Haunt thrift stores for deals
Thrift stores are a great way to save on everything from costumes to decor.
Look for:
- Dressup clothes to create creepy costumes
- Secondhand Halloween decorations
- Gently (or not so gently) used toys like creepy old dolls and one-eyed teddy bears
- Furnishings with a little fear factor, like vintage chests and candelabras
- Drapes, fabrics, and sheets to make ghosts and spooky hollows
Mummified pumpkins?
Try these tricks to help you preserve your pumpkins longer
- Pick the right pumpkins! They should have a hard shell and be free of blemishes, dark spots, or frost damage.
- Since jack-o-lanterns only last a day or two, save your pumpkin carving for last minute.
- Don’t let them freeze! Bring pumpkins indoors if temps dip below 50 degrees.
- Find candle alternatives. Flames can cook pumpkins, making mushy spots. Use LED candles or glow sticks instead.
- Spray finished jack-o-lanterns with a water and bleach solution to prevent fungus.
Host a scary-thrifty potluck
Feed your freakish party goers with these simple ideas.
- Pizza with a twist. Cut mozzarella into ghost shapes or form dough into pumpkins, bats, and other creepy shapes.
- Buckets of bones. Serve ribsin little pails.
- Mummy dogs. Wrap hot dogs in spirals of breadstick dough (like bandages!) and bake to feed the ghouls and goblins.
- Double, double, toil, and trouble: Serve soups, punches, or other liquid-y treats in a steaming cauldron.
Score bulk candy deals
Buy in bulk to fill hungry trick-or-treaters’ baskets. To make your candy dollars go farther, look for:
- Hard candies
- Butterscotch buttons
- Strawberry bonbons
- Saltwater taffy
- Lollipops
- Caramels
- Sour balls
- Root beer barrels
Check your Save mailer for coupons and deals on everything Halloween!
