15+ Easy & Cheap Halloween Decoration Ideas

If you want to wow guests with your Halloween decor, but don’t have a lot of time or money, then these Halloween decoration ideas are for you! Who said cheap Halloween decorations can’t be fab too?!

We just got back from spending a few days in New Orleans and that only put me more in the Halloween spirit. I love New Orleans all the time – it’s my favorite – but being down there during October with everyone getting into the Halloween spirit was a real treat.

This was the Circus’ first trip to New Orleans and she has now proclaimed it her favorite as well. I can now consider my parenting style a complete success. 🙂

I haven’t had time to photograph the whole house for Halloween and share all our Halloween decorations, but I was able to snap a few favorite scenes and setups around the house.

My Halloween decoration ideas are easy to copy and/or put your own unique twist on. So many of my decorations have either been DIYed, thrift store finds or twists on Dollar Tree halloween items, so they are really affordable too.

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Cheap Halloween Decorations

1. Create a Witch’s Workspace

This is always one of my most favorite parts of decorating for Halloween – creating a space for the house witch to mix up her potions.

I clean off my bar cart for this, throw creepy cloth and candles about and lots of skulls. And don’t forget the witch’s broom, of course – here’s how I made that one above.

Of course, potions are a must as well. Grab these free printable potion labels to adorn your own potion bottles. For the actual bottles, I have these and a few ones I’ve found at thrift stores as well. Just always be on the lookout for creepy/older looking glass bottles.

2. Put skulls anyplace you can stick ’em.

You may have noticed the mounded skulls coming out of my champagne bucket on the witch’s table. I love to use my “everyday” decor and even serving pieces during this time of year and fill them up with creepy skulls or other Halloween items.

No reason to spend a fortune here. Most all my skulls are from the Dollar Tree.

Just having them peek out in random spots throughout the house is always fun.

P.S. Don’t worry about polishing all that brass and silver – it looks creepier with a little tarnish!

This year I put one up in between two windows using a command strip. It looks down on us as we’re eating dinner. 😆

3. Pull out all your candles.

Literally. Pull out every single candle you own and put them all around your house. Grouped together or solo, they add an instant Halloween feel to a space.

Again, don’t worry with polishing the candlestick holders!

4. And then embellish those candles.

I found this fantastic washi tape this Halloween season and snatched it up as fast as I could. I cut out single eyes and placed them on a few candles throughout my decor. The tape is also great for embellishing books, trays, etc. for the season.

5. Creepy Cloth is your BFF.

Another Dollar Tree staple here – creepy cloth.

This stuff instantly makes anything Halloween ready. I like to drape it over tables to create a spooky base and then layer on more Halloween decor.

I also like to put it over things that I want to keep close at hand – liquor – but want to spook up a bit. 🙂

6. Load up on creepy “beings.”

Throughout the year, I’m always on the hunt for anything that would work well in my Halloween decor – ok, basically any seasonal decor. 😂

The pumpkin man and mummy were both yard sale finds. They work great on my witch’s table.

Of course, no witch is complete without her black cat. This cat was an addition to our Halloween decor courtesy of the Circus.

I made this mohawk lollipop holder several years ago and it always makes an appearance for Halloween. It adds a little punk touch to the decor and the kids love getting suckers out of the “head.”

7. Get regular “beings” in the Halloween spirit.

If it has a head, it’s going to get some form of Halloween treatment around here. This bust got adorned this year with my DIY witch hat.

Both the Buddha and the Staffordshire dog got mini-witch’s hats.

I topped the rest of the busts with witch’s hats and one – with devil horns. 😬

8. Make art spooky.

Again, I like to work with my everyday decor rather than switching everything out. I put a mini-skull over the head of the lady in this art print with a command strip.

I covered another art print with this printable Double Double Toil and Trouble art.

9. There’s something always watching…

I bought a few of these eye picks and stick them anywhere I can. This one is popping out of a flower arrangement.

10. Vintage Halloween cut-outs are the best.

If you can get your hands on vintage or vintage-style Halloween cutouts, snatch them up. They are THE best for creepy Halloween decor. I have a couple that belong to my husband’s grandparents and I adore them. My father-in-law remembers his mom hanging them up when they were young, so these are pretty special to us. Fun fact: this one still has the price tag on the back of it – a whopping $0.09! This set isn’t vintage, but it has a vintage feel and I like them as well.

11. Be on the hunt for weathered or old looking books all year long.

While the book above may look old, it’s actually new and a yard sale find! Works perfect for Halloween!

12. Elevate with books and candleholders.

Speaking of books – I like to use them all over during Halloween and really anytime in general to elevate other items.

Sometimes I leave them as is and sometimes, I cover them with creepy cloth….

I stacked lots of books together here and covered with creepy cloth to elevate the DIY ampersand pumpkin and give it more of a presence.

I will also use spare candleholders to elevate smaller items like these little Halloween heads or even mini pumpkins.

13. Create a psychic / fortune telling table.

This year, I transformed my coffee table into a creepy fortune telling space.

I layered on creepy cloth, a few candles in varying heights, my skull tree and the “tools of the trade”…

…my DIY Ouija Board, DIY Glowing Crystal Ball and a tea leaf reading cup and saucer I found at a thrift store.

This is one of my favorite scenes this year and Grunt loves it too.

14. Toss Witch’s Brooms wherever you can.

I think it’s looks a little more authentic if you just lean them up against walls in random locations – kind of like the witch just walked in and dropped her broom. Tutorial for these witch’s brooms is here.

15. Don’t forget the spell book.

In this girl’s opinion, Halloween isn’t complete without a spell book! Grab an old book and this printable spell book cover to create your own!

16. Flowers are for Halloween too….

Creepy flowers anyway – and lots of black leaves and bright filler picks. 🙂

Create this skull vase by carving out the back of a styrofoam skull and placing the vase within the cut-out section.

17. Embellish basic skulls.

A super simple trick I’ve been doing for years is buying skulls from the Dollar Tree and then dressing them up just a bit with glitter and/or spray paint. On the one above, I simply added purple glitter to his eyes for a touch of glam.

I’ve also upgraded skulls by painting them and then placing them on candlestick holders with hot glue – tutorial for that here.

18. Hang something from above…

I love to hang Halloween decor from the ceiling whenever I can. This creepy guy – another thrift store find – is hanging from the chandelier right when you enter our front door.

Do you have any go-to cool Halloween decorations?

Want more ideas for Halloween? Be sure to see these….

DIY Glowing Cauldron – a fantastic outdoor or indoor Halloween decorating idea!

DIY Halloween Coasters – creepy, glam Halloween coasters with spooky skulls, snakes and more!

Easy DIY Halloween Decorations – more simple and cheap Halloween decoration ideas you can make yourself!

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