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The holidays are here again—and with the current economic situation how do we keep on trend to decorate our homes without blowing the holiday budget? There are many creative and inexpensive ways to celebrate the festivities this season.
Take Halloween for instance, what could be more exciting than turning your space into a giant haunted house for the family and still being able to throw that Halloween party you’ve been planning on. It’s easy to go overboard with your décor but with a little imagination and resourcefulness you can turn ordinary household items such as trash bags and old curtains into a creepy Halloween setting sure to impress everyone!
 First of all you will want to create the basic atmosphere by using bulk items such as batting and white sheets. Use the following ideas to set the perfect backdrop for your spooky setting.
- Tear cotton batting into pieces and hang them from ceiling fans, photo frames, light fixtures, on buffet tables, across mantels and furniture; the list is endless. This will give the effect of having spider webs throughout your home.
- Take old white sheets and cover all of the furniture to simulate a creepy old haunted house. Dust talcum powder or baby powder over the sheets to create a dust cloud when one of your guests sits down.
- A great use for white trash bags is to make ghosts that you can hang throughout your home and garden with fishing twine. The twine is almost invisible so it will not show and it gives the illusion that the ghost is floating. Stuff the end of a trash bag with newspaper, paper towels or other materials. Tie it shut around the "neck" area to form a ghost. Use black paint to create eyes and a mouth.
- Colored construction paper is an inexpensive way to make silhouettes of witches and spooks to hang on your walls throughout the home. You can take smaller spooky shapes and tape them to the end of a flashlight, then angle at the walls to cast eerie shadows.
- Pumpkins are a must have for the season but try something different by painting your Jack ‘O Lanterns all black. This will add some spooky sophistication to the setting.
- Lighting is a great way to create a mysterious mood. Use candles, candles and more candles! Buy them in bulk to save money, then scatter them throughout the house (be sure to think safety and keep them away from the kids, curtains and animals. If you can dim your lights do so to give off an eerie glow. Another way to spice up the lighting is to change out your regular light bulbs with colored bulbs, try blue or red bulbs for a super spooky ambiance!
- Use your existing glass vases and decorative bowls to make evil-looking potions by filling them with water and food coloring. Put some twigs or other plant material in them to get a gross and mysterious effect. You can also take larger twigs and branches from the yard and then spray paint them black. Use them to put in the vases or around your home to get a freaky forest that is quite sinister!
- Dry ice is an awesome addition to any Halloween motif. Use it to envelop your guests in fog by placing it in decorative bowls at the entry of your home. If you have a pool it is worthwhile to throw some in and watch the fog rise!
If you can’t spend a fortune this year, there is certainly no lack of available resources in October for Halloween inspired décor! In addition to using the items that are handy in your home, take note of your neighborhood displays and browse the discount stores in your area for extra ideas. They can be a great source of inexpensive spooky items to enhance your haunted home!
A mother of four, Tricia Stevens says to also check here for homemade Halloween costumes ideas, and also read this interesting history of trick-or-treating.
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