How to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget: DIY Costumes, Cheap Décor & Candy Deals

Store-bought costumes can be pricey — but everyday clothes can be surprisingly magical! Here are four easy, wallet-friendly wins:

  • Closet Raid = Costume Gold: That striped tee? Pirate. Black leggings? Cat. Add a scarf or whiskers and voilà — you’ve got a costume without spending a dime.
  • Cape It Simple: A towel, pillowcase, or sheet instantly transforms into a cape. Pair it with sneakers and a paper mask for a superhero who’s ready to save the day!
  • The Ghost of Costumes Past: The classics never die. An old sheet with cut-out eyes or a witch hat from last year is spooky, silly, and budget-approved.
  • Little Props, Big Magic: A $5 wand, tiara, or toy sword can turn ordinary clothes into something magical — no sewing required!

👉 Shop affordable props at Walmart or Target, scan your receipt, and let those kicks add up.

Transform your home into a haunted hideaway without breaking the bank:

  • Bats on a Budget: Cut out bat shapes from black paper and tape them to your walls. It’s eerie, easy, and costs less than a cup of coffee.
  • Jar of Boos: Old mason jars + tea lights = instant spooky lanterns. Paint them orange or white for pumpkin or ghost vibes. Grab supplies at Walmart or Target, submit your receipt, and earn kicks back.
  • Little Hands, Big Help: Kids can stuff paper bags with leaves to make “mini monsters,” or stretch faux cobwebs across doorways for a haunted house feel.
  • Porch Parade: A few pumpkins, twinkle lights, and a sheet ghost on the swing make trick-or-treaters stop and stare (in awe, not fear).

👉 Love seasonal home updates? Check out our Fall Décor Done Right blog for more inspiration.

Woman in witch costume and shopping bags

No Halloween is complete without candy — but you don’t have to overpay to keep the bowl full. Stock up on chocolate bars, gummies, and lollipops at your favorite stores, then scan and submit your receipts in Shopkick to earn rewards back.

From 10/24 – 10/31, you’ll even get bonus spooky kicks when you shop select Halloween favorites. And on Halloween night only, you can score 2X kicks just by walking into stores like Target, Walmart, and CVS. It’s a little treat just for you, while the kids are busy filling their buckets.

👉 Want more everyday savings? Don’t miss our Best Coupon Apps for Groceries post.

At the end of the night, when costumes are piled on the couch, candy buckets are overflowing, and the porch lights glow, you’ll remember it didn’t take a big budget to make big memories. It just took a little creativity, some classic tricks, and a few sweet kicks along the way.

👉 Check out more spooky inspiration in the app.

How to Safely Celebrate Halloween

For many of us, Halloween is a holiday we look forward to all year long. It’s a chance to get creative, join together with friends and family to dress up, enjoy all of our favorite treats, and maybe attend a party of two. And, that’s before we even mention all of the fun that Halloween has in store for kids from costumes and school parties to parades and trick-or-treating. Needless to say, we are with you in searching for fun and easy ways to safely celebrate Halloween this year. So, we’re sharing five ways to celebrate Halloween from home!

Carve Pumpkins:

Aside from trick-or-treating, the most quintessential Halloween activity is definitely carving pumpkins. So, plan to purchase pumpkins just like you do every other year! Then choose your pattern or carve your pumpkin free-hand. You could even encourage a little friendly competition amongst family and friends and ask participants to virtually cast votes for their favorite designs. The winner gets a gift card to purchase their favorite treat! 

Decorate + Drive:

Similar to carving pumpkins, plan to decorate your house this year. Big and bold designs are always fun to see, and the neighbors in your community will love driving by to catch their own glimpse. On Halloween (or even before!) plan to drive through your town with your family to peek at all of the decorated homes. 

To make this idea a little more social, you might think about decorating your car for Halloween and meeting at a friend’s house for a drive-by Halloween parade. Your kids can even put on their costumes!

Make DIY Costumes:

This is definitely the year to dive into more involved projects at home, so think about creating your own Halloween costumes with your kids. Something as simple as a cardboard box can go a long way (and we all have plenty of those after shopping online throughout the year!). Then save your costumes to enjoy long after Halloween as you replenish your dress up box with new one-of-a-kind outfits for fun, imaginative play.

Do a Halloween Candy Scavenger Hunt: 

Candy is synonymous with Halloween, but trick-or-treating might not feel like the safest idea this year. So, purchase bags of your kids’ favorite Halloween treats and plan your own scavenger hunt (like an Easter egg hunt!). Hide candy inside your home or outside in your yard and encourage your kids to dress up while they search for their treats. You can even set a timer to see who can find the most candy the fastest! Post hunt, unwind with chili, candy, and a Halloween movie. 

Watch a Halloween Film:

As we mentioned briefly above, plan to watch a Halloween movie! We love enjoying a Halloween classic like “Hocus Pocus”, “Casper”, or “The Adams Family”. Maybe this is the year when you gather for a movie marathon and watch more than one! Plan to pop popcorn and enjoy your favorite candy or dipped apples. If the weather allows, you can even project your family’s Halloween movie choice onto a sheet or screen in your backyard. 

How are you planning to safely celebrate Halloween this year? Share your ideas with our community on Facebook!