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A college student’s guide to Halloween on a dime

Emily Nickles, Page Editor

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you might be running late on Halloween decorations and costumes, or maybe you only have a few things left to put together. With four days to spare, there are several places and ideas on how to find affordable solutions for Halloween necessities.

The best place to start is with a game plan. How are the Halloween decorations supposed to look? Sometimes on a college students’ budget, it isn’t possible to use all the ideas available on Pinterest or online, and often times you will have to come up with ideas on how to substitute certain items. The simplest decorations are available through the Dollar Store, Five Below, Party City and Walmart. If living in the dorms, all the colored paper and craft supplies probably got left at home, so these stores are the best place to start. 

Five Below has streamers, themed plates, lights and dinnerware. There’s no option to order online through this business, so you’ll have to travel e west down W. University Drive to get there. You can also find minimal costume pieces there year-round such as t-shirts, make-up and nail art, gloves, suspenders, and tutus. 

The Dollar Tree has $1 glasses, plastic dining ware, streamers, wrapping paper, and confetti all for the same price or even cheaper. The Dollar Tree is located off Loop 288, along with Party City, by the Golden Triangle Mall. Party City will also have decorations, but they’re specialty lies in costume make-up, fake blood and miscellaneous costume accessories. My philosophy is get it when you can’t find it cheaper,and Party City’s fake blood and other miscellaneous accessories make for a good deal. Walmart has the best chocolate at the lowest prices and other baking supplies that you may need for Halloween themed recipes.

If you’re throwing together a last-minute costume, but don’t want to spend $60 on one, then thrift shops are another great place to look for pieces. Decorations are abundant in thrift shops, but it is typically a hit or miss. Goodwill often will have donated party supplies in brand new condition, if you want to give it a try. For costume ideas, it is always simple to find a nurse uniform, lumberjack flannels, 80s clothing, sleeping beauty pieces, basic girl outfits, and other similar items. Thrift stores are also ideal for dressing up like an actor/actress from a television show. Sometimes there are elaborate dresses to opt for the princess look, or you can tear one up for a zombified appearance. Circa 77, a vintage shop off the Denton Square, offers period wear from the early 20th century as rentals for $30 —including accessories. Don’t limit yourself to prepackaged ideals — there’s plenty out there.

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