Throw a Halloween Party on a Budget

How do you cut costs and still have a great Halloween party?

Halloween Party Invitations:
  • Your invitations set the tone for the party. Your Halloween invitations can be light-hearted, silly, or totally scary.
  • Your Halloween invitation tells your guests what kind of party you're having and what to expect:  a cocktail party, costumes-are-a-must party, children included or adults only late night shindig.
  • Your Halloween party invitations should give your guests a clue what food and/or drinks you're serving so they'll know to eat dinner first or come hungry.
  • Mail your Halloween invitations at least three weeks in advance if possible. To keep a handle on expenses, make sure you include an RSVP phone number and/or email address with a date to response by. Don't use "regrets only" if you need an accurate head count.
Halloween Party Food and Drinks:
  • A budget-friendly idea is to start the party after 8:00 p.m. Your guests will have time to eat dinner before they arrive. You can then serve nibble foods, drinks and bite size desserts instead of a full meal.
  • Share the expenses. Ask guests to bring their scariest or tastiest appetizer concoction to share. You can have your party "BYOB" - bring your own booze and you can provide soft drinks or serve beer and wine. How about Pumpkin Beer? Check out BevMo, Costco and other clubs for deals on food and alcohol and consider buying in advance to get better prices or to take advantage of pre-season sales.
  • Add dry ice to a punch bowl to create a steaming drink. It's worth creating a punch just for the effect! Make a fake ice hand to float in the punch too!
Halloween Decorating Ideas:
  • Cover your furniture with old white sheets for a haunted, abandoned house feel. Painter's drop cloths can work too.
  • Check out the dollar stores for spiders, cobwebs and other spooky decorations. Cobwebs look great arranged from lighting fixtures, mirrors, shelves and tables. Look to your own yard for dried leaves, flowers and twigs to use as centerpieces or to add to the abandoned house look.
  • Break out the candelabras. Check out the dollar stores or overstock stores for these and for orange or black candles. Make sure to keep them away from other decorations or guest's dangling costumes as they reach for food. Hurricane lamps with big candles can protect guests from flames too.
  • Make tombstones from cardboard boxes or foam core board. Spray paint them gray or black, add cute rhymes and even the names of party guests for a good laugh. Use a stake taped or glued to the back to create a front lawn graveyard.
  • Borrow Halloween decorations from friends. You'd might be surprised what they can come up with when asked.

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