Easy DIY Halloween Decorations on a Budget Using Household Items
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How I Styled a DIY Halloween Entryway on a Budget + A Roundup of The BEST Household Items to Repurpose into DIY Decor
Styling an Addams Family-Inspired Halloween Entryway
Today, I wanted to share some Halloween decor ideas for creating easy and affordable DIY Halloween decor on a budget. This year, I challenged myself to decorate for Halloween on a budget, using what I had on hand.
I used a lot of DIY Halloween decor, as well as Dollar Tree Halloween finds from years past and a few items from Amazon, like this package of bats, which I highly recommend!
We live in the country, and the interior of our home is more of a modern farmhouse style. One area I love decorating for Halloween is the entryway console table.
I don’t have a mantle, but I wanted an area to decorate for holidays, display pet photos, and other little knick-knacks. About a year and a half ago, I found a cute little console table on sale on Amazon and purchased it.
It’s worked out well! The console table is small enough not to block the flow of traffic, yet large enough to allow me to decorate it. I keep a few fabric storage bins on the bottom shelf and use them to store shoes and stuff for the dogs.
I took some inspiration this year from one of my favorite Halloween movies: the 1991 version of The Addams Family. Side note, Raúl Juliá is the ONE and ONLY Gomez Addams to me! I love the welcoming nature of the Addams in contrast to their dark and creepy surroundings.
Along the way, my cat, Harry Berry, helped out! He’s one of our rescue cats who knows he’s a pretty boy!
Materials + Budget Summary
Recently, I started digging through my storage containers labeled for Halloween. I’ll admit, I have a lot of supplies and decorations, including plenty of DIY Halloween decor projects left over from previous years. A few years ago, my mom kindly gave me her collection of Halloween decorations, which means I’m pretty maxed out with Halloween decor.
Every year, I try to store everything carefully. Doing so lets me reuse and repurpose many of the decorations in new ways.
This year for Halloween, I purchased a package of bats with adhesive from Amazon, a 5-lb container of Crayola air-dry clay, some Mod Podge clear acrylic spray, a few pumpkins for the front porch, and two sets of mums. I also used a few 3M Hooks to hang things, some Halloween netting, and faux spider webs.
I spent less than $50 total.
I still have air-dry clay and the Mod Podge spray left over, and I plan to use both to create custom Christmas ornaments.
Styling a DIY Halloween Entryway on a Budget
I have a little decorative shelf (the one Harry Berry is on) that I keep on the entryway table throughout the seasons. I like using it to add height to items.
I covered the table with an old piece of faded purple fabric, reminiscent of Ms. Frizzle, the teacher from The Magic School Bus. I didn’t worry too much about wrinkles, as this is supposed to have an Addams Family vibe - completely welcoming, but eerie and creepy.
I covered the purple fabric with netting found at Dollar Tree. I LOVE this netting. At Dollar Tree, I usually see it in black, off-white, and sometimes purple colors. Amazon also carries it.
It’s one of the products I buy year after year. I find many uses for it, such as the DIY Creepy Potion Bottles and DIY Mummy Hand, mentioned below. The netting adds so much in terms of texture and helps create a creepy ambiance.
A few years ago, I found a vase while thrifting, and I painted it with Rustoleum’s Hammered spray paint. I use this in a lot of craft projects because the finish is so cool. So far, I’ve used it on wood, clay, plastic, and metal with good results! Inside the vase, I keep the remnants of the Pampas grass my husband and I grew. I added some sparkly floral sprigs from Dollar Tree, as well as the black florals with eyeballs.
Next to the Halloween floral arrangement, I propped up an old Dollar Tree “Beware” sign. For indoor use, these signs hold up pretty well if stored with care. Front and center, by the “Beware” sign, I put the “Let’s Get Spooky” book stack.
The “Let’s Get Spooky” book stack is super simple! It’s created from three thrifted books covered with a no-tape bookcover. These book covers are made using brown paper bags from the grocery store, or really any paper of your choosing. Use ribbon, string, or jute twine to tie them together and create a message on the side.
In my pothos plant, I stuck a dowel in the dirt, attaching a skeleton hand from Dollar Tree. With another dowel, I attached a foam tombstone, decorated with a little moss and fake spider webs. For a pop of color, I added some fall florals to the tombstone.
From here on out, I plan to use a simplified version of the DIY Cardboard Tombstones, like the ones featured here. I dislike the foam ones because they tend to crumble. I never use these outside for this reason.
The ghost/pumpkin candle is a lucky thrift find from my mother-in-law a few years ago.
In front of the floral arrangement, I set up my DIY Creepy Candle set made from cardboard toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls, hot glue, tea lights, and paint. I covered the cardboard base with black and hot pink garland, and attached a Dollar Tree spider web to the front of the garland and table.
My all-time favorite piece of easy DIY Halloween decor, though, is my collection of creepy DIY Potion Bottles. I have Werewolf Fangs, Gnome Brains, Dried Cockroaches, Toad Bladders, and Skele-Grow Bone Regenerator.
These are crafted from repurposed food and medicine containers decorated with fabric scraps, jute, creepy printables, fake bugs, and paint. These DIY Potion Bottles are SO fun to make because the possibilities are endless. It’s easy to make something look grungy or dirty, and it’s a perfect, budget Halloween craft for beginners.
Finally, I topped it off with my DIY Mummy Hand, made from spray foam, a lone kitchen glove, gauze, spider webs, and that Halloween netting I raved about earlier.
The Reveal
Final reveal featuring Harry Berry. He’s so proud of his work!
This is just some inspiration for you on how to style a Halloween entryway for your home with budget-friendly or DIY items from repurposed items around your home.
Are you curious what items to use to create easy DIY Halloween decor on a budget? Check out the list below, as well as a roundup of DIY Halloween decor ideas.
Household Items to Use for Budget-Friendly DIY Halloween Decor
As you can see, a lot of my decor items for Halloween are easy DIY projects using repurposed household items.
Let’s talk about items you can repurpose from around the house into DIY Halloween decor.
Halloween is one of the EASIEST holidays to decorate for on a budget. Repurposing is great because it brings new life to things that might be destined for the trash, and it saves you money in the process.
Here is a roundup of some everyday household items you’re bound to have, as well as some inspiration for DIY Halloween decor projects to get you started.
Simple Household Items Great for Repurposing into DIY Halloween Decor:
TRASH BAGS
Trash bags are extremely versatile for budget-friendly DIY Halloween projects, especially if you think outside the box. They are suitable for indoor or outdoor Halloween decorations and are available in a variety of sizes and colors. Trash bags are perfect for creating DIY Halloween:
CARDBOARD: CARDBOARD BOXES, CARDBOARD FOOD & BEVERAGE CONTAINERS, PAPER TOWEL ROLLS, & TOILET PAPER ROLLS
Cardboard is one of the most accessible tools at a DIY crafter’s disposal for low-cost, high-impact possibilities. It’s versatile, cheap, and can be strengthened and made waterproof!
GLASS: FOOD PACKAGING, JARS, CANDLE CONTAINERS
Glass is another easily accessible item, great for creating Gothic-style Halloween decor on a budget.
WIRE HANGERS
Bend into spooky shapes like spider webs, bat wings, or skeleton arms. A clever way to reuse wire for structural DIY Halloween props.
Support for Projects
PAPER: NEWSPAPER, PAPER SHOPPING BAGS, PACKING PAPER, JUNK MAIL
Newspaper, printer paper, or old books can be transformed into paper mâché pumpkins, spell scrolls, or creepy wall art. Ideal for eco-friendly Halloween crafts.
OLD HOME DECOR: PICTURE FRAMES, PHOTOS, PAINTINGS, VASES, LAMPS, KNICK-KNACKS
Give outdated or broken home decor a haunted makeover—paint it black, add cobwebs, or distress it for a spooky second life.
THINGS FROM THE YARD: STICKS, ROCKS, LEAVES
Twigs, leaves, pinecones, and rocks can be turned into witchy wreaths, graveyard scenes, or natural fall centerpieces. A rustic touch for outdoor Halloween decor.
PLASTIC: FOOD CONTAINERS, GROCERY BAGS, TABLE CLOTHS, MILK JUGS, FOAM PACKAGING MATERIAL
Food & beverage containers, plastic grocery bags, tablecloths, milk jugs, and foam packaging material can be cut, painted, or melted into masks, lanterns, or creepy creatures.
OLD JEWELRY
Broken or outdated costume jewelry makes great embellishments, adding a touch of glam to your spooky DIYs.
Book Clasps
Accents
Embellishments
WOOD SCRAPS
Use leftover wood pieces to make rustic signs, mini coffins, or haunted fence panels. Great for farmhouse-style Halloween decor.
OLD CLOTHING
Torn shirts, old jeans, or single gloves can become scarecrow outfits, ghost drapes, or zombie costumes. A great way to upcycle for Halloween on a budget.
Costumes
Witches
Ghosts
Scarecrows
Zombies
POOL NOODLES
Cut and shape into faux bones, snakes, or spooky arches. Lightweight and versatile for large-scale Halloween props.
Project Structural Support
OLD HOLIDAY DECOR: CHRISTMAS TREES, CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS, EASTER EGGS, ETC.
Repurpose Christmas lights, Easter baskets, or Valentine’s decor into eerie lighting, candy holders, or haunted love letters. A fun twist on multi-seasonal DIY decor.
Black Tree
Spooky Ornaments
Dinosaur Eggs from Plastic Easter Eggs
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I’d love to hear about your favorite Halloween DIY decor projects! What are you working on this year?
