Halloween is a huge event in the university calendar, and one which seems to be getting bigger and more expensive every year – so read on for some top tips to help you stay on budget this year when planning your Halloween celebrations…
Fancy dress parties
Fancy dress can be expensive if you are looking to hire your outfit or buy a new one completely. Shelling out between £20 and £50 on a costume you are likely to wear only once is not the best investment, especially when funds are tight. This doesn’t mean you can’t still rock a killer costume this Halloween.
Get creative and research DIY costumes online for some inspiration on how to make your own. Sites like Pinterest are great for this. Look at what you could use in your existing wardrobe and then jazz it up with customised props and spooky accessories. Masks are a great way to instantly transform an outfit and will not break the bank. Sites like novelty gift online retailer Toxic Fox have a great selection.
Going out
Planning on going out this Halloween? Choose your venue wisely. Some clubs will hike their ticket prices up for party-goers. Before you head out, it’s a good idea to research which places have the best drink offers and entry fees. Spontaneous nights out can be fun but they are also the ones that result in your debit card taking the biggest hits. With taxis each way to plan for as well as those early morning junk-food cravings, the costs can soon mount up.
Alternatively, why not throw your own Halloween party or better still, if you would like to keep your house deposit, find out if any of your friends are having one nearby. This means you still get to hang out with your mates and have a great night without any nasty surprises the next day when you come to check your bank balance.
Games and decorations
This one needs a little creativity but is well worth it. There are some interesting ideas online. Happymoneysaver.com suggests pumpkin bowling with loo rolls doubling up as pins stacked on top of each other and the pumpkin serving as a ball with three holes drilled into it. Another blog had the ingenious idea of using bin-liners to create a string of cobwebs and provides step-by-step instructions.
Movie night
Alternatively, you could grab a group of friends, bake some spooky treats and host your very own scary movie night at home. If you have a Netflix or Amazon Prime account, make good use of your membership and check out their horror offering. Sometimes the films can be quite obscure but there are some hidden gems in there. If you’re a fan of the original Scream franchise of the 90s, we strongly recommend you try the new Scream TV series on Netflix. Alternatively, if you fancy something more recent then you can rent films from Blinkbox and Wuaki.tv.
Rebecca D’Souza is a freelance writer and English and American Literature graduate of University of East Anglia.
Image credit: Jiri Podpinka/123rf.com