Halloween is just around the corner, bringing costumes, pumpkins, parties and plenty of treats, but having some spooky fun doesn’t have to give your bank balance a fright. With a little planning – and some simple saving habits – you can enjoy Halloween without letting the costs creep up on you.
Set a Halloween budget
Before buying costumes, decorations and sweets, decide how much you’re comfortable spending.
Think about everything you’re likely to need, including:
- costumes
- pumpkins
- decorations
- sweets and treats
- parties and events
- days out with the family.
Setting yourself a limit before you start shopping can help prevent those little purchases turning into a surprisingly scary total.
Give last year’s decorations another outing
Before buying anything new, have a look at what you’ve already got. Halloween decorations, costumes and accessories can often be reused year after year.
Children’s costumes could also be swapped with friends or family, while a little creativity can turn clothes and household items you already own into a great Halloween outfit.
Look out for discounts
If you are buying something new, compare prices and look for offers before heading to the checkout. Planning ahead gives you more time to shop around rather than paying whatever something costs at the last minute.
Halloween-themed products are often heavily reduced immediately after 31 October, which can be useful if you’re happy to plan ahead for next year.
Wave Community Bank members can also make use of Wave Rewards, our member discount scheme. It can help you save money on day-to-day spending, including at supermarkets, which could help make the cost of your Halloween celebrations a little less frightening.
Have some frighteningly cheap fun at home
You don’t have to spend a fortune on Halloween entertainment. There are plenty of ways to have some spooky fun at home without spending very much at all.
Try carving a pumpkin, making your own Halloween decorations, baking some spooky treats or having a Halloween film night.
For younger children, you could organise a Halloween treasure hunt around the house or garden, make decorations using cardboard and things you already have at home, or challenge everyone to create a costume without buying anything new.
A few simple ideas can turn an ordinary evening into a Halloween celebration without an expensive day out.
Don’t let the supermarket displays scare your budget
Halloween has become a big event for retailers, with everything from themed cakes and sweets to decorations, costumes and party food appearing in the shops.
It can be very easy to add a few extra things to your trolley without really noticing how much they are costing.
Make a list before you shop and think about what you actually need. If you usually have trick-or-treaters, consider roughly how many are likely to call rather than buying far more sweets than you are likely to give away.
There is no need to buy every Halloween-themed version of something either. Sometimes an ordinary packet of biscuits, some icing and a little imagination will do the job just as well.
Make the most of your pumpkin
Pumpkins are part of Halloween, but they don’t necessarily need to go straight in the bin once they’ve been carved.
If the pumpkin is still suitable for eating and has been handled and stored safely, there are plenty of recipes that can make use of the flesh, from soups and curries to cakes and muffins.
You can also roast pumpkin seeds for a simple snack.
Using more of what you buy can help reduce food waste as well as making your Halloween spending go a little further.
Think ahead to next Halloween
Halloween happens on the same date every year, which makes it one of those expenses we can plan for.
Once this Halloween is over, think about how much you spent. If it was £60, for example, saving £5 a month over the following year would give you £60 ready for Halloween 2027.
It’s often easier to put aside a small amount regularly than find a larger amount of money all at once.
Build your savings with Wave Community Bank
Regular saving can help make planned expenses such as Halloween, Christmas, birthdays and holidays easier to manage.
Wave Community Bank members can build their savings by putting aside an amount that works for them. Even relatively small amounts saved regularly can build into a useful pot over time.
If your employer offers Chorus, the Workplace Savings Scheme from Wave Community Bank, you can also choose to save directly from your pay into your Wave Community Bank savings account.
Saving directly from your pay can make it easier to develop a regular savings habit because the money is put aside automatically.
Enjoy Halloween without the financial fright
Having a great Halloween doesn’t depend on how much you spend.
Set yourself a budget, reuse what you already have, shop around, make the most of discounts and look for simple ways to have fun at home.
Once Halloween is over, putting a little aside each month could mean next year’s celebrations are already paid for before the pumpkins even appear in the shops.
Happy Halloween from Wave Community Bank! 🎃👻
