Don't let your bank balance be as spooky as your Halloween plans!
Start carving your pumpkins, collecting your ghost stories, and putting the final touches on your costume, because the spooky season is well and truly underway.
Halloween for the longest time was seen as an American holiday that a handful of Aussie households get involved in.
But with each passing year, it seems more and more Aussies are getting into the spooky spirit.
In fact, around one in five Australians say that they’re planning to celebrate Halloween this year.
And of those participating, each person is expected to spend on average $93.
That’s everything from costumes to candy to home decor.
The Halloween categories Australians will be spending on include:
The good news is, this Halloween spending is expected to give the Australian economy a $450 million sugar rush.
Retailers are welcoming the spooky spirit with open arms, as many of them are still struggling with current economic conditions.
But the bad news is, with the high cost of living, this $450 million of Halloween spending is actually an 8% drop compared to last year's total spend amount of $490 million.
If you’re keen to get into the Halloween spirit without breaking the budget this year, we’ve got a few tips for you to avoid a terrifying Halloween spending hangover!
1. DIY Costumes
The number of Halloween dress-up parties seems to go up each year and we end up dropping cash on costumes that have a shelf life shorter than a TikTok trend.
Instead of buying pre-made outfits, consider DIY-ing your costume.
Use what you’ve got at home, go thrifting, and put your crafty skills to use to create a killer costume on a budget.
You’ll end up with a costume that’s way more original than whatever Netflix character everyone else is wearing, and you won’t need to sell a kidney to fund it.
2. Set boundaries with trick-or-treating
When it comes to trick-or-treating, if your neighbourhood is crawling with kids like a scene from The Walking Dead, you’ll want to set boundaries.
There’s no need to be your neighbourhood’s local convenience store.
Instead of giving out a handful of sweets for each trick-or-treater, go for the slow drip, one or two pieces per kid, and watch your candy stash stretch like Mr Fantastic.
3. Set a budget before you start shopping
Halloween spending can spiral out of control faster than a sugar-fueled kid post-trick-or-treating.
Just like with Christmas, to avoid the post-Halloween spending hangover, set a budget before you get seduced by the glittering aisles of overpriced costumes and decorations.
The average Australian is spending $93.
What about you?
If you’ve planned what you want to spend on beforehand, you’re less likely to overspend accidentally.
Have a very scary but budget-friendly Halloween, Flux Fam!
Sign up for Flux and join 100,000 members of the Flux family
