The real cost of Halloween

Halloween is reaching state-side heights in terms of the effort we put into celebrating this spooky holiday. For many parents, it’s the start of the relay race: Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Year. It’s busy and expensive - and to add to the mental load, we’ve got the impact on the environment to consider too. This blog looks at how we can reduce costs and make Halloween just that little more sustainable this year.

Let’s first take a look at the actual cost of Halloween…

The average Brit will spend around £95.70 on Halloween on spooktacular events, costumes, decorations and trick-or-treating.
The cost of sweets has increased (as well as everything else in this current climate.) The cost of candy in the US is up 13.1% compared to last Halloween!
In 2019, The Fairyland Trust estimated that 7 million Halloween costumes ended up as waste. What’s more, an average of 83 per cent of the material in Halloween clothing items is plastic (equivalent to 83 million Coca Cola bottles).

Now that’s scary.

5 easy ways to reduce costs and waste

1. Reuse and recycle costumes

This is an obvious one and one that many parents will be doing this year. Rather than head to the shops, shop in your wardrobe first. Can you recycle last year’s costume (cutting fabric where it might be a little tight adds to the effect, right?), or pimp up an old t-shirt or jumper to make a monster, skeleton or mummy outfit?

Second-hand outfits from friends with older children, or charity shops are also good options to avoid buying new.

2. DIY it

If you have the time - and the inclination - you can make your own Halloween costumes from recycled waste. From witches tutus to pinatas, you’ll find lots of inspiration on Pinterest and other sources online for homemade Halloween costumes if you’re a dab hand at crafting.

3. Make your own decorations out of recycled materials

The most environmentally friendly way to decorate is to use decorations you already have. Can you recycle or reuse old streamers, painted card or black fabric? Check out our Easy Halloween Decorations list on the Parent List app and find out how to make Mummy lanterns out of jam jars or Ghost lights from recycled milk cartons.

If buying new, think reusable, not single-use and make sure you’ve got plenty of years left in those fun-filled embellishments.

4. Make conscious food choices

If you’re throwing a little Halloween party for the kids, there are some tricks to reducing food waste and its impact on our environment. Small hacks might include making food from scratch, packed-lunch-style food bags instead of a buffet, fresh food purchased without plastic packaging and palm-oil-free ingredients.

For trick or treat, you can buy unwrapped sweets and chocolate to reduce packaging waste.

5. Finally, be conscious of litter on your trick-or-treat walk

Encourage your kids to be careful not to drop any wrappers, cans or debris. And pick up that left behind by others on your walk around your local trick-or-treat patch. Walking is important too - try to avoid driving to the most popular spots, if you can.

Halloween is a busy time for parents, but by making a few simple tweaks we can make it more sustainable without skimping on the fun.

The Parent List app has great ideas for parties and events all year round – why not check it out? You can register your account here.

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The real cost of Halloween - 5 ways to spend less, reduce waste and enjoy more