8 Ways To Decorate For Halloween Without Spending Any Money

It's no secret that Halloween is much more exciting with spooky decor. But buying new pieces to decorate with every year can cost a lot of time. Whether you're looking to save money or you're just eager to get into some cheap and easy Halloween decorations crafting, there are plenty of opportunities to tap into the spirit of the season without spending a penny. You already have a treasure trove of items in your home that make great Halloween decorations.

For these crafts, we're going to recycle and repurpose our way to an array of fun, unique Halloween decor. As far as supplies go, you'll need common household items such as tissues, candles, and crayons. You might need to raid your recycling bin for items like cardboard, glass bottles, and egg cartons. You should also check your craft bin for construction paper, string, and acrylic paint. Don't worry if you're missing any of these items. The crafts we're covering all involve adjusting for what you do have on hand. Now let's get spooky!

If you have a lamp with a plain shade and you happen to have black construction paper or some other kind of dark paper, you can create a spooky bat shadow effect. Simply cut out a handful of bat silhouettes from the paper and tape them to the inside of your lamp shade. Once you flip on the light, you'll see the bat shadows dancing across your lampshade. It's a super easy and affordable way to elevate your Halloween decor.

Do you have a collection of old glass bottles? Think soda bottles or even empty pantry staple containers. Instead of tossing them, make DIY potion bottles. First, thoroughly clean out your bottles. Once you're done, fill them with water, then add food coloring to make green, purple, or black potions. If you have glitter, you can add that in too. Seal them with their respective screw-on tops or try an old wine cork. You can leave them as is or create spooky labels for them with any old scraps of paper you have lying around.

DIY ghosts are a piece of decor that never fails to charm. All you need is spare fabric or napkins, string, and something to fill up the ghost heads with. You can use newspaper, cotton, styrofoam balls — whatever you have on hand. To form your ghosts, ball up your filling and drape your napkin or fabric over it, making sure the bottom of the ghost is even. Tie off the ghost head with a string, then draw on eyes and a mouth with a Sharpie. You can either hang these up individually or attach them to form a garland.

For a creepy design element, try your hand at creating 'bleeding' candles. This easy DIY uses common household items you probably already have. All you'll need is a white candle, red crayon, and, of course, a flame. Take the label off the crayon. Now, light your white candle. Bring your red crayon up to the flame and allow it to melt down the side of the candle. As the crayon melts, it will create a sort of 'bleeding' effect against the candle. Keep melting your crayon until you're satisfied with the drips of melting 'blood'. 

Do you have cardboard and an old egg carton lying around? Turn them into an adorable ghost portrait. Start by cutting out a portrait shape. It can be an oval or a rectangle — whatever suits you. Now paint the edge to mimic a frame and create a patterned background. To make your ghost, cut out the peak of an egg carton and cut it again vertically. Paint the shape white and then give it a face before gluing your newly-formed ghost to the center of your portrait. Hang it on your wall and enjoy. 

A little short on crafting materials? Try searching outside for DIY supplies to craft a haunted forest centerpiece. There are tons of dead branches littering the ground this time of year. Collect a bundle of gnarled-looking sticks from around your neighborhood. You can either place them in a vase as is or spray paint them black for an even spookier look. You can cover them in spiderwebs or hang your DIY ghosts from the branches. Place your centerpiece on an entryway table for a subtle yet effective Halloween touch.

If you have yarn or twine, you can easily create a spiderweb to decorate with. One method is to use sticks as a sort of guiding frame. Glue or tie some sticks to form a star. Next, wrap the yarn or string around in a web-like design using the sticks as the center. For a more cohesive look, you can create the center frame out of string. If you're feeling really creative, you can make a dewy spiderweb like naomi_vizcaino on TikTok, who made a stunning web with fishing line and clear beads.

Nothing says DIY Halloween quite like a good, old-fashioned garland. There are a few different ways to pull off this project without spending any money. As we mentioned before, you can make a series of DIY ghosts to string together as a garland. You could also cut out paper pumpkins or bats for a garland. Candy corn, witch hats, spiders — you can take any piece of classic Halloween imagery, craft them with odds and ends you have around the house, and turn them into a garland.