Hints and Tips for Halloween Fun: Trick or Treat?

Trick or Treat is the most important feature of Halloween – at least from the children’s’ point of view!    It is an opportunity to dress up and have fun with friends, going from door to door and hopefully amassing mountains of sweets in the process!

But for many adults, Halloween has become yet another festivity to dread.  Not because we’re spoilsports and don’t want our children to have fun or sweets.  It’s just that Halloween is the latest addition to an increasingly long list of things that now cost money.  When you combine the costs of stocking up for the trick or treaters, getting costumes for your own kids, decorating your home (to keep up with the neighbours!)…. then your own friends start to have bright ideas about food and drinks or even parties for the adults.  Suddenly it seems you’re on a treadmill of shelling out yet more money at the very time of year you’re already trying to get organised for Christmas!

So what can you do?   Are there ways that you and your kids can enjoy Halloween without huge expense?  Can you make it a Treat rather than a Trick?  Try our Five Fixes for a Halloween that won’t make you howl!

• Costumes

Never buy new!  A Halloween costume is something that will most likely only be worn once.  So either find something second hand on eBay or a charity shop, swap costumes with other families or make something yourself.  If you are taking the homemade route then start by checking out sites such as Pinterest for some tremendous ideas.  Generally speaking, anything to do with ghosts, mummies, zombies or skeletons can be quite easy to make out of everyday household items such as bedding and marker pens.  Dressing up as any film character is also quite an easily achievable idea.

• Decorations

Again, don’t even think about spending a lot of money!   You can make spider-webs out of swing bin liners or cotton wool, ghosts out of plastic cups, skeletons out of paper plates and pumpkins out of rock painted orange.   Candlelight or lanterns always add atmosphere – and also disguises any rough edges during the creative process!

• Trick or Treat Supplies

Don’t spend a small fortune on sweets.  Many supermarkets have offers on tubs or multipacks of sweets: or if you know anyone with a wholesalers card such as Costco then why not buy in bulk between you?  A perfectly welcome alternative is to make something yourself – perhaps something traditional such as parkin or fudge.   Never be tempted just to leave the treats outside so children can help themselves – they will disappear immediately and you will be left trying to find something else for the next visitors!  Even though it can be laborious, make sure you answer the door to each group and ration them to one item each; this way your treats will last the night!

• Adult refreshments

If someone does want to get the adults together – either whilst the children are Trick or Treating or for a separate party – keep it simple,  Why not have and old-fashioned potluck supper, where everyone brings along a dish to share?  Make sure that they also bring along whatever they like to drink so that whoever hosts the event is not put upon to stock up for everyone’s different tastes.  

• Entertainment

If anyone wants games – either for adults or children – then, again, why not get everyone to organise one game and supply a prize for the game.  Old-fashioned games such as bobbing apples, musical statues, treasure hunts and feel boxes always go down well and can be enjoyed by all ages.

Enjoy Halloween!   We hope that our above fixes will ensure that you are saving money and that Halloween is a Treat not a Trick!