Of course pumpkins and roosters go together! Photo by Wendy Stieg
Make it about using what you already have!
October 2026 finds most of us a bit short on cash. Having raised kids and been short on cash, I know that Halloween still arrives each year. So what can you do? Well, a lot, actually! Some of the best Halloween costumes are homemade, and often the most creative. You can take that same idea and use it for decorating seasonally. Don't be afraid to think way outside of the coffin on this one!
There are MANY ways to create a great fall home and get decorating for Halloween!
Have fun decorating for fall! Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh
Fall is one of the easiest seasons to bring into your home. The colors are already beautiful, the textures are cozy, and with Halloween right in the middle of it, you can have a little fun too. But here's the good news: you don't need to spend a fortune or buy a whole new collection of decorations every October. Before you head to the store, take a look around your own house. Open the closets. Check the garage. Dig through last year's decorations. Call your mom. Text your best friend. And then take a walk outside. You may already have almost everything you need.
Shop Your House First
This Vignette Could Go from Shabby Chic to Scary Chic in no time!
Start with what you own, but don't automatically put everything exactly where you put it last year. Move things around. That pumpkin that's lived on the mantel for the past five Octobers might look completely different on the dining table surrounded by candles. An old basket can hold pumpkins or gourds. A wooden bowl can be filled with apples. Mason jars and old bottles can hold branches or dried flowers. And don't forget your closet. A plaid scarf can become a table runner. Black lace can instantly make an ordinary table feel a little spooky. An old shawl can add texture to a chair or basket. Boots, hats, and even costume jewelry can become part of a Halloween display. Sometimes "new" really means seeing something you already own differently.
Beg, Borrow, Steal, or Trade With Your Mom or Your Bestie.
Swap Parties are a thing!
Are you tired of looking at the same Halloween decorations every year? Chances are, somebody you know feels exactly the same way about theirs.
Trade!
Swap wreaths with a friend. Borrow your mom's ceramic pumpkins. Trade candlesticks, baskets, Halloween signs or table decorations with a neighbor. You can trade them back in November or decide you're both happier with the swap and make it permanent. It's free, it's fun, and suddenly you both have something different without adding another storage bin to the basement. You could even turn it into an excuse to get together.
You could even turn it into an excuse to get together. Bring a few decorations you're tired of, pour some cider, and have a fall décor swap. Or make it a sort of White Elephant party and call it a Witch's Green Stocking Party. Or come up with your own ridiculous name!
Don't Skip the Thrift Store or the Neighborhood Garage Sales
Thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales are wonderful places to find fall and Halloween décor, but don't just look for things labeled "Halloween." Look for pieces with character.
Getting creative in a thrift store is easy! Photo by Kiko Camaclangn
Old brass candlesticks. Amber glass. Baskets. Wooden bowls. Vintage picture frames. Old books. Pottery. Quilts. Crocks. Serving trays. Interesting bottles. Even a slightly creepy old portrait can suddenly become fantastic Halloween décor. Old shoes, a black lace dress and a little white face makeup, and you've got your Halloween costume!
Designers are increasingly using vintage and secondhand pieces in seasonal decorating because they add texture and personality that brand-new matching decorations sometimes don't have. The trick is to look at what something could be, not just what it was originally meant to be.
Let Nature Do Some of the Decorating
Here in Southwest Colorado, fall is already putting on quite a show. Why not bring some of that feeling indoors? Pumpkins and gourds are the obvious choices, but don't stop there. Apples in a wooden bowl, dried flowers from the garden, colorful leaves, grasses, pinecones, and interesting branches can all bring the season inside.
Your yard and garden have beautiful real decorations. Photo by Tanya Barrow
Use what you have on your own property or purchase natural materials locally rather than gathering plants or other materials where collecting isn't permitted. The best part is that natural decorations don't have to look perfect. A crooked branch in an old pitcher can be more interesting than an expensive artificial arrangement.
Build Fall First, Then Add Halloween
Here's another way to save both money and time: don't decorate twice.
Start with a plain dog… photo by Alvin Nee
Start with fall. Use pumpkins, baskets, warm blankets, wood, dried flowers, apples, candles and the rich colors of the season as your foundation. Then, as Halloween gets closer, layer in the fun stuff. Add the black lace. Bring out the bats. Put a spider on the candlestick. Add a few ghosts, skeletons or whatever makes you smile.
…add the costume and a friend, voila! It’s a Halloween Party!
Then on November 1, take away the spooky pieces and leave everything else alone. Your home goes right back to fall and can carry you through Thanksgiving without another complete decorating overhaul.
Give Last Year's Decorations a New Job
Before deciding something is outdated, try changing the way you use it. Group several small decorations together instead of scattering them around the house. Put an indoor decoration on a covered porch. Add a thrifted frame around an old Halloween print. Put pumpkins at different heights using books, crates or cake stands you already own. Even changing the room where you use something can make it feel new again.
And if you really don't love it anymore? That's when it goes into the swap pile for your mom or your bestie.
Make It Feel Like Your Home
Seasonal decorating shouldn't be about recreating somebody else's perfectly styled room. Your home should still look like your home, just ready for fall.
Use the things you love. Bring in some of the colors and textures happening outside. Add a little Halloween silliness. Reuse something you had forgotten about. Find a $3 treasure at a garage sale. Trade that wreath you've been staring at for ten years with someone who's delighted to have it. You don't need a shopping cart full of new decorations to make your home feel different.
Sometimes all it takes is looking at the things you already have with fresh eyes. And maybe calling your mom.
Need more ideas? See below!
HGTV: 20 Pieces of Halloween Decor You Can (And Should) Thrift — Fun ideas for finding inexpensive, unusual Halloween décor at thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales and garage sales. Read the article
HGTV: 25 Halloween Decorations You Can Make With Things You Already Have at Home — Creative ways to turn ordinary household items into Halloween decorations instead of buying everything new. Read the article
Martha Stewart: 8 Fall Décor Items to Look for at Thrift Stores — Ideas for finding baskets, ceramics, candlesticks and other secondhand pieces that add inexpensive fall color and texture. Read the article
Martha Stewart: 9 Vintage Fall Décor Items to Look for at Thrift Stores — Vintage quilts, linens, glassware, baskets and other finds that can make fall decorating feel collected rather than store-bought. Read the article
Hallmark: Fall-to-Halloween Decorating Ideas — Start with a fall foundation and layer Halloween touches over it, then remove the spooky pieces and keep the rest through Thanksgiving. Read the article
HGTV: (Almost!) Free Halloween Decorations That Are Spookier Than Store-Bought — Budget-friendly Halloween ideas using inexpensive materials and things you may already have around the house. Read the article