Halloween party planning season is here! And it's my favorite time of the year because it gives me an excuse to get spooky well before October.
In case you don’t know, hosting an annual Halloween party is my favorite way to celebrate October 31st. (This is why.) In 2018, I celebrated a decade of Halloweenie Roasts. Year after year, my friends come back in killer costumes ready to drink witches brew, sit around the fire pit and celebrate October 31st with me. They’re kind of the best.
But a great Halloween party doesn’t just happen – it takes work, esp. if you turn it into an annual thing like me, and sometimes that gets a little overwhelming.
The scariest part of all, though? Trying to keep your Halloween party budget under control.
Luckily, I’ve learned a thing or two about doing just that over the past 10 years – a skill that’s going to come in handy as I tackle hosting THREE parties this year – and today I’m sharing what I’ve learned, plus some of my most practical tips for saving money with you.
How to Stick to Your Halloween Party Budget

Start small
Don’t have the budget to invite 50+ people to your party? Then don’t! I am giving you permission to keep it small and invite as many people as you can realistically afford (or as few as you want to include).
I’m trying a new approach to Halloween parties this year: micro parties. Instead of inviting my normal guest list over for one BIG celebration, I’m hosting a series of smaller parties throughout September and October. Not only will this make the season last a little longer; it will also give me a chance to celebrate with a smaller group which means I can be more present.
I mean, who made the rule that Halloween parties have to be HUGE to be awesome? It can totally be you and your bestie sitting on the couch watching “Hocus Pocus” for the 50th time this year while eating spooky snacks.
How I Do It: In 2014, I had just moved into the Spooky Little Apartment, I was asked to be in a wedding at the last minute and I had two friends from out of town coming to stay the weekend. I was broke. So I invited only my closest friends to Halloweenie Roast that year and kept things small and simple. And you know what? It was a blast!
Be realistic
I love Halloween as much as the next ghoul, but it’s not worth going broke over. You should always be realistic about how much you can afford to spend on a party and stick to that. As you nail down a number, you might find that your budget dictates what you do or how many people you invite.
And hey, if you only have a $50 budget to grab some snacks and invite a few friends over for a movie night, that still totally counts as a Halloween party!
How I Do It: As I get closer to October, I tuck away $30-50 per paycheck for my party. I also have a habit of saving money, which I’ll tell you more about in the next section, for a bit of extra funds to cover whatever I need last minute. Finally, I go into October knowing that my monthly disposable income is reserved for my party. At the end of the day, my party budget ranges from $300-500 by the time all is said and done.
Build in a cushion
I always put an extra $50-100 into my budget to cover last-minute expenses that pop up. Often I panic at the last minute I’ll run out of ingredients for my witches brew or I won’t have enough candy. Planning to have a little extra money in my budget that I can move around to whatever items I need in the 11th hour helps me breathe a little easier. And hey, if I don’t use it? It’s fair game for Halloween clearance shopping!
How I Do It: The extra $30-50 I tuck away? That’s how I build in my cushion. Sometimes I even go the route of grabbing $20 from the ATM throughout the year and stashing it somewhere out of sight so I won’t be tempted to spend it and use that for my cushion. Whatever works!

Six More Practical Tips I’ve Used
Now that I’ve shared a few high-level tips for sticking to your budget, here are a few more practical tips for making your party budget-friendly:
1. Use digital invites
I LOVE party invitations and think they’re a great way to set the tone for your guests. Plus, who doesn’t like getting mail?
But…they’re also the first expense to go when I look at a budget that’s out of control. Digital invites on platforms like Facebook get the job done just as well.
Want to still create an invitation to send? Create an image on a free platform, like Canva, and email or text it out!
2. Turn your menu into a potluck
My friends are awesome and are always asking what they can bring to Halloweenie Roast, so I decided that inviting them to participate in a Halloween party food potluck was the way to go with my party. I do turn it into a contest, which creates an expense for me in buying prizes, but it’s a small one that I don’t mind.
If your food budget is small, ask your friends to contribute a spooky snack! I’m betting most have a Pinterest idea or two they’d love to try out.
3. Or make it BYOB
Drinks, esp. alcohol, can tank a budget faster than anything else. Instead of asking your friends to bring a snack to share, you might consider making the party BYOB. Just make sure you have a cooler or sink (I’ve done both) full of ice for them to throw their drinks in!
Doing a big batch cocktail instead of stocking a bar is a great way to keep this cost under control too. See some of my favorite cocktails I’ve served.

4. Save your change
Remember before when I told you I have a habit for saving money for my realistic budget? This is it: anytime I have change, when I get home it goes into a mason jar. I save that up over time, take it to the bank and cash it is. My bank happens to have a coin counter that’s free for customers – check your bank to see if they have one! Otherwise, services like CoinStar (which does take a percentage of your total as a service fee, but it’s not much) are a great option available at most grocery stores.
5. Enjoy spooky songs from DeadAir.co
If you haven’t heard me talk about Dead Air, you’re probably new around here. My pal Clay spins spooky tunes all year long over at his online radio station, DeadAir.co. (That’s not a typo – it’s .co) I’m almost always listening to it as I work on blog posts (like right now!) and love the variety of music he plays.
The site does run on donations, so if you’re able I encourage you to send a little something his way to ensure the Halloween music keeps coming.
6. Establish a Halloween party as YOUR event
I haven’t hosted a birthday party for myself since I turned 30. I don’t do anything for other holidays. My friends know that when they want to celebrate Halloween, I’ve got them covered.
And this has two results:
1. It establishes Halloween as MY holiday. My friends are free to host parties centered around other holidays because they know I’ll always do something for the spooky season.
2. It means I don’t hold any other celebrations during the rest of the year because all my party planning funds go into Halloween.
Makes it easy, right?
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What budget tips would you add to this list?
Or, better yet, what budget questions do you have for me? Drop them in the comments, and I’ll share my answers!
READY TO HOST A KILLER HALLOWEEN PARTY?
Then you’ll definitely want to check out my e-course where I’ll help you plan EVERY detail. Whether you’ve never hosted a Halloween party in your life or you’re looking to step up your annual party, I’ve got tips, tricks and secrets galore in KHP that will help guide you through to process!
Killer Halloween Party is right for you if:
- You want to plan a party, but you don’t know where to start
- You want to turn your current party from annual gathering to the most anticipated soiree of the year
- You need help staying on track and getting everything done
- You’re looking for the BEST way to celebrate Halloween this year!
Let’s make October 31st even better and plan your killer Halloween party to celebrate the best night of the year! Get started now!
Happy party planning,



