Halloween Hacks on a Budget

The weather’s getting colder, and the spookiest day of the year is just around the corner. Enjoyed by kids and big kids alike, you get to spend the night in fancy dress, eating sweets… what’s not to love?!

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make this Halloween a night to remember. The Money Shop share their top hacks on how you and your family can have the best Halloween on a budget.

Costumes

Avoid the expensive shop-bought costumes that everyone else will be wearing, and opt for DIY this Halloween. These budget hacks will make sure your child’s outfit stands out in a good way, and they can be replicated for adults too. No white sheet required…

 Beastly Bat

If you want to go for something a little different to the standard black cat outfit, then your child could dress up as a bat instead. All that’s needed is an all-black outfit, and some wings made out of old umbrellas. Find out how you can make the wings here. Image source: Today

 UP! Costume

Who doesn’t love the film UP!? Whilst it may not be a scary costume, it’s seriously cute for little ones, and it won’t cost much either. Your kid just needs a pair of glasses, some balloons and a PVC pipe walker. It won’t take long to create at all. Image source: Country Living

 Homemade Face Paint

Did you head over to the shops a little too late only to find all the face paint had sold out? Not to worry, you can make it yourself. All you need is some corn flour, face lotion, vegetable oil and natural food colouring. You can read the guide on how to make your own face paint here. Image source: Pinterest

Party Games

Hosting a children’s Halloween party this year? These hacks will make sure your party is the talk of your child’s school, and the best part is, it won’t cost you much at all.

 Pumpkin Bowling

For a last minute party game option, give this DIY bowling game a go. Stick googly eyes onto toilet rolls, and stack them up at one end of the room. Get the kids to bowl a pumpkin and see how many rolls they can hit down. Guaranteed to keep them entertained without having to spend a lot. Image source: Tip Junkie

 Apple Bobbing

Go one step further with a traditional game of apple bobbing, and make it extra spooky. All you need is a little extra time, so that you can carve skulls in your apples. Your Halloween party just got that bit more haunted! Image source: Martha Stewart

 Pin the Spider on the Web

Who didn’t love a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey as a child? Give this classic game a creepy twist by switching the donkey for a web, which children have to try to pin a plastic spider in the centre of. The winner can take the leftover trick or treat sweets! Image source: Good Housekeeping

Decorations

Whether you’re throwing a party, or having an eerie night in, you’ll want to take note of these decoration hacks. Not only are they easy on the bank balance, they’re sure to go down spook-tacularly well with the whole family.

 Ghoul Balloons

Spook up your balloons by inserting a glow-stick before inflating them. All that’s left to do is draw a ghastly face on them, and there you have it: glow in the dark ghouls. A quick and simple way to Halloween-ify your home. Image source: Reddit

 Dripping Candles

Did you know that to create a creepy atmosphere, all you need are a few candles? Pick up some red and white candles for a couple of quid, then melt the red candle over the white candle for a bloodied-effect. Just make sure the kids don’t attempt this! Image source: Vicki Odell

 Phantom Fridge

There couldn’t be a quicker way to upgrade to a Halloween home, than by trying out this hack. All you need is a fridge to tape some cardboard cut-out eyes and a mouth, and in less than five minutes, you’ve got a phantom in the kitchen waiting to scare partygoers! Image source: Expert Home Tips

Food and Drink

You don’t need to spend tons of money on Halloween themed food and drink. Get creative in the kitchen, and you can cook up some spooky treats that the whole family are sure to enjoy.

 Pumpkin Burgers

Upgrade your basic burgers and show your artistic flair by carving a pumpkin face into a slice of cheese. You can then smother this in blood (aka tomato ketchup). After all, who doesn’t love a good burger?! Image source: Instructables

 Creepy Frozen Hands

Upgrade your punch bowl by adding in a creepy floating hand. Simply fill a rubber glove with water and pop into the freezer. It’ll keep your juice cool for the whole evening, whilst adding a little spooky something. Image source: Food Charmer

 Monster Cookies

If time isn’t on your side, this is the perfect dessert to make. Sandwich shop-bought cookies with chocolate or buttercream, before adding googly eyes and icing on fangs. That’s an instant Halloween sweet treat that the kids will love. Image source: Country Living

There are so many ways that you and your family can have a spook-tacular Halloween, without spending a lot of time and money. These hacks should do the trick!

If you're thinking of buying something recommended by us, please go via the links on our pages. When you do this we may earn a fee which supports our editorially independent, family business.