Spooky Savings: 10 Homemade Halloween Decorations on a Budget

 

Halloween brings a spooktacular time for fun and creativity – particularly involving the little ones.  The good news is, we have a range of craft ideas that don’t have to be a financial nightmare. With a little imagination and some readily available crafting supplies, you can transform your home into a haunted mansion. In this blog, we'll share some of our favourite DIY decorations, perfect for those on a budget or in a last-minute scramble.

 

Hanging Ghosts

Create a ghostly atmosphere by making some quick hanging ghosts. All you need is white fabric/tissue paper, white balloons, a black sharpie, tape and some string. Simply cover the inflated balloon with some white fabric and cut out eyes and a mouth from the material. Use the cutout shapes as a stencil to colour the eyes and mouth black. Hang them around your home by attaching the string with tape to the top of the balloon. Pierce the material/tissue paper directly at the top to feed the string through, then let the material hang over the balloon for the eerie effect.

Extra Tip: do this with different sized balloons to create a ghostly family or add a colourful ribbon to the string to the feminine ghosts!

 

DIY Diffuser Cauldron

Our personal favourite is the bewitching colourful cauldron. To make this, you will need a black bowl slightly larger than your diffuser. Alternatively, you could paint a plastic bowl black and add a personalised Halloween message across the front for extra spookiness. Next, cut/pierce the bowl at the bottom and feed the diffuser lead through. Now connect the diffuser and watch your cauldron begin to bubble and boil.

Extra Tip: If your diffuser has a colour setting, use either orange or purple to really add to the haunted look!

 

 

Mummy Mason Jar Lanterns

Glowing mason jar lanterns can instantly set the Halloween mood. Clean out some old mason jars, paint them with spooky faces, and insert LED tea lights. Alternatively, wrap the jars with thin strands of tissue roll with googly eyes to create mummy lan

terns. Place these lanterns along your porch, walkway, or on your dining table for a bewitching effect.

Extra Tip: Add real tea light candles and place in your windowsills for a realistic, warming effect. (Only use for the painted jars)

 

Toilet Paper Roll Bats

Don't toss those empty toilet paper rolls – they make perfect bat decorations! Flatten the rolls and cut out bat wings from black card. Attach the wings to the rolls and add googly eyes. Hang them using fishing line or thread around your house for a budget-friendly bat swarm.

Extra Tip: make Toilet paper mummies.

 

Spooky Silhouettes

Create spooky silhouettes to adorn your windows and walls. Trace the outline of eerie shapes (human-size dead body/witches/cats/ghosts) onto black card or paper - cut them out, and tape them to your windows. When backlit, they'll create a chilling effect for that creepy look.

Extra Tip: Stick the cut outs on mirrors to appear as shadows!

 

Bin-Bag Spider Webs

Turn black trash bags into creepy spider webs. Cut the bags into strips, twist them to create a web shape, and attach them to your walls or ceiling. For an easier effect you can fold the bin bags int triangles and cut a half circle across, 3 rows up. Open up and cut to adjust to your taste, this part doesn’t need to be neat. Add some plastic spiders for an extra dose of spookiness.

Extra Tip: Stretch the bin bags slightly to create a droopy web effect.

 

Glowing Eyes in the Bushes

If you have bushes or trees near your home, cut out spooky eye shapes from cardboard and cover them with glow in the dark tape. When you shine a flashlight or seen in nighttime lighting, the eyes will appear to glow to warn off others!

Extra Tip: Use small LED lights to create a more eerie atmosphere.

 

Haunted Mirror

For an inexpensive haunted mirror, pick up a cheap, second-hand frame at a charity shop (the older it looks the better). Paint the frame black or gold and add spooky phrases or images with paint or red makeup. Place it near your entrance to give guests a frightful welcome.

Extra Tip: Use the Silhouettes made in Tip No.5 and spray paint over them to create a dusty/creepy effect.

 

Pumpkin Centrepieces

Don't forget about the classic pumpkin! Carve or paint pumpkins for a festive Halloween centrepiece. You can find affordable pumpkins at local markets, and they make a fantastic decoration that's also budget friendly. Cut from the bottom of the pumpkin to add a tea light, making it easier to replace.

Extra Tip: Add candles inside the carved pumpkins for a haunted lit atmosphere and later use the insides to make pumpkin cake!

 

Extra Decor

Skeletons are a classic Halloween decoration. Look for inexpensive plastic skeleton decorations at bargain or craft shops and use them to create eerie scenes in your garden, porch or inside your home. You can also create easy spider webs using cut up beef netting.

Extra Tip: If you don’t have beef netting, order stretchable cobwebs and fill corners of your house and porch to scare your neighbours!

 

With a little creativity and some basic craft supplies, you can create homemade, unique Halloween decorations. These DIY ideas will transform your home into a haunted haven, impressing your trick-or-treaters and giving you the satisfaction of knowing you've embraced the Halloween spirit without overspending. Have a budget-friendly and spooktacular Halloween!