Halloween Decorating Made Easy

"Recycled" brooms add a touch of whimsy to the witch graveyard.

Americans spend more than $50 a year (per person!) on Halloween.  From costumes to candy, Halloween is surpassed only by Christmas as the holiday with the largest cash outlay.

Not there is anything wrong with that if ghosts and goblins are your thing.  But there are inexpensive ways to celebrate and decorate for this ghoulish holiday.

Creativity is the key.  Pumpkins, gourds, and squash are relatively inexpensive and in ample supply at this time of year.  Bales of hay and potted mums are also easy to find.  In fact, you can find lots of decorating items at the farmer's market, Home Depot and Menard's, or the grocery store.

Plethora of fallen leaves are perfect for stuffing a scarecrow or a "dead body".  Cardboard boxes can be re-purposed into gravestones.  And a little chalk can go a long way in marking a long driveway or sidewalk with dead body outlines.

One of the easiest and scariest decorating techniques is silhouettes.  Hanging in the window in the shape of crows, bats or witches, these old-world decorating methods also lend old-world scariness to the holiday when the objects are back lit with a spotlight or lamp.

Whatever you decide to decorate with, make it fun and easy.  No need to break the bank.  After all, it's only a few pumpkins and spiders!