Like best made plans, especially related to me, things tend to go off kilter or not happen.
I had fully intended to do a full store breakdown of the different Halloween shops, BUT life happened and I’m drowning in craziness. I have a solo horror gallery on October 4-5th that’s a big overwhelming thing, on top of Halloween Basket swaps, sending out Halloween cards, and Inktober coming in quick.
Just like I fully intended to make this blog into a video and I have had NO TIME to film or edit or anything. So with October 1st looming close and now that all the shops have their decor out, I might as well just make this a blog to help some people out.
Now if you don’t know me, I know a thing or two about Halloween decorations. I’m officially the crazy Halloween lady. This is basically the time of year where I get to snag new house decorations for all year round. Christmas is Halloween too. I replenish my clothing and sock supply with Halloween, get new kitchen supplies, new pillows and blankets, everything is Halloween.
I also am not made of money. I have 4-6 animals, a tiny tiny house with limited room, and am a starving artist with a studio to pay rent on. So we gotta be smart about this and not buy everything under the sun.
So here’s my process and tips for how I navigate Halloween decor goodies!
Guide to Halloween Buying
The first step happens even before I go to a store. You have to pre-navigate from home and see if there’s anything you HAVE to look for and buy. Instagram and the Halloween babe community is a HUGE resource. Tags like #CodeOrange and #HalloweenLover, etc, are great because people will post their finds or their buys. Not all stores are the same and stock changes all the time. So look ahead so you know to check back if something isn’t there the first time!
Also, store websites may list catalogs or items before they hit the store! Target, World Market, Joanns, Michaels, a lot of stores will have their stuff online. Even Dollar Tree released a catalog. It can be extremely helpful and save time so you don’t waste gas going to a store only to not like anything.
How to Scope Out:
· Check the store websites
· Check the Halloween tags on Instagram, screenshot
· Halloween blogs
· Halloween Youtube videos
· Set a release calendar (if available!)
Okay, so you know where to look and are seeing everything. It can still be overwhelming. So now you’re going to screenshot or make a list of the things you need. And you’re gonna do this with your gut.
Scrolling and feel that instant reaction of “oh my god that’s so cute I need it”? Screenshot it. This is gonna be fast and dirty and you’re gonna end up with a bunch but there’s a point. All the things that call out to you, save for reference. I have a folder on my phone with all my screenshots.
Don’t worry about price, if it matches, if you’re not sure where to put it. Go ham.
Because after you’ve scoped everything out and saved what you like, you’re gonna go back through your pictures and categorize it. When you look at it a few times, do you still really really REALLY want it? Is something just cute but you don’t feel the intense gimme gimmes? Could you live without it?
Do that with all the items you spotted!
Categorize Items: (Gut Reaction)
1. Must Have
2. Love, but not immediate
3. Could buy on sale or clearance
Okay you double checked everything. Now you’re really gonna get into it and ask yourself some analyzing questions.
Ask Yourself
· Will you love it in a year? (It doesn’t need to last forever, but longer than a month)
· Do you need it? Are you updating or replacing something?
· Do you have room?
· Do you have a theme or does it match other items?
· How expensive and do you have a coupon? (ALWAYS look for coupons!)
· Is it limited in quantity/availability?
· What’s the manufacturing quality? (I’ve seen a LOT of really bad paint jobs)
· Would you be okay without it or waiting until after Halloween for clearance?
· Can I make this myself? (You’d be surprised)
This is gonna narrow the field while also making you realize there are some things you need to look for. Maybe bath or kitchen towels? A new mat or jar to hold bathroom supplies? If you have a salt shaker, do you need another set? Is that bright orange pillow gonna clash with your vintage neutral theme?
You asked yourself the hard questions. Now it may be time to delete some things or re categorize them. Sorry, $50 pillow, but there aren’t any coupons.
Re-categorize Items:
1. Must Have
2. Love, but not immediate
3. Could buy on sale or clearance
This is what I do with everything or else I end up with 20 pumpkins and more kitchen towels than I know what to do with.
In Store
Once you get into the store, it does get harder to say no. It’s right there! It’s so easy and you love it in the moment! Walk around with the item, think it over, make sure you saw everything in the store and there’s not something you love more. You’ll be surprised sometimes at what you put back or reason with to come back later for.
And always walk through the entire store! Sometimes they’re tricky and will spread out the Halloween goodies by adding them to their regular sections like Kitchen and Bath and Pets. It’s happen so many times with me!
Also, like I mentioned before, COUPONS! Always search for coupons, reward programs or apps, anything helps! Some stores will always be pumping out discounts, you just have to look!
Take your screenshots and make a plan, use it like a grocery store list. And if you grab an impulse buy, try to go over the process to make sure you really need it.
I hope this helps as spooky season starts to get into full swing! I always start decorating and having things ready in September so right as October begins, I’m ready to go and can focus on having fun. So hopefully you can use this for next year as well!
Gotta get back to the grind! Once things slow down, I’ll try and do a mini-house tour of how everything looks.
-Sam <3