- Average Halloween spend is hitting a record $114.45 per person in 2025 (NRF).
- Candy target: 12¢ per fun-size—wait until the week before Halloween and mix chocolate + gummies to hit the mark.
- Post-Halloween power buy window: Nov 1–3—Spirit costumes typically drop 25% → 50%, and décor at many stores hits up to 75% off.
Halloween gets expensive fast. After you buy candy, costumes, food for a party, maybe a decoration for the yard, it can easily blow your monthly budget. According to the National Retail Federation, the average per-person spending for 2025 is set to reach a record high of $114.45. But with a little strategy, you can easily lower that number without being the house that hands out raisins.
Candy: chase the 12¢ per “fun-size” rule
When it comes to getting ready for trick-or-treaters, I shoot for only buying candy when it hits the 12¢ per “fun-size” piece. That’s my line in the sand.
The secret? Wait until the week before Halloween to buy. This is when retailers start to clear out their candy supply at a discount. Stores that typically hit this mark include Walmart, drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, and even your local grocery stores get close when you use a BOGO offer or digital coupon.
How I do it:
• Check unit price, not the bag price. A 65-count bag for $15 is 23¢ each. No good. Wait for that bag to drop below $10 (and it will), then you’re getting close to the 12¢ mark.
• Mix one chocolate bag + one “gummy/lollipop” bag. Gummies and lollipops are a lot cheaper than chocolate, up to 40%. So be sure to buy some of each and mix them together and avoid paying chocolate prices for every piece.
• Split with a neighbor so nobody overbuys. This way you won’t be stuck eating 87 fun-size Snickers come November 2.
Costumes: build a $25 look that doesn’t look cheap
Store costumes are expensive, especially when you visit places like Spirit Halloween where it’s easy to drop $50 for a costume you’ll wear once.
Instead, consider grabbing one “anchor” piece at a thrift store (black dress, army jacket, blazer, trench coat, denim overalls) and finish it with Dollar Tree accessories.
When you do it right, you’re looking at a thrift anchor ($8–$12), two dollar-store accessories ($2.50–$5), face paint ($3–$5), and one prop ($5). Done.
Here are some of my favorite repeatable builds using the “anchor” piece method:
• An ’80s rocker: thrifted leather/pleather jacket + eyeliner + hairspray + rock band tee.
• Cowboy/cowgirl: thrifted plaid shirt + thrifted belt + bandana + cardboard “belt buckle.”
• Ghost but make it funny: thrifted trench coat + white sheet + sunglasses.
• Rosie the Riveter: thrifted chambray shirt + red bandana + rolled jeans.
• Bob Ross: thrifted denim/chambray shirt + curly wig (or tousled hair) + DIY palette (cardboard with paint blobs) + paintbrush.
• Tourist: loud shirt/Hawaiian + shorts + socks-with-sandals + sunglasses + printed map or camera-on-lanyard.
Decor: dupe the look, not the price
When it comes to Halloween décor that won’t break the bank, you can easily get the “Pinterest vibe” with three big moves. Focus on these instead of buying a bunch of little budget busters that will leave you wanting more.
Here’s my 3-piece formula that’ll get your home in the spirit for less.
1. One large focal item by the front door: could be a tall DIY porch sign or a thrifted lantern filled with dollar-store faux webs and a puck light.
2. Lighting: swap out your porch clear bulbs to orange or use warm-white string lights you already own and wind them through branches or a nearby railing.
3. Texture: drop a $10 straw bale by the door, set two pumpkins on top, then add movement with a few strips of black fabric (or trash-bag “ribbons”) tied to the twine that holds the bale together. Then let the strips hang free and flutter in the breeze.
Pro Tip: Buy your pumpkins at a produce stand or farmers market toward closing or ask for the “ugly bin.” You’ll score a markdown on the surface-scuffed pumpkins that carve just fine.
Party on $40: board + bowl + one bake
Having a son that was born on Halloween, my wife and I have hosted our fair share of budget-friendly parties on the 31st. We always focused on a simple and colorful food spread that feels themed without 12 separate recipes.
Here’s what to focus on:
• Snack board: Here’s where you get creative and think of as many orange, black, and white foods as you can. Think cheddar cubes, carrot sticks, black licorice bites, Oreos, pretzels, and marshmallows. Then place them on a snack board in stripes or whatever charcuterie pattern you can come up with. You end up with a simple, budget-friendly food display that fits the mood.
• Big punch of bowl: A 2-ingredient sherbet punch (orange sherbet + lemon-lime soda) with floating gummy worms will be a hit. If you want to go the extra step, buy a small piece of dry ice from the grocery store and put in the bowl to get the “witch’s brew” steam effect.
• One bake: Try your hand at mummy dogs which are hot dogs wrapped with crescent dough with two mustard “eyes”. Or a graveyard brownie slab which is simply box brownies, crushed cookies or frosting for “dirt”, then topped with Milano “tombstones” cookies.
Stretch the budget with a post-Halloween “power buy” list
Did you pass on a Halloween decoration or costume this year because of sticker shock? If so, November 1–3rd is the time to buy Halloween items at a deep discount and store until next October.
Items to consider:
• LED string lights and net lights. You can find great clearance deals on Halloween specific lights at Walmart, Target, and even drugstores. Often up to 75% off the original retail price.
• Costumes for less. Most pop-up Spirit Halloween stores close 2-3 days after Halloween, providing a great chance to save on next year’s costume. Typically, costumes are 25% off on November 1st, then drop to 50% off on the 2nd and 3rd. Decorations usually start at 50% off and stay there until they close their doors on the 3rd.
• Yard stakes, extension cords, timers. Not fun things per say, but they’re the things you kick yourself for paying full price later.
• Face paint and costume makeup. Keep in mind that it’s the same stuff you’ll need for school plays or spirit week. So, buy it at a big discount before you’re stuck paying full-price down the road.
• Storage: Grab one black and orange storage bin, label it “Halloween,” and force yourself to fit everything in that one bin next year. Okay, maybe you’ll need two, but hey no worries, they’re pretty cheap in early November.