Halloween is Deborah Wakefield’s favorite holiday. In fact, though Wakefield travels most of the year as vice president of media relations for CityPASS, a company that sells discount ticket packages to top U.S. attractions, she refuses to schedule business trips around Halloween. Instead, the Portland resident and her husband make an annual pilgrimage to her parents’ Aberdeen home in a neighborhood that attracts hundreds of trick-or-treaters. They and other family members arrive a few days early to help her parents prepare for the big night.
“Halloween is the one holiday where we can get together and have fun with no worries about dividing our time between in-laws or exchanging presents,” she says. “Dad goes overboard on decorating the exterior of the house. There’s a smoke machine by the front steps, ‘tombstones’ on the lawn, carved pumpkins lining the walkway, and a projector casts shadows of ghosts and skeletons on the curtains.”
As much as they love Halloween, the Wakefield clan keeps a watchful eye on their budget. Because the scariest part of Halloween can be the amount of money you spend on candy, costumes, decor and parties.
But there are ways to celebrate without emptying the coffers. Below are tips from the Wakefields and others.