JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (The video above is from a Good Morning Jacksonville segment from 2019)
It's the first weekend of September, which means it's time to start thinking about Halloween decorations.
Think it's too early for witches and warlocks? Ghosts and ghouls? Impossible.
Let the neighbors judge all they want, Halloween is the best holiday of the year, which makes it totally acceptable to start decorating early.
Here's how you can get your home Halloween ready without blowing a frightening amount of cash.
1. Ditch Spirit
No company loves an abandoned strip mall building more than Spirit Halloween.
The company always sets up temporary shops in abandoned buildings or strip malls all over town. Sure, they can be fun places to visit to get some creative inspiration, but do not fall victim to the store's overpriced Halloween goods.
And trust me, they are overpriced.
Example: Take this 6 ft. Animatronic Ghost figure. At Spirit, it's listed for $169.
- A similar item is listed on Wayfair for $93
- Willing to stray a bit further from the original example? This life-size animatronic skull figure is just $70 at Lowes.
2. Don't sleep on Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree rolled out Halloween decor to most stores on Aug. 14. How do I know this? I stopped in to get some items for my daughter's birthday and came home with a trunk full of plastic skulls.
Husband was very confused.
And yes, I know what you're thinking. Dollar Tree? Tacky! Actually some items are pretty good quality, and you can style it in a way that looks chic.
Check out this spooky yet elegant mantle made using dollar tree items.
Plus, they have a ton of fun ideas on their website on how you can DIY products to create some really unique decor such as sugar skulls, fancy pumpkins and more.
3. Alternative decor stores
Most people forget that these places carry a TON of Halloween merchandise, and most of it's relatively inexpensive. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Lowe's & Home Depot - Both are great for cheap outdoor light strands in spooky colors like orange and purple. A 100-ct. strand is usually around $7.
- Michael's Craft Store - Look for sales and coupons online before you go. Many of the more expensive items are marked down only for a limited time.
- Facebook Marketplace - Don't act like you don't already spent a ridiculous amount of time scrolling through Facebook. It's okay, I get it. But did you know that you can buy decorations through Facebook Marketplace? And they are usually heavily discounted.
- Wish.com - This one is a GAMBLE. I've had good experiences and bad ones with Wish and shipping takes forever. However, if you're willing to risk it, you can score some super great deals on Halloween decor.
4. DIY
When in doubt, get creative! Pinterest and Google are chock-full of creative Halloween crafts that you and your loved ones can do as a family.
Personally, my happy place is doing spooky crafts with a pumpkin candle burning, Hocus Pocus on TV and a pumpkin beer. It's the only way to get into the holiday spirit.
Here are a few websites to bookmark for great (and easy) DIY's.
Here's hoping you have a happy and safe Halloween.
Creep it real 🎃