply take 6 toilet rolls, cut out three circles from black card to stick on each (to make two eyes and the mouth of a ghost). Stack them up like bowling pins and use the small pumpkin as a ball. Easy, cheap and fun!

Cost: Under £5

DIY Candy Stand This is a brilliant idea and the result is so dramatic, kids will love it. You will need to use a bookcase, but I haven’t included that in the estimated cost.

Cost: Under £20 (not including the bookcase)

Halloween Party: A small party doesn’t have to be very expensive. By visiting discount stores you can get cheap decorations and serve up pizza or cheap party food from Iceland. Possible themes are Witches Tea Party, Harry Potter party in the Forbidden Forest i.e. your local woods (here are some ideas and free printables) or a spooky film night for older children.

Cost: Entirely dependent on how much you want to put in but could be done for under £20.


Aimee Foster is a mum, freelance writer and social media manager, bookworm and sea lover. Find more of her ramblings over on her blog, New Forest Mum.

 

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October 18th, 2017 / Ruth Allsop / 0 comments

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