Decorate for Halloween on the Cheap

Giving away candy and hosting a #Halloween party can get expensive. But it’s easy to #decorate on the cheap with a little creativity and a few hacks. Depending on your guests, you can make a pumpkin do double duty as a candy bowl or wine bucket, HGTV says. Household items can be repurposed quickly, too: Make bloodshot eyes out of Ping Pong balls and spider webs out of rope. Cut a bunch of bats out of black construction paper, or cover everything in fake spider webs and plastic spiders from the dollar store. Let the Halloween spirit(s) move you — without spending too much. #HalloweenDecorating

Stylish Halloween Decorating Ideas

If your #Halloween #decorating goal is more stylish than scary, try a few of Good Housekeeping’s 75 DIY ideas. Leave bottles of magic potions around or make your chairs into tombstones. Weave a wreath of rubber snakes or create a pumpkin diorama. Make a gallery wall of haunted black-and white photos or create a bubbling witch’s cauldron out of a beverage tub and some dry ice. Look for inspiration and supplies at the thrift stores supplied by your generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org, and you can #help a #veteran while you celebrate or pass out candy. #HalloweenDecorating

Hollywood Hacks for Halloween Decorating

If you need to #decorate for #Halloween quickly and cheaply, follow the advice of Hollywood set designers, says Realtor.com. A celebrity theme can help focus your creativity, one designer says. Scarecrows are easy and cheap to make from old clothes and straw, and latex gloves make great dismembered hands. When in doubt, douse all of your holiday props with fake blood or the liquid from inside a glow stick. “By using what you have in your closet, garage and the kid’s old toys, you can have a professional-looking haunted Halloween for very little money,” says art director and set designer Stacy Nelson. #HalloweenDecorating

Minimalism Doesn’t Have to Be Boring

Think #minimalism is stark or boring? Think again! When you can eliminate household décor items that aren’t meaningful or beautiful, you get a home that holds things that are of true significance to your life, Becoming Minimalist says. Photos, artwork, natural elements and travel souvenirs will create more warmth and interest than store-bought tchotchkes because they inspire memories and associations. Take a hard look at your spaces and #declutter and #donate anything that’s only there to take up space or doesn’t have a deeper meaning to yourself and your family.

Harvest a Few Fall Deals at the Thrift

The apples are crisp, and the air is crisper … it must be fall! And there’s no better time to score a few bargains at the local thrift store. With cold weather and the biggest holidays just around the corner, you can prepare for the season without spending a lot of money — and at the same time, help fund veterans’ programs.

The first thing you’ll want to look for at the thrift is cold-weather clothing. If you need sweaters, scarves, gloves or a winter coat, you can find them on the cheap at the thrift. Likewise with blankets, comforters and throws — and if you start shopping for such items early, you’ll have a great selection of stuff from which to choose.

You may also want to add a little fall flair to your home. Try a warm color palette and a harvest theme, Midwest Living saysCorn husks, mums, gourds, leaves and pine cones are among the many natural accents that suggest the season; use them creatively and emphasize red, brown and orange hues to celebrate autumn.

Halloween closes out the first full month of fall, and many thrift stores will have lightly used or brand-new decorations from last year that people either didn’t use or are no longer using. String lights, paper skeletons, plastic lawn decorations, you name it; they all wind up at the thrift for reuse. But they won’t be there for long!

The thrift is also a great source of raw materials for your Halloween costume. In no time, you can source the used clothing and accessories needed to cement your status as a disco dude, zombie, cheerleader or pirate. For something more topical, you can pick up a dark suit and an extra-long red tie fast at most thrifts.

Whatever you find, you’ll experience the thrill of the hunt and save yourself some money while helping the nation’s veterans. Donations of lightly used clothing, housewares and accessories made to ClothingDonations.org are sold to thrifts for resale, with all proceeds going directly to programs that help veterans access housing, health care and more.

So shop freely for all of your fall festivities! But don’t buy new — harvest some deals at the thrift!