Celebrate Halloween absolutely free with kids

Are you tired of passing out bags and bags of expensive candy every Halloween? How about those costumes? They get pricier every year, don't they? Want your house to be the scariest on the block without spending any cash? Believe it or not, you can celebrate Halloween absolutely free with kids. Plus, it's a lot more fun. Here's how we get by at Grandma's house in the lean years.

Use other people's money:

Trick or treating is absolutely free.

That is, if you're not the one passing out candy. Instead of staying home and doling out the goods while your kids are trick or treating, why not go with them? It's free. It's a bonding experience, as they say. Plus, it's safer for your kids to be accompanied by an adult. By the time you get back, the other trick or treaters will be done too, so no candy to pass out. OK, maybe it's a bit sneaky, but hey, if you're broke, you're broke. Let those who can afford it buy that candy. Maybe you can reciprocate next year.

Attend a free festival.

Your kids can have loads of fun on Halloween at their school Halloween carnivals, trunk or treating or trick-or-treat streets. There will be games, cake walks and haunted houses galore at these free celebrations put on by schools, neighborhoods, churches, etc. If you feel you have to contribute, why not bake a cake for the cake walk or some cookies for the bake sale. It's not absolutely free, but it's optional and pretty inexpensive. Plus, once again, you will be gone when trick-or-treaters come knocking.

What to wear for free on Halloween

You know that you can make your own costumes. What many people don't realize is that there's nothing wrong with it. What if your kids are the type that insist on buying their costumes? What if you just plain have no money this year? How can you convince them to do it and love it? Announce that the person who can make the best homemade costume without spending a single penny will be able to stay up a half hour later every night for a month. The prize can differ, but it should be free for you and beneficial to them.

Bonus: Kids will learn that old fashioned Halloween fun is better.

Free Halloween yard decor

Even if you're not passing out candy, it's fun to make your yard crazy spooky on Halloween. How can you do it for free? Break out the cardboard, packing materials, recyclables, old clothes and such and get creative. Have a kid yard decorating contest or work together on some homemade tombstones, ghosts, and creatures of the night for your yard. It's so much more fun to celebrate Halloween for free than it is to pay for it, don't you agree?