7 Ways to Have a Fun and Frugal Halloween
If I had to choose a favorite frugal holiday, Halloween would be at the top of my list. With other holidays, we're encouraged through advertising to spend on expensive flowers or dates. We're told to prepare ourselves to buy things on Black Friday immediately after we've said our thanks for the things we already have. Christmas rolls around and people are stressed about buying the right gift that often leads to spending more than they can afford.
Halloween, on the other hand, isn't about what you can buy rather, but how creative you can be. There are people who will spend a good amount on costumes or decorations but many more who are willing to be creative with their costume choices and reuse old décor. That's what I like about Halloween -- the focus on fun rather than spending. A person can put on old clothes, use a $1 bottle of red paint to turn into a zombie and win a costume contest over a person who spent $99 on a costume.
Halloween has always been different because for many people, it's about the bygone days of childhood carefree fun. Aside from costumes and décor, Halloween is also about events and shared experiences with people. If you're not careful, all that celebrating can come with a big price tag. Here are seven ways to enjoy Halloween while maximizing fun and not breaking your budget.
1. Attend a party.
One of the frugal things to do for Halloween is to attend a party. If you look at your Facebook events, you might have already been invited to a few this coming weekend and on Halloween day itself. The great thing about attending Halloween parties hosted by different people is that you get to wear your costume more than once. Don't have any friends throwing a party? Consider throwing one marked as a ghoulish potluck party.
2. Throw a night of scary movies.
Partying isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with friends. Invite your friends to a Halloween night at the movies in your living room. List some classic scary movies you plan to watch ahead of time through Amazon Prime or Netflix. Dress up your living room and buy decorations at the dollar store. Prepare a couple dishes and ask friends to bring additional snacks and drinks of their choice.
3. Go to a haunted house.
A favorite Halloween tradition of mine involves taking a road trip to a famed haunted house. Although these houses are made to be haunted with special effects and actors, they are a fun and frugal way of enjoying Halloween. A simple search online can result with dozens of local haunted houses offering tours and walkthroughs. Families who turn their farmhouses into scary haunted houses are my favorite places. Make sandwiches and bring them along with you since many of these places have tables and benches to sit back and relax.
4. Find your way through a maze.
Although mazes can be experienced year round, it's much more fun on Halloween. Search online for corn mazes near your home and get a few friends together and plan half a day Halloween adventure. In addition, some farms offer haunted hayrides and a discount may apply for access to both.
5. Go for a Halloween run.
If you're the active type, go for a Halloween run. Many cities have Halloween 5ks or 10k runs but they do charge registration fees. The best part of these runs is that you get to dress up so make sure you consider comfort when deciding what to wear. Bring your camera because there are lots of crazy fun costumes and everyone wants to show off their creations. Take pictures with other runners and make new friends.
6. Dine at a haunted mystery dinner.
Have fun solving a mystery while having dinner at the same time. Many restaurants and hotels offer mystery dinner theater. Mystery dinner is a type of dinner theater where you have a full course meal, participate in the show and help solve the mystery. It's an interesting way to spend the evening combining a night out with food and mystery.
7. Check out community events.
Many cities and towns offer a safe and free way to enjoy Halloween. The events can range from showing free scary movies at the local theater to events that are small festivals. Additionally, some townships bring residents and business owners together where kids can trick-or-treat from one business booth to another.
When all else fails, check out daily deal sites such as Groupon to find last minute deals on Halloween activities. On a recent search through Groupon, I found deals on a Halloween cruise, costume parties and pumpkin-picking events.
Jason Vitug is a speaker, author and first-time entrepreneur as founder of Phroogal, a financial education startup with a mission to help people live life richly.
