Spill the beans... on your Halloween MoneySaving tricks 'n' treats

Don_Key

Go out and buy yourself the bigest box of Ferrero Rocher you can afford and two pounds of brussel sprouts.
Unwrap the Ferrero Rocher carefully and eat them slowly so that you have a real treat.
Next take the brussel sprouts and wrap them up carefully in the chocolate wrappers.
When the little darlings come round trick or treating they usually have a big bag with all their sweets in.
Simply drop a couple of ready prepared choc's in with all the rest and by the time they get home to eat thier 'treats' they will have forgoten who they got them from.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

goodisongirl

I love love love Halloween!!! Think the kids look fab all dressed up, and as the half term holidays are always around halloween it gives us lots of nice crafty activities to do with the kids during the week ... this week we've made and painted paper mache pumpkins, made salt dough halloween shapes to hang from the trees, decorated jam jars to put tea lights in around the path / steps, made decorations etc etc. My kids have had a great week! Tomorrow is halloween biscuits & cupcakes. I have a big bin bag full of halloween decorations / costumes / torches / cooking implements which I bring down from the loft each October & so it costs very little & I generally buy a few new bits in the sale after halloween to put away for next year.

We've made some little cones from black paper and the kids cut out and glued on some orange pumpkin shapes. Children have then put a few sweets inside each cone (bought cheaply from home bargins) and we will be giving these out to the callers at our door.

Desperado99

PixieDust wrote: »

We only give to under 10s (there is a sign to this effect on the gate), and they have to be in costume.

One year we cooked up some value spaghetti (back when it was really dirt cheap - no chance these days!!) and added green food colouring. We added plastic spiders and ping pong balls with eyeballs drawn on them in indelible markers....then we made them forage around in the mess before they could get a treat (much fun....for us )

Most of them, adult and child alike, looked aghast at first but nearly all were game to try. One small child clearly missed the point and stared at it for aaaagesssss......and then before we could stop him he grabbed a strand and started eating it with an expression like someone on that jungle programme where they have to eat turtle anus-type things. Bless him, we gave him extra treats

Last year we put the treats (mini lollipops 30 for £1) into a bowl of red jelly...... all but two very small kiddies loved it (I did have spare lollies not in the gloop for them) and the adults with them thought it was hilarious.

LalaGomay

Do kids in some places really ask for money???
That's bizarre.
We only get really cute little kids, dressed up, usually with their parents, wanting sweets. If I had someone asking for money I'd laugh in their face with disbelief.

LalaGomay

PixieDust wrote: »

One small child clearly missed the point and stared at it for aaaagesssss......and then before we could stop him he grabbed a strand and started eating it with an expression like someone on that jungle programme where they have to eat turtle anus-type things. Bless him, we gave him extra treats

Awwwwww! So cute.

mcja

I actually wouldnt let my kids take money from people. We have a few old people round by us and unless we see a pumpkin in the window or an indication we do not knock on doors. We are out early and back early and decorate the house for the kids.
I love the spaghetti and jelly for the sweets, think I'll do that tonight. Thanks

Desperado99

Stupid question.......

Do kids in other areas turn up on different nights? we've just had some kids come round (I admit the garden is all halloweened up cos I won't have time after work, but we haven't put the pumpkins out yet). We had this last year because some people didn't want their children out the night before school, and a couple of years back we had one a week or so early because she was going on holiday over halloween (so?). I love halloween, but I wouldn't dream of trick or treating any other night..........

split_second

close the curtains and borrow a dog, when the door goes at my parents we just say
''Lizzie (dog's name), see them off''
cue a 6 year old labrador barking her head off and growling

serves them right for looking at me like i dropped out of their backsides for giving money in 2ps

soba

Went to a halloween party last night and for myself I made this headband - dead easy and really effective
http://www.marthastewart.com/270734/bat-headband

I wore an old black t-shirt that I ripped in a few places and a black skirt made a bit witchy by cutting at the hem with pinking shears, black leggings, two legs of old fishnet tights worn as arm cuffs and a cape made with a bin-bag (It's not halloween if you're not wearing a rubbish bag!!) and make-up based on this

http://www.marthastewart.com/275248/homemade-halloween-costumes-for-adults/@center/276965/halloween#/270474


Make-up definitely not my strong point but looked ok, and altogether I spent a quid - that was for the headband.

Nickitree30

purpleweasel wrote: »

Once a kid turned up at our door with a bemused expression and a can of lager, having been given it as a "treat" by someone a few doors down. Our lodger at the time offered him a £ for it and he was happy to accept. I normally get a few sweeties in but we don't get many callers. They always seem a bit unsure about what they should be doing, they "know" from the tv etc that they should be doing this imported custom but haven't quite got the hang of it. Had a few great dressing-up parties when i was a kid but usually reserved my best looking-forwards for bonfire night

Halloween isn't an imported custom, it's a Scottish tradition complete with guisers (people in disguise). Trick or treat however certainly is.:)