12 Tips for Cheap Halloween Decor

Halloween isn’t just for kids. Many older adults like to decorate to create spook-tacular scenes to be a part of the neighborhood fun or to delight their grandkids.

Although consumers this year may be worried about higher prices due to inflation and tariffs, they still plan to celebrate Halloween in a big way.

The National Retail Federation projects Halloween shoppers will spend an average of $114.45 this year, with about a third of that on decorations. It also expects more people to shop at discount stores like Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar this year to find budget-friendly items.

Dollar stores are a great place to shop for bargain-conscious consumers, says Karen Parziale, an interior designer and home stager in Hoboken, New Jersey. “The prices are incredible,” she adds. Using their imagination, “people can be a little crafty and clever.”

Keep in mind that some items cost more than $1 at dollar stores, especially on their websites, where you may have to buy in bulk to get a lower price.

Ready to make your home boo-tiful? Here are 12 ideas using products found at dollar stores:

1. Outdoor decorations

People like to decorate their front yard because that’s what visitors see first. Outdoor decorations, such as large inflatables and 12-foot skeletons, seem to be getting bigger — and more expensive — each year. If you don’t have the muscle, time or funds for jumbo decorations, decorate your outdoor trees with garlands, ornaments and string lights. Or go smaller with pumpkins — unadorned or carved into scary silhouettes. Pumpkin carving is also something you can do with friends or grandchildren.

2. Creepy entrance

Continue that outdoor theme by making the entrance to your home a Halloween focal point. Welcome guests with fright tape ($1 at Dollar General) or a spiderweb spread across the front door. It can make your entrance stand out if you live in an apartment or residential building, says lifestyle specialist and event planner Michelle Madison of Miami. She has decorated her front door with bags of candy strung across a plastic background of gray bricks.

3. Skeletons and skulls

If you love Skelly the Skeleton (that 12-foot skeleton you’ve likely seen hovering over front yards) but find it too big, consider your own smaller Skelly. You’ll find all sorts — from an 18-inch hanging skeleton to a skeleton garland or skeleton string lights — at dollar stores. Or focus on skeleton parts like the skull or spooky hands. Bones range in size from life-size to a bag of finger bones — and some glow in the dark or light up thanks to batteries.

Madison likes to take skulls, spray-paint them white and add faux gems to create a glam skull. To see how she does it, check out her DIY glam-skull video on Pinterest. “Some people go for the gore, but others love the tongue-in-cheek, like … skeleton flamingos here in Florida,” Madison says.

4. All that glitters

Halloween metallic decor in silver, gold or bronze or anything that glitters, is more popular than ever, Parziale says. At Dollar Tree, you’ll find metallic skulls for $1.50 and metallic spooky skull candy bowls for $5. Family Dollar offers mirrored disco balls in various colors for $3 each. And Dollar General has metallic spiders ($3) or metallic skull taper candles (two for $6).

5. Chilling centerpieces

“One of my favorite things to do is to create a centerpiece that sets the holiday tone for the whole house,” Parziale says. “Decorating the table where the family gathers is important.”

She suggests getting some real pumpkins in various small and medium sizes. Wipe, or wash them to remove dust and dirt. Buy some gold, silver or bronze metallic paint and sponge it onto the pumpkins, letting them dry. Arrange them on metallic charger plates ($1.50 each at Dollar Tree) and tie a satin ribbon ($1 to $5 at dollar stores) on the stem, letting it flow onto the plate.