The weather is cooling off, the kids are back in school, and the spookiest time of the year is finally upon us. Whether your ideal Halloween is a night of family fun or a party for friends, you can inexpensively put a party together by shopping at your local thrift stores for cheap Halloween party supplies. Below you’ll find some ideas that will help you achieve maximum thrill.

1.  Glassware Isn’t Just for Pinterest Weddings

Jars and bottles can be customized in a number of different ways to give your spooky décor that extra touch of fun and thrift stores often have a lot of these.

Poison Bottles

You can distress your bottles and jars to make your kitchen look like a poisoner’s lair. For added fun, get creative with your label making, and consider using them to hold candy.

[Image source: The Kim Six Fix]

Mummy Votives

You can also turn a couple of plain glass candle holders into mummy votives using gauze and a pair of googly eyes. The light they’ll produce will be softened by the gauze. For flame free lighting, use battery-powered candles.

[Image source: Eclectically Vintage]

For a more free-form approach, use paint to turn jars into the monster of your choosing, using this tutorial at Crafts By Amanda. 

2.  Sheets for That Classic Haunted Look

Never miss out on a classic in your quest to find something new and different. Ghosts are always popular decorations. You can find white sheets at second hand stores to make these decorations without murdering your budget.

Inhabitots has instructions for an easy hanging ghost decoration that even the little ones can make with minimal help.

3.  Dolls

Fear of dolls is more common than you’d think (it’s called pediophobia), and even the non-phobic among us have seen those dolls that just creep us out a little. They don’t need a lot of adjustment to set a spooky tone. Sometimes all it takes is a trip to the thrift store to find that special doll with the ability to put us on edge. Nestle it next to your distressed bottles, and let chills begin.

[Image Source: Pick Me]

If you like to get creative with your spooky cheap Halloween party supplies, however, there are a number of craft ideas available involving doll parts. After seeing Pick Me’s specimen jar doll project, your guests may never sleep again.

4.  Used Clothing

Scarecrows are a timeless fall tradition, and a wonderful way to use old clothes. Make it as creepy or as cute as you want. Check out this tutorial from 2 Little Hooligans.

5.  Second Hand Halloween Party Supplies

If you don’t have the time to get crafty, and you’re looking for quick and cheap Halloween party supplies, thrift stores often have a collection of Halloween items that are ready to go. If you aren’t sure where to look, ask a friendly cashier. They should be able to tell you if their store has a stash of these items, and where you can find them.

Whatever you do for Halloween this year, the most important thing is having fun. Don’t get so caught up on having the perfect Halloween party supplies that you forget to have a good time!