31 simple and cheap Halloween decorations
After a more subdued Halloween in 2020, Americans are ready to get out and frighten their neighbors again in 2021.
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend more than $10 billion this year on Halloween-related items. That’s $2 billion more than in 2020, and an all-time high for Halloween sales.
Too often, super popular means super expensive. A quick browse of Home Depot’s website shows you can find Halloween inflatables anywhere from a reasonable $15 to a whopping $213. If you really want to go all out for Halloween, you can go all out.
But we believe you can find cheap Halloween decorations that allow you to get your spook on without terrorizing your budget. So whether you want to compete with the neighbors, keep it simple with indoor decor, or craft your own kid-friendly DIY Halloween decorations, we have ideas.
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31 Cheap Halloween Decoration Ideas
Carving jack-o’-lanterns and stocking up on Halloween candy will get you in the holiday spirit — and ready to decorate.
Scary Halloween Decorations
1. Bloody Candles
All you need for this little quick and easy DIY project is a white candle, a red candle in a jar, an eyedropper, and a lighter. Use the melted wax from the red candle as your “blood” and gently drop it across the white candle to create the gory effect.
2. Zombie Hand Decals
Something about a bunch of silhouetted hands reaching up and grasping for your legs or feet is just creepy. That can only mean they’re perfect as an indoor, scary Halloween decoration, right? Even better, these $16 vinyl wall stickers will easily peel right off after Halloween – or keep on creeping your friends out until Thanksgiving.
3. Creepy Black Cloth
Set the scene with this cheap Halloween decoration. The cotton/polyester black cloth is only $7 and measures 79 X 189 inches, big enough to cover a large area. Cut it in two, or cut holes into the cloth, and use your creativity to really darken up your decorated space.
4. Hanging Cocoon Corpse
This super, super creepy hanging cocoon corpse is just under $18 on Amazon. The 6-foot-long body is covered in “spider webs,” and the corpse glares at you with its red LED lighted eyes. Hang the cocoon in your yard or greet your trick-or-treaters at the front door with this terrifying corpse.
5. Head in a Jar
Sometimes plastic spiders just won’t cut it. For our really twisted readers, here’s a disturbing severed head in a laboratory jar. This $13 decoration works really well if you’re all in with your scary Halloween decorations, or if you need a prop to go along with your psychotic scientist costume.
Kid-Friendly Halloween Decorations
6. DIY Bewitching Pumpkin
With a few items from around the house, plus some basic craft supplies and spray paint from a craft store, you can make this a fun Saturday fall project with your kids. If you don’t like the messy clean-up after a pumpkin carving session, this is the perfect way to fancy up a pumpkin without dealing with that pumpkin slime.
7. Pine Cone Spiders
All you need for this fun and easy project is some pine cones from the backyard, a few sticker wiggly eyes and pipe cleaners. After a few minutes, you’ve got a pine cone spider! Rinse and repeat, then place these little guys throughout your decorated space to spook up the house.
8. DIY Tin Can Ghosts
All you really need here is a tin can and a few common craft store items — you’ll need that spray paint again — to make this charming little ghost who comes across as more fun than frightening.
9. Outdoor Ghosties
If DIY outdoor Halloween decorations aren’t your forte, you can get this trio of LED light up ghostie lanterns with animated faces. These little guys, which cost about $20 for the set, prove that ghosts don’t have to be scary. They’re the perfect way to let your kids help out without getting too creeped out by the decorations.
10. Glowing Ghost Balloons
With just three items, you can really spice up your Halloween decor with these guys. All you need are some white balloons, a black sharpie and glow sticks. Spread these balloons all over your house to really set the scene for a fun Halloween party.
Funny Halloween Decorations
11. The Red “It’ Balloon
Tie a single red balloon to a sewer grate and have a little fun with your neighbors. This visual is a reference to Stephen King’s popular and terrifying movie and book, It. If you’re more into dark humor and pop culture references, this is right up your alley.
12. Two-Pack of Posable Skeletons
These are a couple of little guys at just 16 inches tall, so they’re not great for an outdoor space. But the $13 posable skeletons are perfect for a decorative mantle or other indoor ideas. Just keep it clean with the poses, okay?
13. The Crashing Witch
Apparently this witch had a few too many strong brews and lost control of her trusty broom. She can be attached to a tree trunk, a wide pillar or even a door. The $20 decoration comes with a “don’t drink and fly” warning sign.
14. Googly Eyes
This fun craft will result in laughs for sure. Using dried gourds for larger eyes, or avocado pits for smaller eyes, to make these wide open eyeballs. Place them in strategic places around your house, like the fireplace, or outside in a sturdy bush.
Dollar Store Halloween Decorations
15. DIY Wreath
For just $4, you can make this festive, colorful Halloween wreath that will add a Halloween glow to your front door. This project is easy on the budget and results in an eye-catching seasonal door decoration.
16. Decorative Signs
If you just want a few simple signs to hang and check “Halloween decorating” off your list, then these Dollar Store signs are perfect. They come in a 12 pack of signs featuring different Halloween messages for just $12.
17. Printable Apothecary Labels
Witch’s brew. Bone powder. Frog’s breath. Spider eggs. These instantly printable $5 labels are easy to put on old, painted wine bottles and are a perfect cheap Halloween decoration for your festive space.
18. DIY Wine Glass Centerpieces
Get those dated wine glasses you got at your wedding out of the garage and reuse them to give your Halloween decorations a little flair. All you’ll need are the glasses, some paint and a paintbrush, plus a little hemp rope and you’re good to go!
19. Plastic Hanging Skeletons
The Dollar Tree plastic hanging skeletons are pretty straightforward and come in orange, white and green. They’re 3 feet tall and come in cases of 36 – so you can really go all out with these guys hanging all around your house, front porch, and front yard. A case costs $36, so save some for next year or split this purchase with a neighbor.
Kids Craft Halloween Decorations
20. DIY Spellbooks
You know those cheesy hardcover novels that you’ll never read again? Now is their time to come out of the dust and shine. With those books and craft store items including hot glue and craft paint, you can make a set of fun spellbooks with your kids that will add a lot to your haunted library.
21. Ghostie Milk Jugs
You can make these fun outside decorations with a gallon milk jug, black marker, knife and some low voltage Christmas lights. They look perfect for lighting up your sidewalk or front porch on Halloween evening.
22. DIY “Floating” Pumpkins
Using foam pumpkins you can find at any popular craft store, plus a few other items, you can create these spookified floating pumpkins to add a little fun to your Halloween decor.
23. “Floating” Lighted Witch Hats
Same idea as above, but instead of foam pumpkins you’re using a $3 black witch hat, plus some LED light sticks and a few other household items to make your front porch witchy.
Halloween Decor to Compete With the Neighbors
If you take Halloween decor seriously, here are some worthwhile splurges.
24. Giant Spider in a Web
If you’ve ever thought of frightening your neighborhood with a 4 foot spider, and who hasn’t honestly, here’s your chance. Go way over the top with said spider inside a 16 x 17 foot web in your front yard. And it’s just $16.
25. Spooky Lanterns
This cool set of two lanterns offer a little “spooky-chic flair” to your outdoor Halloween decorations display. They’re just another way of lighting up your entryway or porch while showing your decorative sensibilities.
26. Hanging Reaper
If a hanging corpse is too gory for you, maybe you’ll go for this super-creepy-but-not-as-gory hanging reaper. He (or she?) has poseable arms, red-lit eyes and is sound activated. For $19.99, let it blow in the breeze below a tree and totally freak out your neighbors!
27. Giant Bloodshot Eyeballs
These glaring, giant bloodshot eyeballs look like they came from a zombie — or a college student who had one too many pumpkin ales. All you need to make them is a large exercise or beach ball, some sandpaper, blue, black and red acrylic paint, and a paintbrush.
28. Pumpkin String Lights
Nothing too complicated here. Just a straightforward fun set of hanging pumpkin string lights to give your Halloween decor that certain mood. The set comes with 21 pumpkins that cover 10 feet.
29. Witch Cauldron Silhouette
Two witches, just chillin’ in the background, making some yummy brew made of frog eyes and decapitated bat heads over a steaming cauldron. Nothing to see here. Move along.
30. Skull and Gargoyle Tombstones
Here lies a brave soul who dared to ask those two witches what was in the cauldron. This $15 skull and gargoyle tombstone isn’t too over-the-top and will provide just enough ambiance to your haunted front yard.
31. Yard Stake Witch Feet
Not sure what happened here, but an out-control-flying witch all of a sudden ended up head first buried in your lawn. Or at least these fun little $10 yard stakes give that effect.
Robert Bruce is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, a personal finance website that empowers millions of readers nationwide to make smart decisions with their money through actionable and inspirational advice, and resources about how to make, save and manage money.