Did you know Halloween is the second highest grossing holiday for retail stores? That’s gross all right, but there’s big money in Halloween. If you go to a big-box store like Walmart you’d expect to see Halloween displays, but even Lowe’s and Home Depot have gotten in on the mix. So how does one avoid the Hallow-hoopla and enjoy a minimalist Halloween?

#1 Shut Your Lights Off

Also unplug your doorbell, and hide in your escape/panic room until 9:30 pm. Don’t come out before then or you’ll be surprised by the teenagers knocking at your door looking for free candy at 9:27 pm. They’re out there. Beware.

#2 Use What You Already Have

Not sure what to be or what the kids should be? Bedsheet ghost is always a good choice. Kids play sports? Sounds like their uniform could make a great costume. This works with baseball, hockey, soccer, karate, basketball, football, etc. Probably not swimming though. Or if they play an instrument they can go as a professional [insert instrument here] player. Talk about making their friends jealous! Or maybe you look like a celebrity. I get told I look like George Clooney quite often. Maybe I should get some ER scrubs and play his character on the hit show…ER. And if all else fails and you’ve completely run out of ideas, see #1.

#3 THEY’RE COMING – GET OUT!

Get out of the house that is. Many restaurants spruce things up come All Hallow’s Eve. Why not search out a Halloween Harvest and create an experience out of it? Or go see a movie, show, or other event you’ve been dying to see.

#4 Join the Fun

Hey, if you can’t beat em, join em. I’ve never been big on Halloween. I guess as a kid I enjoyed it – I once donned a racist Mr. T costume. Hey, I liked the A-Team, and I loved Mr. T. So I put on the black-face (not realizing this was racist, even for an 8 year old), added a felt Mohawk, mom’s jewelry, and went door-to-door saying “I pitydafool who don’t give me candy”. But if you enjoy Halloween and want to get decked out, then try…wait for it…Thrift Shops! There’s a lot of stuff at a Thrift Shop that can make a good, cheap costume. In fact one chain, Value Village, transforms almost half their store to sell Halloween costumes. Or maybe you can declutter your closet and find some duds that can make a tattered zombie outfit, add some ketchup for blood, then roll around the dirt for a few minutes and presto, you’re the Walking Dead!

Let’s be honest, there’s really no such thing as a Minimalist Halloween. If you live (or try to live) a minimalist lifestyle because you want to save money, pretty sure option #1 is your best bet. If you hate waste, option #2 or #3 is probably better suited. But if you love Halloween coupled with the minimalist lifestyle, try #4 on for size.

Living a minimalist lifestyle isn’t about giving up everything you love doing just because someone behind a keyboard said that’s what you need to do. I pitydafool who thinks otherwise!

Now go sell all your stuff and enjoy your tricks and/or treats!