6 Simple Tips for a Fun, No-Stress Halloween
You might wonder.... Does minimalism have anything to do with Halloween?
When we think of simplicity and the holidays, we tend to focus on gift-centered celebrations like Christmas and Hanukkah. We might try to simplify a child's birthday party. Some people are looking for simple, low-cost ways to have a beautiful wedding. But Halloween can be overlooked, even though spending on this holiday increases every year.
If you're curious about how to make your spooky celebration a simple one, read on.
How to save money, time, and hassle this Halloween
1. Turn to nature for your décor.
There's no shortage of plastic, made-in-China-and-shipped-halfway-around-the-world décor in the stores, but do you really want to store that stuff for 50 weeks every year? It's much simpler and environmentally friendly to use what nature so bountifully supplies.
Pumpkins, gourds, and decorative corn are in every grocery store, and your backyard or local park can provide acorns, pinecones, and colorful leaves (or spooky bare branches). If you want more, consider recyclable paper bats,* orange and black paper chains, or spider webs made from reusable cotton batting.
For maximum atmosphere, keep lamps dim and use plenty of candles.
* Thank you for supporting this blog. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission.
2. Get creative with costumes.
It's easy to buy a (plastic) costume, but this can increase wear-it-once clutter in any wardrobe. Instead, consider ideas that are easy to pull together with items you have on hand or pieces you can probably find at a thrift store. (Most of these are unisex.)
- tourist – Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses; travel guide, map, or camera
- scarecrow – flannel shirt, jeans (use safety pins to attach fabric patches), straw stuffing, old hat, old tennis shoes
- princess – white blouse or tee shirt, long full tulle skirt she'll wear again, tiara, ballet slippers or patent Mary Janes, sparkly costume jewelry (Can be adapted to fairy or angel with the addition of wings and/or halo.)
- pirate – white shirt, black pants or leggings, belt or sash tied at the hip, eye patch, head scarf or black hat pinned up on one side, black boots, toy sword (optional)
- Jedi – white tee shirt, brown or tan pants, cream or brown tunic made from a rectangle of fabric, leather belt, brown boots, toy light saber (Can be adapted to Robin Hood with green tunic and a bow; to a Musketeer with blue tunic and a sword.)
- Greek god/goddess – white sheet tied as a toga, gold bangle bracelets, gold leaf garland, sandals
- skeleton – black pants, black turtleneck under a white tee shirt cut in a rib pattern, black shoes; gray eyeshadow and black eyeliner
3. Make dinner easy.
For me, easy often means from the slow cooker, so I might make vegetarian chili or beef stew plus cornbread for dinner. Or how about mini pizzas using English muffins as the base? Toast the muffins first before adding toppings, and bake at 375℉/190℃ for 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve them with a crisp salad or fruit and vegetable crudites, which help balance the heavy dose of sugar coming later.
4. Control candy intake.
I used to buy Halloween candy early in October, and it would "mysteriously" disappear, necessitating another purchase. Now I wait and procure it the day before, hiding it away until it's time for trick-or-treaters. I save money and eat less sugar.
5. Stay in.
After taking the kids trick-or-treating, my favorite thing about a Halloween evening is cuddling up and watching a movie together.
- For little kids (3-7), there are It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Monsters, Inc.
- For older kids (8-11), try Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Wizard of Oz, or E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
- For 11+, consider Monster House and Coraline.
- If it's just my husband and me, we enjoy the classic Edward Scissorhands, the edge-of-your-seat Signs, or the endearing zombie romance, Warm Bodies.
6. Say no.
Halloween, like all holidays, is a time when we may feel obligated to do way too much: construct a wow-worthy set of coordinated costumes for the whole family, plan the gala office party, make chocolate meringue brownies for the PTA bake sale, take our kids to the pumpkin patch and the corn maze, attend a harvest festival or two, contribute handmade crafts to said festival(s)....
Remember, you can only say yes to what matters by saying no to the extras that don't really excite you. Ask "Which Halloween traditions are special to me?" and "What do I love about this season?"
Say no to what makes you feel rushed and pressured to save time and energy for what's most important. You (and your family) will enjoy it so much more.
Decluttering removes excess belongings to make room and time for the things you value. You unburden yourself so you're free to pursue goals that bring you joy and fulfillment. Death cleaning goes further, since it removes the burden from others of deciding what to do with your possessions. Life becomes more pleasant and comfortable for you when you remove what's unimportant, but the same behavior also creates a better situation for your heirs after you're gone.
With death cleaning, everybody wins.
I've been working on my new book, More Life, Less Stuff: Death Cleaning for Good since the spring, and it's finally scheduled for release on October 12th! (That's Monday.) You can pre-order the e-book at a discounted price ($5.99 instead of $7.99), and it will be delivered to your chosen device on that day. Paperback and hardcover editions will go on sale then, too.
I hope you and I are going to live for many more years. But whether you're 40, 60, or even 80 or more, death cleaning is a worthwhile choice for your time and energy. In a way, it even keeps you young, because it helps you focus on the here and now instead of worrying about tomorrow or towing the baggage (literal and figurative) from yesterday. Let's begin!
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