Do you hear that…..? Is it a mummy groaning..? Perhaps a vampire hissing… Wait… It’s your bank account crying because the holidays are coming! Finances during the holiday don’t have to be spooky. If you plan and budget properly for this monstrous cost, you can be stress free. 

First, our bank accounts are hit by Halloween; there’s the trendy “You’ve been booed!” basket craze, candy for the kiddos, and the most marked up holiday item there is…costumes!! 

There are many options for these expenses. During the holidays, Pinterest is your best friend. My personal favorite for “boo baskets” (for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, boo baskets are Halloween themed gift baskets people give each other) is filling it up with Dollar Tree goodies! If you don’t believe me, check this out:

Seriously, Dollar Tree meets all your Halloween needs at their Halloween Shop. At the end of the day, we are college students and there isn’t any shame in finding creative ways to save money.

Now, let’s talk about costumes. Keep in mind that you want cost-conscious-costumes (say it with me now).  Places like Spirit and other pop up Halloween stores are great places to get inspiration, but costumes, on average, cost $50. I strongly advise you as a fellow student to DIY! Doing things yourself doesn’t have to mean learning how to sew and stitch, it means price checking across different websites, browsing the Pinterest DIYs, and checking out your local thrift store! 

Here is a great pinterest board to put together a costume at Goodwill: 500+ Best DIY Halloween Costumes images in 2020.

And lastly, the thing that seems to scare young adults more than horror films…Budgeting. Before you give out your best Hollywood scream, take a breath and light a candle. Budgeting and talking about finances doesn’t have to be terrifying. It breaks down to how much money you will be receiving and how much money you will be spending. When you make a plan for your finances, you get peace of mind and control of your money. ACC has a great Monthly Budget Tracker and if you are planning safe, quarantine get-together, here is another great free event budgeting tool Entertainment Planner.    

Okay Ghouls and Girls, y’all are ready to have a great and safe Halloween!

Tags: Arjana Almaneih, Holidays, PMMP