Halloween celebration brings kids and adults together to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, or just have seasonal fun with friends and family. 

Although a traditional festivity and holiday gathering, Halloween very much revolves around shopping and searching for gifts, decorations, and cute trinkets. It creates pressure for consumers to have everything sorted and settled before October 31st.

The Halloween shopping season is an important period for retailers because it's one of the few times that people will still go out to purchase goods rather than simply buy them online. In the month of October, retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon see a surge in activity, with the average American spending $108.24 just on Halloween. According to NRF research, total Halloween celebration spending is expected to reach $12.2 billion this year, exceeding last year’s record of $10.6 billion.

There are already many Halloween scams, including shipping and delivery, return and refund scams, misleading advertisements, fake websites, and ticket scams. Furthermore, a glance at online reviews on PissedConsumer.com reveals several common consumer issues with Halloween celebration:

  • Costumes.
  • Refunds.
  • Return.
  • Cancellations.
  • Delays.
  • Decorations.

Now, with the impact of inflation, these Halloween scams and challenges have become more complicated. Consumers need to be more careful with their spending than ever before. Inevitably, this has a significant impact on consumer behavior during the Halloween celebration.

Halloween cookies

The effects of inflation are making it more expensive for people to buy traditional Halloween treats such as candy, costumes, decorations, etc. And the majority of families will face increased pressure to make ends meet without sacrificing anything.

What Is Inflation?

Inflation is a general rise in the price of goods and services over a period of time. The term "inflation" refers to an increase in the money supply and is often used as a synonym for rising prices.

Inflation occurs when there is too much money in circulation relative to the demand for goods and services. This means that there are more dollars available than desired goods, so they start bidding up the prices.

One-off items, like your Halloween treats, will be no exception.  So, what can we do to mitigate this growing financial burden?

Tips for a Budget-Friendly Halloween Celebration

Smart shopping expert Trae Bodge shares these ideas and shopping tips on how to avoid extra costs while preparing for the Halloween celebration.

Costumes can be free

Try swapping! Because costumes are typically only worn a handful of times (or once), they are usually in like-new condition. You can organize a swap with friends and classmates or use a platform like Facebook to cast a wider net.

Reign in the spending on costumes

If you need to buy costumes, give kids their own spending money. If they have a finite amount, they will become instant smart shoppers! Bring the little ones to the store with you and tell them how much they may spend. With teens, because they often like to shop on their own, send them a Halloween-themed GiftYa, which is a digital gift of spending money that you send by text. Once your teen receives the text, they pair the GiftYa with their debit card and go shopping at the store you’ve designated, or they can change the retailer. 

Use savings tools

One of the easiest ways to save while you shop online or in-store is to use a deal platform, like CouponCabin.com. For online shopping, install their free browser extension, which will alert you to available cashback offers and coupons as you browse. When you’re in-store, use the in-store section on their app.

Buy in bulk

If you want to save money for your Halloween celebration,buying in bulk can be a useful tip. 

If you get a lot of Halloween foot traffic at your house, buying your candy wholesale will save you a lot. Also, when you purchase decorations or costumes in larger quantities, you often get a lower per-unit cost, which can significantly reduce your overall expenses for the celebration.

DIY

If you’re handy, you can make your own costumes or decorations. There are so many helpful YouTube videos, or go to the website of a craft store, like Michael’s or JOANN, to check out their how-to videos.

Be patient

The longer you wait, the bigger the discount. The selection will be thinner, but the prices will be significantly lower if you wait until the day before Halloween.

Halloween celebration is a great time to have some fun and get creative. But we all know that Halloween is one of the most expensive holidays. However, your holiday shopping needn’t be stressful. There are many ways to save money this Halloween and make your celebration more affordable.

Legal disclaimers:

1. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide any legal, medical, accounting, investment or any other professional advice as individual cases may vary and should be discussed with a corresponding expert and/or an attorney.

2. All or some image copyright belongs to the original owner(s). No copyright infringement intended.

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