How to Get Spooky for Halloween: Decor on a Budget

Here are our Best Halloween Decor tips and tricks to get your home ready for spooky season on a budget!

Looking for inspiration to help you decorate for Halloween? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to get you “in the spirit.” Tag along as we share inexpensive and easy ways to transform your home into a festive Halloween destination. You’ll be ready for Halloween get-togethers, parties, and family fun.

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Step One: Choose Your Halloween Decor Theme

No matter the occasion or season we recommend beginning with a plan or a theme. You might say, well, Halloween is my theme. Halloween is a start, but it’s better if you narrow it down.

• Choose your color scheme. I chose black and white and orange for a real contrasting statement.
• Choose your general mood. Will it be skeletons and blood? Will you keep it PG and whimsical like I did?
• These decisions will guide your choices as you put your spaces together.
• Stick to your theme for a cohesive feel. Otherwise your decor can look messy or overwhelming.

 

Step Two: Gather Your Halloween Decor Supplies

1. Shop your home first. This is one way we really stay on budget.
2. Make the most of what you own by staying organized. Have a reliable system of storing seasonal items and decor not in use. This way you can easily access and assess what you have.
3. Think outside of the (seasonal) box. In other words, don’t just look in your season-specific items for your decoration. Keep an open mind and look through everyday decor items that might fit your seasonal theme. You may want to choose decor by color or by theme.

For example, when putting this Halloween decor together I decide to use a traditional Halloween color scheme of black, white and orange. I had plenty of decor in those three colors that I could use to compliment the setting that wasn’t out of my Halloween bin. All my fun black and white buffalo check matches nicely. To continue the plaid theme I brought in more plaid in complementary colors for the napkins. My orange faux foliage also works well. I even brought out my neutral rattan place mats. They match my burlap pumpkins and go with the mood, adding more texture without distracting.

 

Add Surprise Elements for a Magical, Festive Feel

Step Three: Add Whimsy to Your Halloween Decor

It’s Halloween after all. We need to make it festive and special. Whatever your holiday or occasion make your decor stand out. Don’t be afraid to add a whimsical touch.

Visit Julie’s Spooky Halloween Tablescape for more ideas and inspiration. There’s even a fun video that we know you’ll enjoy.

DIY Halloween Floating Witch Hats

These witch hats were the perfect addition to really make this space feel festive. They are inexpensive, and I can use them year after year in a variety of spaces. For this space, here is the simple how-to:

1. Tie fishing line to the tops of the witch hats.
2. Space somewhat haphazardly around your room. You want to create some balance but you don’t want it to look too perfect. Scatter them.
3. I simply used a piece of tape (clear packing tape worked best) and hung them at varying heights. Again, you want it to look uneven, not exact. A piece of tape is all that is required since they weigh next to nothing.

Step Four: Add Lighting to Your Halloween Decor

Another way to add magic to your Halloween decor is by adding lighting. There are plenty of choices when it comes to lighting up your displays.

• Candles: We love the flicker of real candles. Use glass jar candles, hurricanes, glass votives of all styles and sizes. Real candles have the additional enjoyment of adding seasonal aromas.

Stay Safe: Especially when lighting up decor be extra safe with the use of real fire. Keep all decor far away from flame and heat. Never leave candles unattended.

• Faux Candles: There are so many benefits to using and investing in faux candles.
  • No fire danger
  • Long-lasting. You can reuse them season after season.
  • You can leave them unattended.
  • Amazing products give you a realistic look with a flickering flame.
  • You can put them on a timer which is the ultimate in convenience.
  • Allows you to add candle-lit ambiance in hard-to-reach areas

More Lighting Options

Another fun way to add specialty lighting to your Halloween decor is with fairy lights. These little battery-powered wire strands of tiny lights can really make any table-top display, vignette or wall decor pop. We’ve seen it time and again take a cute vignette to WOW.

Fairy lights are available in a variety of styles, sizes and variations. You can choose silver, gold or copper wire. Choose warm lights or white (cool) lights.

We recommend:

• Have a variety of fairy lights on hand so you’re ready for each new holiday.
• Store all your fairy lights in one place so they’re easy to find when you need them.
• Never store your fairy lights with the batteries inside. This can ruin your fairy lights.
• Keep plenty of AA batteries on hand. (a few brands take AAA).

 

Step Five: Assess Your Halloween Decor

When you’re all done step back and assess. I like to walk away and take a break and then come back a little later to see how it looks with fresh eyes. It also helps to take a photo. I find taking a photo helps me see a space more objectively as others might see it.

After the table was set and the witch hats were hung I took my first group of photos. I liked what I had created, but the pop of orange from the faux botanicals was too small against all the black accents. I decided to hang the autumn leaves in the window. These were initially intended for my front porch but I decided to see what they would look like inside instead. Et voila! I love how it turned out.

Designer Tips:

1. Step back and assess.
2. Take photos to get another perspective.
3. Always keep an open mind.

Looking for more fun Halloween decor ideas? Visit our amazing blogging friend Janine, Happy Happy Nester, who shows another fun way to use witch hats and bats on her front porch.

 

How to Hang the Leaf Garlands

• On the walls I used Command hooks.
• On the windows I used suction cup hooks.

For the final piece of the puzzle I brought in some bushels of autumn leaves to frame the table and balance the color all around.

 

Julie and I hope you enjoyed our tips and tricks for spooky Halloween decor on a budget. We love the fact that you do not need a hefty budget or expensive items to create a spooktacular Halloween home. In fact, with these affordable resources and tips we know you’ll be proud how creatively AND inexpensively you created your Halloween decor. Happy Halloween, Friends.