Halloween is right around the corner and it’s time to decorate for the festivities! Even if your budget is tight, these cheap and easy DIY decorations will help you get in the spirit of the season without breaking the bank.
Are you ready to get started? Use these eight cheap Halloween decor ideas from The Degnan Group and your house will transform into a haunted mansion in no time!
Create Paper Garlands
DIY paper garlands are a quick and easy Halloween decoration. All you need is some string, a pair of scissors, and colored construction paper to get started. Trace shapes like ghosts or bats, or cut out letters for spooky sayings or a Happy Halloween sign. Just make sure to hang the paper garlands indoors only, because they won’t hold up well in wind or rainy weather.
Use Old Boxes to Make a DIY Cemetery
Chances are you have an unused box or two taking up space in your attic, basement, or garage. Cut the cardboard into tombstone shapes and fold under the bottoms to hold down with rocks or stakes. Have fun painting them with horror-themed names, quotes, and poems, and then set up a graveyard outside for the kids to walk through on Halloween night.
Sculpt Extra-Large Spider Decorations
DIY spiders are a great cheap Halloween decoration because they’re practical too. Rake up the leaves in your yard, but this year turn them into Halloween decor instead of throwing them out.
Each one requires two trash bags. Stuff one with the leaves and cut the other into eight strips. Then, divide the filled bag into uneven halves and wrap duct tape around it to separate the sides into a large body and small head. Finally, tie the eight strips to the tape and spread them out like spider legs from the body. It’s so simple that you can hang multiple spiders in your trees, on your porch, or even on your roof.
Build a Scarecrow on your Porch
Just like the spiders, you can also create stuffed scarecrows. This time, take an old flannel shirt and jeans from your closet and stuff them with newspapers. Arrange them in a sitting position in a rocking chair or porch swing and add details like a stuffed bag for the head, a drawn-on face, a hat, or even some shoes. Little bits of hay sticking out of the sleeves or pant legs are a nice touch, as well.
Make Hanging Ghosts from Milk Jugs
If your family drinks a lot of milk, this cheap Halloween decoration is a must. Save up the empty milk jugs for a few weeks and draw ghost faces onto them with a permanent marker. Then, tape a battery-operated light onto the bottom of each on and tie a string around the tops to hang them from the trees. At night, your floating ghosts will look extra eerie as they sway in the wind!
Repurpose Knick-Knacks from the Local Thrift Store
Have fun taking your kids to thrift stores around town to look for knick-knacks that can be repurposed with Halloween themes. This is a great way to get creative while also making reusable decorations.
Purchase statues and repaint them with zombie faces or dripping blood. Or, buy tall clear vases and paint them to look like candy corn pieces or paint short round ones like jack-o-lanterns. If you spot an old wreath, you can paint it black and wrap it in cobwebs. The options are truly endless, so turn it into a daylong outing and have fun!
Collect Rocks to Paint DIY Monsters
This activity is great for kids. Walk around your yard or on nearby hiking trails to collect rocks. In this case, the more misshapen, the better. Then, bring them home to create your own DIY monster masterpieces. Paint them in crazy colors, add faces, and even glue on googly eyes for extra effect. Afterward, display them on your porch, in your yard, or along the windowsills.
Sew Halloween Themed Pillow Covers
Even if you’re not super crafty, this cheap Halloween decoration idea is easy to pull off. Visit your local craft store to pick out Halloween themed fabric. Then, cut it into squares and sew three of the sides together. Flip it inside out and fit a throw pillow inside. Now, you have reusable Halloween pillowcases for years to come!
8 Tips for Cheap Halloween Decor
Use these eight ideas from The Degnan Group to decorate your house without blowing the budget. The DIY crafts are fun for the whole family to participate in, and many of the decorations can be packed up and used year after year.
Make spiders with trash bags, hang milk jug ghosts, create paper garlands, sew Halloween themed pillow covers, repurpose thrift store knick-knacks, build your own cemetery, paint rock monsters and add a homemade scarecrow to your front porch. No matter what you’re looking for, this list from The Degnan Group has something for everyone to enjoy!