For those of you who are carving jack-o-lanterns and hanging paper ghosts...

Are you making use of things you already own?

And even more frugal, are you finding creating ways to use items that might otherwise be tossed?

Share your ideas and plans for cheap costumes, decorations and party planning.

Need some frightfully frugal ideas to help you get started? Check out these sites:

Halloween Costumes That Won't Scare Your Budget

Children's Party Ideas

Handmade Money Saving Decorations

There is an idea in the Tightwad Gazzette I'm interested in trying out, using egg cartons to make bats.  I'm sure we already have spray paint and google-y eyes in our craft collection, so it should be a free-to-us craft.  I do try to buy one or two small things each year to put out, usually from the dollar tree.  I may skip out altogether this year though and just a couple of homemade things.

DD has no idea about her costume yet.  She's been a lady bug, punk rocker, and faerey princess and something else I don't remember... or maybe she was sick and missed a year.  (Ahhh the memory... or lack thereof.)  No idea about this year; I thought a cute non-scary witch could be fun.  We actually already have a hat; just need a dress and some tights.  Or something completely different that I haven't thought of yet....

It's not too late to put together a great Halloween costume...

Fun Costumes from The Dollar Stretcher

My $10 rebate from Kellog's came in. I put the extra funds into a $10 purchase of candy to give out to trick or treaters.

funny  I was thinking I had to post on my great halloween deals from the dollar store today!   Dh and I are going to friends halloween party adults only sat nite.  Hard for us to stay up that late but we need some adult time!    So since we don't really have costumes (just a couple of plastic witch hats with hair) I had to get some costume stuff!  plus we are dressing up at my work.

I was at london drugs and got a cape w/hood with a spiderweb design 16.99 minus 25%.  I thought I would have to go back today and get a vampire  fabric cape for $10 for dh but when we were at dollarama I got all the costume stuff I needed. they had a lot.  I got a vinyl blk cape and a red one.  blk gloves with long purple glitter plastic nails attached, purple witches hat with spiderweb design, a set with vampire teeth blood etc and a half face rubber mask  scary openmouthed vampire grin.   Ds is so scared of it!  dh put it on and he started screaming and crying.

  so $5 there completes the costumes!   dh can wear blk pants and a white dress shirt out of his closet so $2 for him is great. 

Also got a pack of halloween treat bags and pk of plastic bat rings, pk of 15 mini web/spiders to go in the bags. I have a bag of lollipops with skeleton hands from another dollar store, plus I will put a candy treat, and a mini playdough in the bags too.  They are donations for the school for halloween carnival for raffle.

I have the pack of mini playdough from costco, box of maynards treats (swedish berries, fuzzy peach etc), bags of choc etc. all bought at a good sale price.  how much gets to halloween night! 

I did buy a vinyl halloween tablecloth at dollarama today. my only halloween decoration purchase this year!   We have a collection halloween decorations from previous years. lots!

You did great Martha!

Thanks Brandy.   gotta love those dollar stores!   our weakness is halloween candy especially those little choc bars.  I hit zellers for the sales right after halloween because they mark down 75% even the costumes.  I stock for the year :)  

I love the mini playdoughs because there is 10 colours, blk, brown, white, green etc.   out of the pack 20 will be for valentine day at ds preschool for treat bags, 20 for the halloween treat bags for school carnival, 20 for the little kids at halloween and 20 to keep for the kids to play with. very handy!   I only see this set at costco though.