7 Questions to Ask Before Buying Halloween Decor

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When stores fill up with Halloween, it is magical. I want to spend every single day wandering the aisles, gathering up treasures and bringing them home to the Spooky Little Apartment.

This post was originally published in February 2017. It was updated and republished in August 2021.

Luckily, my bank account balance and 900 square-foot apartment keep me in check these days. (Usually…)

But there were days early on in my love of Halloween where if it was black, orange or candy corn…I was buying it.

That approach to Halloween is fine and well, but it doesn’t lead to a pretty collection of decor – instead, it usually means a hodgepodge of stuff, half of which stays packed away in boxes because you don’t have enough nooks and crannies to display everything.

I say no more to mindless Halloween buying madness!

A finely curated collection of Halloween decor is my goal. Everything should look like it belongs together. It should also mix in seamlessly with my normal home decor. And this little system I developed a little system for myself has helped me get there.

Any time I’m Halloween shopping and I find the perfect goodie I can’t live without, I have to ask myself a series of questions to make sure what I’m buying is truly something I need, not just an impulse buy.

I thought they might be helpful to you too, so here they are:

 

7 Questions to Ask Before Buying Halloween Decor

 

Excited to see Halloween decor in stores this year? Me too! But to keep me from overspending, I keep these questions in mind while shopping.

Found at: Bath & Body Works 2021

 

1. Have I looked at all the options available?

I really hate when I find something I love at one store, buy it, and then find something even better at the next. I always wish I would have waited! So many stores carry the same or similar items. Before I do any MAJOR purchasing, I visit as many stores as possible so I have a good idea of what everyone is carrying.

This is a great way to avoid buyer’s remorse. (Or having to hassle with returns because I know you – you forget and just end up keeping both items, right? Same.)

 

2. How does this fit in with what I already own?

Years ago I would buy anything Halloween. Now, I am very picky about what gets to come home with me. I like items that have a vintage or spooky vibe. Rustic and cute is also good. And when it comes to colors, I mostly stick to black and orange decor with a healthy dose of candy corns mixed in.

Knowing your Halloween style is half the battle! Not sure what yours is? This year when you unpack it, group your decor together by categories like vintage, spooky, creepy, or even colors. Pay attention to patterns, and voila – you’ll have your Halloween style figured out in no time.

 

Excited to see Halloween decor in stores this year? Me too! But to keep me from overspending, I keep these questions in mind while shopping.

Found at: Big Lots 2021

 

3. Where will I display it?

This is The Big Question #1 – if I can’t immediately think of a spot in the Spooky Little Apartment where I will use an item, I don’t buy it. Period.

And you shouldn’t either. We buy Halloween decor because it makes us happy, right? So what’s the point of buying happiness if you can’t look at it every single day during the Halloween season? (Or beyond!)

 

4. Will I use it for multiple Halloweens?

The Big Question #2. For a while, I was buying decor to use for one specific Halloween party theme. I’ll be honest: I ended up with a lot of junk I had no use for beyond that theme.

Now I make it ridiculously simple. If I can’t see myself displaying a piece of decor for years, I don’t buy it.

 

Excited to see Halloween decor in stores this year? Me too! But to keep me from overspending, I keep these questions in mind while shopping.

Found at: HomeGoods 2021

 

5. Can I multi-purpose it for the rest of the year?

While not necessary, this point is certainly beneficial! I get asked a lot and no, I do not keep my entire home Halloweenified all year long. Only the Spooky Little Office stays black and orange year-round.

I’ve gotten more creative with my decor over the years. If I can envision a place in the Spooky Little Apartment for something to live all year, it’s a big selling point for me!

 

6. Where will I store it?

Raise your hand if you’ve bought big, bulky Halloween decor…and then struggled to find a place to store it. 🙋

This is especially a struggle for us apartment dwellers who may not have all the extra storage others have. I’ll admit I pay for a storage unit that is 50% full of my Halloween decor, including all the oddly shaped items like large plug-in pumpkins, foam tombstones and even my Maleficent staff.

So before you grab something that won’t fit neatly into a storage bin, take a moment to consider…where the heck is it going to go the rest of the year?

 

Excited to see Halloween decor in stores this year? Me too! But to keep me from overspending, I keep these questions in mind while shopping.

Found at: Michaels 2021

 

7. Can I use a coupon?

You guys, this is probably my biggest secret: I very, very rarely buy anything Halloween full price. In fact, I hate having to pay full price. It’s the Taurus in me – I like getting a deal.

I almost always use store coupons via apps on my phone. If I’m shopping online, the Honey browser extension is my favorite option. If I can’t use a coupon, I’ll usually leave it behind until it goes on sale or I do have a coupon. For more of my secrets for doing Halloween on a budget, head to this post.

 

Bonus tip: Only impulse buy items under $5

I usually stick to $3 or less. If it would cost me less than my favorite coffee shop order and I just have the feeling I can’t live without it…why not? Sometimes you do need to trick-or-treat yo’ self, y’know?

So did I just suck all the fun out of Halloween shopping for you? I sure hope not! These questions not only help me stick to my budget; they also help me keep my decor collection manageable so I don’t dread packing it up when Halloween is over.

 

 

What’s your best tip for buying Halloween decor?

As always, share it in the comments, or find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share!

 

Happy shopping,

Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

Miranda is the Houston-based writer, blogger, and Halloween lover behind Spooky Little Halloween, the blog celebrating October 31st all year long. Her favorite Halloween things include pumpkin guts, chocolate bars in her trick-or-treat pail, real haunted houses (including the one she lives in!), and historic cemeteries.

21 Comments

  1. Reply

    Autumn

    March 3, 2017

    Thanks for this. It’s a big help.

  2. Reply

    Cathy DeMoss

    August 17, 2018

    These are great things to think about. Thanks.

  3. Reply

    Debbie

    April 15, 2019

    I, for one, use Halloween decorations year round, it’s my signature and my grandkids love it!

  4. Reply

    Cindy

    July 26, 2019

    I love your questions – they will help out alot this year! I try not to impulse buy, just wait a day or so and if I keep thinking about it (randomly throughout the day) or decide I really do have to have it then I will go back and get it. (Occasionally I miss out because I waited, but sometimes that works out well too)

    • Reply

      Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

      July 28, 2019

      Thanks a great approach, Cindy! I can definitely appreciate wanted to grab things before they disappear too, though. It’s a balance!

  5. Reply

    April A. Watson

    July 27, 2019

    Thanks for the tips! I am definitely going to try and sort my stuff by theme this year and start making purchases based on that rather than impulse…which is a bad habit of mine!

  6. Reply

    Joyce

    July 12, 2020

    Great tips. Totally with you on the coupon use–and sales. Storage has been my issue. I bought things for projects I still haven’t done. Going through my Halloween goodies now.

  7. Reply

    Autumn Zenith

    August 12, 2021

    Wise, wonderful and very timely tips. Thank you for updating and reposting this list. It had me nodding like a (Halloween themed) bobblehead the whole way through – especially in regards to where to display and then store items, as I too live in a wee abode with limited space.

    Like yourself, I try to be fairly mindful of my Halloween colour palette. I have two general palettes in my current fall/Halloween/Samhain decor collection. One, a classic marriage of orange and black, the other a dreamy, romantic melding of burgundy + dusty pinks and plums coupled with aged metals and a few splashes of both cream and grey. Ideally, given our limited space and budget, I strive to ensure almost any new Halloween addition can work with one of those two palettes. Curating like this also helps cut down on impulse buys and makes me think long and hard about what pieces, no matter how much I may adore them, do get to come home when all is said and done.

    Thank you again for resharing this post. Happy spooky season shopping!

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

  8. Reply

    Andrea

    August 13, 2021

    Absolutely agree on the “How will I store this” point – that discourages the majority of my purchases. Honestly we still have plenty of fun decorations up each year. I do also collect milk jugs each year, draw ghost faces on them with sharpie, and get some extra use out of my white holiday lights on Halloween (I found this online, not my idea). That way I can recycle the bulkiest part of our outdoor Halloween decor :)

  9. Reply

    Anne

    September 3, 2021

    Helpful and wise information here. Thanks.

  10. Reply

    Stephanie Schnipke

    October 6, 2021

    As someone who also lives in an apartment, I’ve really struggled with decorating. Not just for holidays, but home décor in general. I see so much cute stuff but once I think about where I’ll display it and store it afterwards I usually talk myself out of most purchases. Not having a knack for interior design also discourages 90% of my impulse finds. So usually what happens is our apartment looks empty and void of any character most of the year. I like these questions, tho. I can see them being extremely useful, especially to those of us with smaller living spaces.

    • Reply

      Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

      October 6, 2021

      I think an easy place to start is looking for ideas on spaces like Pinterest. Take the approach of saving everything you like to a board, walk away for a day or two, then go back and look for trends. That will help determine the style you want, then you can use those photos to copy or emulate what you like best. :)

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