You may feel like $20 doesn't buy much these days, but you'd be wrong. In fact, there are plenty of cool things to do for less than $20. Additionally, sometimes the things you buy are far more valuable than what it says on the price tag.
With Halloween rapidly approaching, we asked personal finance experts and frugal living masters to not only share their cheap Halloween costumes and the best Halloween events and Halloween parties they experienced for $20 or less. One expert dressed up as a dead grunge musician while another was Buzz Lightyear. Find out some other fun and crazy things you can do on Halloween for under $20.
Stacy Johnson
Stacy Johnson, founder of Money Talks News, put together some timely and economical Halloween costumes just in time for the bursting of the housing bubble.
“My wife and I always attend Fantasy Fest, a multi-day costume party held annually during Halloween at Key West. Back in 2009, during the height of the housing crisis, while packing our extensive list of costumes, on a lark [we] threw two old real estate signs in the trunk of the car. One said, ‘Foreclosure’ and the other ‘Bank Owned.’
"When we arrived in Key West, we found some string so we could tie the signs around our necks. My wife put on an American flag bikini, then put on the 'Bank Owned' sign. I bought a simple walking cane at Walgreens, put on the ‘Foreclosure’ sign, walked with a limp, and thus instantly became ‘Foreclosed (Dr.) House.’
"Total cost? Less than 10 bucks.
"Of the dozens of expensive and elaborate costumes we’ve worn over all the years we’ve been to Fantasy Fest, we’ve never been photographed more.”
Barbara Friedberg
Barbara Friedberg is a personal finance writer and expert on how to celebrate Halloween on the cheap. She explained how she and her daughter have spent Halloween:
"My daughter's birthday is the end of October, so Halloween is an important holiday for our family. As we live in a cost-conscious fashion, every year we manage to get a lot of bang for our Halloween buck. From getting a 'free' hayride at the pumpkin patch to watching Halloween neighborhood parades and pumpkin carving — Halloween is one of the most 'bargain' holidays.
"If you're crafty and have some time, you can even make a costume. I've made a cat costume, the cat in the hat, Pocahontas and Belle (from 'Beauty and the Beast') costumes for our daughter.
"Baking Halloween cookies is also fun with the kids or even decorating them at a Halloween party. I could go on and on. Finally, you don't need to blow your wad to have an awesome Halloween."
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Deacon Hayes
Deacon Hayes of Well Kept Wallet took a utilitarian approach to achieve a cheap Halloween experience, and create a discount costume.
“I do recall buying a green jacket at a thrift store at the last minute to go to a Halloween party and I am sure I paid less than $20 for it. I told people I was going as a professional golfer as a green jacket is what they receive as a winner at the Masters.”
Barry Choi
Barry Choi of Money We Have demonstrates that money doesn't have to constrain your creative genius when it comes to your ideal Halloween costume.
“I'm huge fan of Toy Story, but I could never justify the costs of buying a legit Buzz Lightyear costume, so I decided to make my own. The problem is, I waited to the last minute. I bought a disposable coverall and used colored sharpies to make my space suit. I definitely wasn't going to infinity and beyond, but everyone was impressed by my creativity."
Cameron Huddleston
Cameron Huddleston is a GOBankingRates.com featured writer and an expert on personal finance. For Huddleston, it's all about the kids and injecting some creativity to create the best Halloween events for under $20.
“I just spent $15 this past weekend on tickets for me, my husband and my son to watch my daughters perform in a Halloween-themed play. It was actually a series of ghost stories from the days of old train travel reenacted on restored train cars at an historic railpark museum where I live. It was such a thrill watching my girls act — and slightly creepy seeing how convincing [they] were in their roles. It was perfect for getting in the mood for Halloween."
Bobby Lee
Bobby Lee of 2 Minute Finance and Money Crashers honed his inner craftsman to celebrate Halloween on a tight budget.
“The best $20 I’ve spent on a Halloween experience was to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. I can’t cook, can’t bake, didn’t want to go out trick-or-treating, nor did I want to hand out candy. So I decided to make it a productive evening by making a pie.
"My friends know that I love dessert pies, to an unimaginable degree. Especially pumpkin and apple pies. Through trial and error, and a lot of effort, I spent a good part of my evening making a perfectly mediocre scratch-made pumpkin pie. Given how much time, effort, and ingredients that went into the pie, I will never again take the value priced $4.99 grocery store pumpkin pie for granted."
Kyle James
Deals expert Kyle James of Rather-Be-Shopping.com is no stranger to finding affordable ways to celebrate Halloween.
"A couple years ago my wife and I decided to take Halloween to the next level with my three young kids. For about $12 we played some very memorable 'Halloween' games. We started with a mummy wrap using toilet paper where the kids took turns doing a full body wrap on each other. By the time they were done, all you could see were their eyeballs.
"We then moved on to a 'Fear Factor' game where they had to use only their faces to dig through a whip cream pie to find gummy worms and gummy spiders. When it was all said and done, they were covered in toilet paper and whip cream with worms hanging out of their mouths. Cheap Halloween memories that we still laugh about to this day."
Benjamin Glaser
Benjamin Glaser of DealNews knows that Halloween events can be made affordable through careful planning and spending.
“Last year, I threw a Halloween party, probably for not much more than $20. My friends brought drinks and snacks. I put on a Halloween playlist from Spotify — I have the free version — and played a scary movie on Netflix ($7.99 a month) on mute. We played Cards Against Humanity, which is the perfect party game, especially for Halloween; and it's actually available to download for free. You'll have to print the cards yourself though."
Joe Saul-Sehy
Joe Saul-Sehy of Stacking Benjamins had a mixed Halloween experience with his spouse. His wife thought they had a great Halloween, but he thought differently.
"Before I tell you about the experience, let me say that I'm terrified of anything remotely Halloween-ish. I don't like scary movies, can't stand spooky books, don't like even the Halloween stores much."
He and his spouse visited a haunted house for $10 — which was essentially just a big tent with walls in a parking lot. "When we walked into in the first room I was already gripping her hand so tight she complained. We then crossed the room — full of caskets — to a narrow hall. The lights go out and it's dark. I have to use my hands to find my way. I'm sure I'm going to press against something horrible any second."
And Saul-Sehy did, including fake spider webs, ghouls and two men with chainsaws. Even though all these were clearly props and clearly actors, he ran through the house without much to show for it.
"In total, our $10 donation had bought us about four whole minutes in that haunted house. While the value wasn't good, that $10 really funded the hundreds of times Cheryl's told that story to everyone we know. By the way, we've never gone in a haunted house again ... so maybe it was also $10 for a good lesson learned. Joe shouldn't go in haunted houses."
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Brent Shelton
Brent Shelton of Fatwallet.com paid homage to the days of grunge rock for his discount Halloween costume. The event was a Dead Rock Stars Masquerade, and his costume of choice was Woodstock-era Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon. Luckily for Shelton, this just meant buying a $7 bathrobe. He explained:
“Knowing the party would accommodate the likes of Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, Garcia, Marley and other super famous rock legends, I wanted to come as a dead rock star that was more obscure, but memorable. [He was] most famous for one huge legendary festival performance — Woodstock ‘94 — and a hit song/video called “No Rain.” My wife dressed the part of the bumblebee girl from the video. Nothing else but a barefoot and care-free hippie singer. What a gas."
Jim Wang
Jim Wang of Wallet Hacks makes discount Halloween a lot of fun through a little deception of trick-or-treaters.
“When you're giving out candy at your house, make a few 'feel boxes.' You cut a hole — big enough for a hand — in a cardboard box, put something in it, and then ask your visitors to guess what it is. The best items to put inside are incredible cheap, like peeled grapes for eyeballs, wet noodles for worms, a cold wet sponge for brains, a toilet paper roll wrapped in a flour tortilla (warm and damp) for an arm, or just the inside of a pumpkin to completely throw them off. You can easily google what foods can feel like what disgusting Halloween idea."
Trae Bodge
Personal finance journalist Trae Bodge talked about one of her favorite Halloween budget experiences:
“My favorite under $20 Halloween experience was the year my daughter and I collaborated on a wreath crown for her 'forest queen' costume. We went to a craft store and wandered the aisles choosing the perfect feathers, flowers and leaves to incorporate into the crown. We also bought a spool of floral wire. All in all, our total was about $18. At home, we wove everything together until the crown she had imagined was hers to wear."
David Bakke
Another Money Crashers staple, David Bakke had a much better haunted house experience for $20 or less, compared to Saul-Sehy.
"The best Halloween experience I ever enjoyed for under $20 was a haunted house set up by one of my neighbors recently. They really did it up right — the outside of the home was decorated as a cemetery, there was spooky music playing, and there were folks dressed up in goblin costumes who served as impromptu guides.
"The light bulbs had been changed to different colors, which really added to the overall effect. There were bats, cobwebs, ghosts and a few fog machines located throughout the home, and it truly came off as authentic. There were even some fake snakes on the floor which added to the excitement. The best part about it though was that it wasn't too over the top, so it was enjoyable for the kids as well.
"They didn't charge an admission, but only asked for a donation at the end if the guests felt inclined to do so. I left them $15 because it was such a job well done."
Howard Schaffer
Howard Schaffer of Offers.com didn't have a cheap, personal experience, but he did put together a nice list of Halloween party ideas that will spare your wallet.
Send devilish digital invites. Look to sites like Evite.com and Minted.com.
Bring your own alcohol, "boos" and encourage friends to bring along their own.
Throw your party late in the evening. Guests won't expect a full dinner and you can invite them all to bring appetizers to share.
Get crafty in the kitchen. You can whip up snacks that are both enchanting and inexpensive.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best Halloween Experience I Ever Bought for Under $20