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Host A Halloween Party For Under $50

September 24, 2021 by Shellie Wilson

This is one of my favorite kinds of post because we get lots of emails asking us for tips and tricks on hosting parties for next t nothing. Especially kid’s birthday parties where parents simply can’t afford to spend money.

This post is going to about Halloween parties not birthday parties, but if your child is having a birthday in October do consider having it Halloween themed because buying seasonal products is such a money saver.

Tip number one, decor, these Halloween decorations above is under $30 and contains 130 pcs.   So that is ALL the decorations you need.  The best way to decorate on budget is to allocate a small area that can be themed well. For example, 130 pcs might be lost in your backyard, but pop them in the garage or up against the side of the house and you have a full-looking theme.

Need more decorations? Black bing bags can be cut into strips to make spooky doorways, hang them from the ceilings. Fill them with empty boxes and place them around the room, like trash in an alley.  Add some red paint for blood, like bodies wrapped up. VERY inexpensive. Old newspaper can be cut into cobwebs (like snowflakes) and draped on the walls. When everything is together the newspaper will look amazing.

Food? You can’t have a party without food right?

Sandwiches, bread is cheap! Jam is cheap, red jam/jelly looks like blood. So Blood sandwiches for dinner!  Add some bowls of rice bubbles for snacks, (bowls of teeth)  or make piles and piles of popcorn, cheap and yum!  Drinks? Cordial, red, green, orange.

Kids don’t pay much attention to food and how it looks, just how it tastes, so sugar is always a winner.  Want more food? Make pancakes, inexpensively with flour, sugar, and water.  Serve cupcakes covered in red syrup or orange food dye for a sweet treat, these can also be given to take home.

Have some money left over?  Want to send them home with a gift? Print out some free Halloween coloring pages   or An Apple or a pair of Dracula teeth, (kids love those things).

 

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Have you read?

Book Review: Knits for Little Ones

If you have a little one in your life, Knits for Little Ones by Lotte Rahbek is full of sweet patterns for kids ages 0-2 inspired by nature and the sea.

Rahbek is a designer of Nordic inspired knits and these projects include lots of simple but nice details like stripes, cables, ruffles and eyelets. 

There are no knitting instructions in the book and one page that includes descriptions of a few techniques like raglan shaping, picking up stitches and German short rows, so it’s good if you have some knitting knowledge under your belt before you pick up this book. There is a little chart that shows some of the skills required in different projects such as I-cord, picking up stitches or cable and lace patterns. 

The skill levels are described as beginner, somewhat experienced and experienced. Of the 22 patterns, 6 are rated for beginners, 7 for somewhat experienced and 9 for experienced knitters. I’m not entirely sure I agree with her ratings, which put anything with cables or lace in the experienced section, including a baby blanket that’s worked flat and mostly garter stitch with easy cabled stripes. 

The patterns for beginners include socks worked on double pointed needles, which I wouldn’t consider a beginner skill. Others are a bottom up raglan worked in garter stitch with stripes, a colorblocked raglan worked from the bottom up,  a pair of shorts with stripes and a drawstring waistband, top down leggings with an elastic waistband and a little knit collar with a ruffle. 

Other projects include that pointed bonnet featured on the cover, a twirly dress, bloomers, a romper, cardigans and a ruffled vest, to name a few.

She leans heavily on ruffles and little cables and embellishments, which feels a little repetitive but does make the collection feel cohesive. I’d have loved to see more colorwork, but that’s clearly not what she was going for. 

The photographs of kids of various ages on the beach are darling and will make you wish you had a baby and a beach to re-create some of these scenes. 

If you like simple designs with a few fun details and have a kiddo under 2 to knit for, this collection is lovely and will result in pieces you are sure to treasure. 

About the book: 176 pages, 22 patterns. Published 2025 by Penguin UK. Suggested retail price $16.99. 

 

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