Getting Spooky the Sustainable Way While on a Budget
By: Asser Sigmund Ang
As Halloween is creeping around the corner, there’s nothing better than using what you already have to celebrate ’tis season. It’s no doubt that Halloween can be pretty expensive and wasteful. Many people would be willing to spend their money on costumes and decorations to get into the spirit of fun which often goes to waste after a single-use. But the fun doesn’t have to be this way. Sometimes a little side of creativity will help you make the most out of this spooky season.
Here Are Some Tips on How You Can Think Green on Halloween:
1. Get creative with your clothes!
Halloween is about wearing whatever you want and looking as bomb as possible in your own way. You can use old clothes as parts or pieces of your costumes or even upcycle a piece of clothing that you no longer need. If this option is not available, ask your family members, relatives, and friends if they have old clothes to give away for free. You can even swap costumes with your friends!
2. Create homemade decorations!
There are so many ways for this one that it depends on what resources and materials that you currently own. Examples are bedsheet ghosts, mason jar ghosts, tombstone cereal boxes, paper spiderwebs, making masks out of cardboard, painting over plastic bags and using them to collect treats, and so much more. You can even reuse past decorations!
3. Make your own Halloween recipes.
This website gives a list of easy vegan recipe ideas that you might love, and many of them only need a few ingredients to make. My favorites are stuffed mushroom eyeballs, ghost-shaped roasted veggies, poached pear ghosts, and fruit Halloween snacks. But if you have no time to make them, check out nearby stores for potential food deals.
4. Repurpose your pumpkins.
Use the pumpkin innards to make roasted seeds, tasty soups, pumpkin pie, and a whole lot of other ways. You can even donate leftover pumpkins to animal shelters and community gardens. They’ll be happy for the animal snacks and compost material. Speaking of compost, you can add pumpkins to your compost pile as they mostly contain water and decompose quickly. Make sure to remove the seeds and let them dry. You can even save them to grow your own pumpkins in the future. Just store the seeds in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant. Pumpkins are good food for wildlife as well.
5. Turn off lights and light candles instead to give off spooky vibes.
This is especially better when watching scary movies with family and friends, or alone.
Although I’m not as too fond of celebrating Halloween as before when I was a kid, it still gives me joy whenever I see people dress up as their favorite characters. Buying new things is so overrated. Sometimes creating your own presents an opportunity to de-stress and take a break from work.
