Halloween parties aren’t just for kids: plenty of adults love celebrating Halloween. It’s a great excuse to throw a frightfully fun party, dress in freakish attire and eat ghoulishly scary snacks and drinks. If you think you need to spend a fortune on hosting a wonderfully wicked and memorable party, think again!
Invitations
Halloween is a busy time of year so get your invitations out early. The most cost-effective way is to email invitations. There are plenty of free templates on the internet. Check out this great Microsoft Office template which you can edit then email, or simply go old fashioned and print out.
REALLY IMPORTANT point: On the invitation “encourage” people to come in fancy dress. Don’t insist people dress up, but say there’ll be a “costume contest” so people will get the idea. Just don’t forget the prize!
Costumes
Most shops have Halloween outfits for sale by early October, but if you want something others are unlikely to have, search on the internet for inspiration.
Websites like Simply Fancy Dress have some cracking outfits, and Harpers Bazaar is predicting all manner of popular Halloween outfits for 2017 including A Stranger Things character, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and bizarrely they suggest a Baywatch Babe as the basis of your Halloween outfit.
I may simply customise some old clothes with lashings of fake blood, vivid face paint, false talons for nails and a florescent wig – simply unique and highly affordable!
Decorations
Now we’ve got your outfit sorted, let’s think about transforming your home into a haunted house for the evening.
You’ll find an abundance of decorations to buy, including spider window and door decorations, and huge cobwebs to adorn your home. Party Delights has an extensive and affordable range.
QUICK TIP: If you’re going to spend money on the decorations, make sure you save them and re-use for next year’s Halloween party.
However, you don’t have to spend much on decorations. To achieve an eerie atmosphere, carve a wicked face on a pumpkin and place a tea light inside it. You can also use the pumpkin flesh for delicious bites for your guests: try out some of the BBC Good Food recipes which include tasty delights such as pumpkin houmous, or pumpkin and caramel cake.
For the shock-factor, get some red food dye and strategically place bloodied hand prints around the house (not on upholstery, obviously!) The Rug Seller website gives some awesome ideas for DIY decorations from “Bloodied Candles”, “Creepy Cup String Lights” to the “Freaky Floating Heads” – guaranteed to give all your guests nightmares for weeks to come!
Music
You’ve got to have a little bit of Thriller, right? But don’t overload the party with Halloween songs: who wants to dance to Monster Mash? Oh you do? OK then… it’s your party. Check out the list of all-time favourite songs for Halloween parties. Just don’t have too many Vampire Blood punches by the time the theme to Ghostbusters comes on!
Alternatively mix in some usual party classics such as Macarena and Oops Up Side Your Head to add some uplifting vibes.
Food & Drink
Definitely go for a finger food buffet than a sit-down meal: easier on the pocket and on those in restrictive costumes. Plus, you prepare everything in advance, minimising the pressure on you.
In addition to usual party foods such as pizza, salad, dips, sandwiches, crisps, etc, make sure to serve some Halloween-themed snacks such as Halloween eye ball cakes or jelly worms (nice!)
For drinks, a cost-effective idea is to create a huge bowl of punch. Punchbowl offers fab recipes for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.
If you’re expecting vast numbers of guests, ask them to bring their own “refreshing vampire blood” on the invitation: few will feel put out by this.
Games
No Halloween party is complete without themed and traditional party games. There’s no better way to let your friends to get to know one another better whilst you stand to one side cackling like the wizard/witch you’ve dressed up as.
Alternatively as a nice host/hostess, you’ll join in all the games with gusto -think apple bobbing, a murder mystery game or even Halloween charades. Just be careful what you do if you’ve all been on the Blood Vampire punch!
If you have a big garden, consider putting up a marquee – yes a little pricey if you need to hire one, but this could make your Halloween party the talk of the neighbourhood for years to come! Create a “scary cave”: a spookily dark and eerie space where you conjure up all manner of challenges for your unsuspecting guests.
Finally
Hosting amazing parties can be expensive and stressful. Preparation is the key to minimising and by following my tips above, you’ll have a successful Spook-tastic Halloween party that everyone will enjoy and won’t cost the Earth!
About the Author
My name is Natalie Blackburn and I’m a busy 36 year-old mum of two under five. I am from, and still live, in the vibrant city of Manchester. Since entering into my thirties and becoming a parent, I developed an interest in good financial planning, and coupled with my passion for writing, I have lovingly created the blog that you read on Sophisticated Savers.
Other interests of mine include reading (autobiographies are a particular favourite) and running (but only if I am pushed to, so I wouldn’t really call it an interest, but just wanted to sound as though I was quite fit!) and yoga (that is a real interest!). Wine and chocolate are also my real interests, and the occasional travel when I have the time.
