How to Host Great Halloween Party On A Budget

It’s that time of year again when the costumes come out and you get to play tricks on your friends, family, and coworkers. It takes time to plan an adult Halloween party, but that is half the fun. However, Halloween parties can be costly at times. So, how do you avoid the high costs while still having a good time? You don’t have to break the bank to have fantastic celebrations by following these tips.

First, let’s look at how much the average American plans to spend on Halloween.

How much money is being spent on Halloween annually?

According to the National Retail Federation, 65% of Americans celebrated Halloween, up from 58% in 2020 and just shy of 68% in 2019. Americans are predicted to spend a record $10.14 billion on Halloween in 2021, up from $8.05 billion in 2020 and $8.78 billion in 2019.

The average amount spent per person on costumes, sweets, decorations, and greeting cards increased to $102.74, up from $92.12 in 2020 and $86.27 in 2019. Households with children spent more than twice as much on Halloween merchandise as those without—an estimated $149.69 vs. $73.57.

With the numbers increasing year after year, if we don’t have a detailed strategy, we will most likely go over our budget for the Halloween party.

Trying to keep your Halloween party spending under control. Today, we’re going to share what we’ve learned with you, as well as some of our most practical money-saving recommendations in order to have a perfect Halloween party.

Set Your Halloween Party Budget

First and foremost, setting limitations is the most effective approach to keeping your spending under control. It’s easy to get carried away at the moment, especially if you don’t have a fixed budget or reference for how much each item should cost.

Spending effort to plan your budget early on avoids headaches and bank account errors later on. If you discover that your initial budget isn’t really in scope after you start shopping, call some friends and see if they can assist you by bringing products left over on your list

Tips:

• Keep track of expected and real spending with a budget tracker.
• If you start going over budget, ask each party visitor to bring one thing from the remaining list.

DOWNLOAD HALLOWEEN BUDGET PLANNER

Make a Ghoul’s list or Number of Guests

When you’re on a tight budget, a Halloween party with only your closest pals is your best chance. There is no compulsion that you invite your entire class, soccer team, or entire neighborhood.

Furthermore, while it is absolutely a good idea to leave no child behind, it is difficult to plan a party with a large number of children when attempting to save money. If you’re hosting a Halloween party for kids, keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for adults to stay and enjoy cake and drinks as well. Consider this when creating your list. Set a limit for the guest list and indicate on the invitation whether a plus-one is permitted.

Choose Your Spooktacular Halloween Party Decoration

A successful Halloween party must have a great concept. Of course, Halloween is a theme in and of itself, but you can concentrate your approach even further if you wish. Zombie apocalypse, terrifying movies, crime scenes, and haunted houses are some fun theme ideas.

You’ll now need some items to decorate your home in order to get into the spooky vibe. Because your Halloween decorations are one of the highlights of the season, you may spend a little more on them without even realizing it.

However, you do not have to spend a lot of money on it. How? Of course, some do-it-yourself! You may find some amazing images online, print them out, and paste them all over your party venue, or you can easily get cheap Halloween decorations on Amazon.

Tips:

• Colors for a simple Halloween party: Choose the colors you wish to utilize for your party theme first. Some common Halloween party color combinations include: orange and black, green and purple, black and white or black, white and orange
• Look for decorations in your home: Supplies left over from prior parties or your regular Halloween decorations can be used to adorn the place in your house or outside where you are having the party.
• Make use of free Halloween printables: Pinterest provides a plethora of free Halloween printables that work nicely as decorations; print them out and place them in $1 dollar store photo frames.

Prepare Your Costume for a Spectacular Halloween Party

This is quite likely the most enjoyable aspect of Halloween party preparation. Dressing up is always enjoyable, and here you have the freedom to dress whatever and whenever you want without being criticized!

There would be lots of costume ideas in your closet already, so use your imagination to create the craziest outfit ever and rock it! This allows you to express your creativity while also avoiding wasting money because you won’t have to buy new items.

Pick a Date and Time

If you’re on a small budget, it’s best to set the value at your home or a friend’s place, as renting out a venue can be costly.

One of the best Halloween party planning strategies is to figure out where the activities will take place ahead of time. Before October arrives, start thinking about your location alternatives.

Set a date; you can either host a party on Halloween or on another day if you intend to invite a large number of people. Throwing a Halloween party is best done at night, so choose a time after sunset and let the eerie atmosphere of the night establish the scene and work its magic!

The Digital Invites for a Great Halloween Party

Now that you’ve determined the date and time, it’s time to send invitations to the folks you intend to invite!

Instead of printing invitations, send a digital copy. Sending e-invites would be the simplest and quickest way to send free invitations!

Your friends and family will still have the information they require without the added burden of carrying a piece of paper they do not need

So, select a creepy Halloween-themed template and distribute it to your guest list! Make sure to tell everyone to come dressed up in their Halloween costumes, because what is Halloween without colorful costumes?

Decide on Bites and Serve a Spooky Spirit

While you may be tempted to spend a large amount on Halloween snacks, you can save a lot of money on catering while still getting into the spirit of the season by making scary fantastic cuisine yourself and fusing in themes to your usual snacks.

Rather than serving supper to your party guests, serve snacks and sweets that are simple to create in bulk. Popcorn, pigs in a blanket, cupcakes, and salsa are all inexpensive and simple snack alternatives. A candy bar is another fantastic way to stay on the theme while saving money.

You could also make your Halloween party a potluck. This will encourage each visitor to prepare and bring their own dish, allowing you to avoid providing all of the food.

Remember that Halloween is also about being creative. You’re on the right track to throwing a fantastic party if you use your imagination and our Halloween templates.

Budget Friendly Halloween Party Activities

Throughout the evening, keep guests amused with engaging activities, games and activities should be part of your Halloween party ideas.

Music

If you’re going for a really spooky type atmosphere you might want to get some chamber music or something. Remember to keep the celebration going by playing music about monsters, witches, and zombies.

There are almost certainly dozens of Halloween playlists on your preferred streaming provider. Or just find a YouTube video like the one below and play it on loop during the night. Or a playlist of Halloween-themed music. To dance, connect a speaker to your phone, laptop, or tablet.

Movie

Having everyone enjoy the wonderful Halloween snacks while watching a Halloween movie, regardless of their age, is a great way to keep the Halloween party price down.

To get guests in the mood, play iconic scary movies in the background (on silent if you don’t want the sound to be annoying), such as Friday the 13th, The Exorcist, or, of course, Halloween. For less horrific films that nonetheless set the mood, try The Addams Family, Beetlejuice, or—the most feel-good Halloween film ever—It’s Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Charles M. Schulz

Games

Many easy activities will delight visitors and provide them with an enjoyable day without cost. Choose a winner for a costume contest, see who can carve the best pumpkin, tell spooky stories by the fire, or organize a prize-filled scavenger hunt.

• Pumpkin carving (Or painting them). Invite your guests to bring pumpkins to carve or paint. This activity will take some time, but that is fine because you want the kids to be entertained while they are at the celebration.
• Bowling with ghosts: Draw some ghost faces on toilet paper rolls with a marker. Then stack them and roll them from pumpkin to bowl!
• Costume Competition: A costume contest is something that everyone enjoys. Set up a contest to encourage your guests to be creative with their Halloween costumes. They can use the free Halloween contest entry template to submit their photo entries before to the event. You can create a poll to allow your guests to judge more objectively. Prepare something unique for your winner at the end of the contest.

Halloween Party Favors

Party favors are a thoughtful way to thank guests for attending your holiday party. Make-up packs with vampire teeth, masks, little alcohol bottles, and other goodies

You can think about personalized gifts like engraved wooden spoons or forks.

Save on Cleanup

The cleanup is one of the unnoticed costs of a party. If your visitors break or stain your furniture or possessions, you may have to restore or replace them. Ghoulproof your home before the party begins to save time and money on cleanup. Make specific portions of the house off-limits in order to conceal valuables and breakables in a closed bedroom. You may even include caution tape into the party theme.

Use your backyard or other outdoor space to keep your guests outside if you have one. Cover any surface where beverages or food will be served or sat. You can cover these surfaces with inexpensive disposable tablecloths or even old sheets.

On a budget, you can eat, drink, and be enjoyable. Your Halloween party doesn’t have to break the bank to be a huge success, and you’ll have a much better time if you don’t spend the evening worrying about money.