Between apple picking and pumpkin spice lattes, the fall is a wonderful time of year. With the cooler weather comes fall favorites, including Halloween. If you love to celebrate the season and you’re thinking about hosting a Halloween Party, follow these frighteningly frugal tips.

1. Save Money on the Invites

As cute as it might be to send out paper invites to everyone on your guest list, it can get expensive by the time you pay for the cards, print them, and mail them out. Plus, all that extra paper isn’t good for the environment. If you want to save money (and some trees), try sending digital invites instead.

2. Don’t Go Overboard with Booze

When you host a party, you’re expected to provide certain things – booze being one of them. There’s no reason to go all out with a dozen different kinds of beer, however. Plus, that will really eat into your budget. Try buying a few cases of one beer and provide a Halloween themed cocktail that is easy to make in large batches. You can also encourage your friends to bring beer or wine to contribute.

3. Think About the Timing

The timing of your party is very important, especially when it comes to your guest’s expectations. If you throw the party in the early evening, your guests may be expecting a full dinner spread which can become pricey, depending on how many people you invite. Try hosting the party a little later in the evening and provide appetizers and snacks (plus Halloween candy, of course). You can also turn it into a potluck if you want to really cut down on your out-of-pocket expenses.

4. Help Your Guests Relive their Childhood

When you plan a Halloween Party you should plan some activities to keep your guests entertained. If you want to save money but still have a good time, why not bring out some of the classics from your childhood? Buy a couple of pumpkins and have a pumpkin carving contest. Make cupcakes and provide different colors of icing and toppings for your guests to decorate them. You can even watch scary movies and exchange ghost stories for some frugal fun.

5. Get Creative with Decorations

You could easily spend a small fortune on decorations if you went to the party store, but there is no need! To save money on Halloween decorations, you simply need to be a little creative. Buy some black tissue paper and make crepe paper garlands shaped like bats or witches’ hats. Tie pillowcases or hand towels around rubber or plastic balls to make hanging ghosts. Turn black balloons into spiders with pipe cleaner legs. The options are endless!

After the Halloween season has passed, take advantage of the sales! Stock up on discounted decorations and party favors now so you’ll have them for next year. Just make sure to store them properly so they are ready to go when the next Halloween rolls around!