If you choose to celebrate Halloween, do you weigh the impact to your budget? On premise, Halloween is a simple holiday – people dress up, eat crazy amounts of sugar, maybe go to a party or two — but active participation in the festivities also entails an outlay of cash. This occurs to me now, more than ever. So, in the spirit of awareness, I thought we might explore Halloween from an accountant’s perspective (Ooh, now that’s spooky!). Perhaps we’ll appreciate our neighbor a little more for investing in a fog machine, because we had neither to pay for nor figure out how to store the thing, but we get to enjoy it.
Here’s a sample breakdown of Halloween expenses for the middle-of-the-road Halloweener:
- Candy for trick or treaters ($15 – CVS online having 30% off sale; free shipping)
- Costume ($0 if you’re creative and can use what you have; $794 if you’re insane and buying the Darth Vader Supreme Edition costume.)
- Pumpkin(s) to carve (3 for $13 – Whole Foods)
- Carving kit ($9.99 -Target)
- Flameless tea lights, set of 10 ($9.99 – Bed, Bath & Beyond)
- The joy of handing out treats to small people (Priceless – available everywhere)
This year, my hubby and I will keep it low-key: no costumes, three bags of candy for the kiddos who stop by before 9 p.m. (one chocolate, one fruity, one just plain sugary), followed by a party next door at the aforementioned neighbor’s house.
With the big day just a week away, those of you who are pro-Halloween have probably made your purchases. Maybe some practical, one-time buys have reappeared, sparing you from spending a bundle; maybe you went crazy reinventing yourself and your home because Oct. 31 is your #1 favorite day of the year. How will you celebrate the holiday without spending more than you should?
Okay, so I am going a little off tangent. I love Halloween. It is actually one of my favorite holidays of the year. I can be something I’m not just for one night! However, some of the costume selections for women is a little sickening. I went to Halloween Express the other day and I saw young girls actually picking out the sexy costumes. These girls couldn’t have been older than 13 or 14. There was one parent and 5 young girls. As I was checking out with my blonde wig, I noticed that the girls all had costumes that I wouldn’t even dare to try on. I pondered, maybe they would look different on a 14 year old, maybe they would cover more. My parents would have killed me if I even asked to wear something like that. The rule was my dad always had to approve my costume. What happened to being cute princesses and scary witches? Are parents having this issue with their young daughters?
I’m gonna take my own tangent and tie it in…
I’m all for saving money, but I’m sick of kids (sometimes bigger than me) coming to my door wearing their school clothes holding a candy pail saying “trick or treat” as if I owe them something. The point is to dress up! This year I’m not giving candy to those over age 12 nor to those that failed to wear a costume.
I remember one year, my mom not willing to spend money on costumes, wrapping me up in toilet paper and going as a mummy… for the cost of a single roll of Charmin! Wear your dad’s camoflage, wear your sports uniform, heck, just wear your parents oversized clothes for a good laugh! And no, pajamas and slippers are not a costume!