Throw a Halloween Party Without Breaking the Bank

Halloween is one of the most cost-friendly holidays out there because it tends to thrive on creativity rather than extensive wish lists and expensive feasts. With the following crafts and activities along with creative foods themed around night critters and spooky things, you can throw a successful Halloween party and have a ball on a budget.

The Set Up

Image via Money Crashers.

Cardboard Tombstones – Graveyards are scary especially when they are in your front lawn. All you need is some gray or silver spray paint, Sharpies for “engraving” names, wooden stakes, glue and cardboard boxes. To save money and also become a recycler’s dream, go to your local grocery store and ask if they have any extra boxes from shipments in the back. More often than not, they will happily offer you loads of free boxes. Cut the cardboard into shapes of tombstones, paint them gray, glue a stake on the back, and stick them into your makeshift cemetery.

Ghosts – What’s a cemetery without some lingering spirits? Line the walkway of the front yard with lit-up ghosts made from milk jugs. Cut out a hole on the bottom of emptied gallons and draw faces on with a black marker. Repurpose those white Christmas tree lights lying around by sticking a bulb inside the bottom of every ghost.
Possessed Photos – In the inside of your haunted house, those with unfinished business can line your walls. Print a black and white photo of each party guest (perusing Facebook is key). Photos shouldn’t cost you more than a quarter a pop. Fill in red circles over each person’s eyes using a draw-erase marker. These possessed ghouls will look deep into your soul and shoot chills right up the spine.

The Grub

Image via Kraft Recipes.

“Boo-tiful” JELL-O Cups – These ooey-gooey cups call for simple, inexpensive ingredients. Orange gelatin is whisked with COOL WHIP to make a pumpkin-colored base. Top with spoonfuls of the same COOL WHIP and add semi-sweet chocolate chips for eyes. They are funny, they are filling, and they are the perfect treat for Halloween.
Spicy Vampire Bat Wings – On your next trip to Costco, grab a value-saving, bulk bag of chicken wings. These will act as bat wings for the night – spiced up with an infusion of barbecue sauce with chili powder, garlic, ground red pepper, chopped chipotle peppers and lime juice. A sour cream dip mixed with onions and lime zest and juice are a fitting complement to the dish. Your guests may feel weird about eating the “wings” of the flying nighttime creature, but they won’t be able to stop themselves from taking a bite, in true vampire form. The sky is the limit when it comes to the party menu, for more affordable Halloween food ideas, check this out.

Do the Monster Mash

Image via Urban.org.

Limbo – Halloween is the time of year where a picture speaks a thousand words. What’s more energy packed and hilarious than a guy dressed like a pumpkin, trying to do the limbo? Come in costume for a good time filled with free laughs – you may want to borrow a broom from the witch that arrives to utilize as the centerpiece stick. During every limbo round, play “Monster Mash” for the accompanying track – an added touch and twice as fun.

You don’t need to spend a ton of mullah to throw a successful and spooktacular Halloween Party. This scare season, try some of these ideas for ghostly boo’s and pleasing “ahs,” and let your imagination run wild and free, both mentally and monetarily.