Doing Halloween On a Budget? Emily Henderson Shares How to Decorate for $20 or Less

Getting ready for Halloween can get scary expensive—especially if you like to go all out with pumpkin carving, themed outfits, pet costumes, décor, candy, cauldrons and more. But at Target, our goal is to help your dollar go further—stylishly, which is why we’ve enlisted Target Home Style Expert Emily Henderson to help you deck out your digs for $20 or less.

“Halloween is such a fun holiday to decorate for and celebrate, especially when you have children—and there are lots of ways to keep it under $20,” said Emily. By purchasing stylish fall décor items that will work well past the holiday and into the rest of the season, you can maximize your spending while getting your home ready for trick-or-treaters.

Check out Emily’s favorite budget-friendly Halloween products, tips for bringing them to life and more. Best part of all? Once Halloween is over, you can repurpose her picks for Thanksgiving, the winter holidays and beyond:

Spooky Lantern

Spooky lantern collage featuring gold and glass lanterns, votive candles and stretchy spider webs

“Consider adding fake spider webs to lanterns and votives you already have around your house for a spooky vibe,” said Emily. “I like that the lanterns are relatively neutral pieces that can work for Halloween but also live in your home throughout the rest of the fall season and beyond.”

Sweet Entryway

Sweet entryway collage featuring bowls and a twig wreath

“Use entertaining bowls and dishes that can easily be repurposed, like the Nate Berkus Faceted Mini Bowl, to display Halloween cookies and candy. I also like to incorporate a few really festive pieces, like this Twig Wreath or Spiderweb Serving Bowl, for when trick-or-treaters come to the door,” said Emily.

Festive Mantle

Festive mantle collage with plaid pumpkins and glitter pumpkins

“I like to style assorted pumpkins on the mantle as well as on our dining and coffee tables,” said Emily. “You can get fun options like these Harvest Plaid Pumpkins or Harvest Glitter Pumpkins at Target, or visit your local farmer’s market for real ones that you and the kids can decorate yourselves.” Plus, the pumpkins don’t have to go into storage once Halloween ends. They’ll be just as cute as Thanksgiving décor!

If you’re short on time and supplies, check out Target’s ready-to-wear costumes! This week, spend $30 and you’ll save $5 on costumes, décor and party supplies. Got a furry friend to dress up too? Howl-oween’s anything but tame with Target’s cute pet costumes.