Halloween green

Holy smokes. I am working on a story on Halloween festivities, and I found this little tidbit of info: The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $2.6 billion with a B on Halloween ... COSTUMES!

That is just for the costumes! That is not including the outdoor and indoor decor, the pumpkins, the inflatable six-foot ghost or the fun size Snickers!

Add all of it together, and it comes to $6.9 billion. That's a lot of green for Halloween.

We're trying to keep our costs down, but we'll still have candy for the trick-or-treaters. That expenditure is getting to be less and less, though, as in our metro area, trick-or-treating is falling aside for festivals and trunk-or-treats. There's more partying going on, it seems, and more spending, and more people dressing up everyone from the kids to the parents and even the dog. But less random trick-or-treating.

BTW, our cats will not be dressed up. The cuteness is not worth the scratches we'd get.

Here are some ways we've kept the spending in line over the years:

• Shop after Halloween for the next year. Just don't store things so well that you hide them from yourself. It's happened at my house.

• Share costumes as hand-me-downs with family or friends. They are usually in good shape since they're only worn once or twice.

• Shop for candy at the last minute. We do this because otherwise, the little goblins at my house would eat all the candy up. We'd still be shopping at the last minute, only the second time to replace what was eaten the first time.

• Fill up your Crock Pot. I love making a "Witch's Brew" or what would be called chili or taco soup any other day of the year. The Crock Pot keeps it warm so no worrying about food getting cold, and it is easy and it is cheaper than take-out, which can be a temptation when you have trick-or-treating at the end of a work day. And there is usually enough left for me to take to work for lunch the next day.

• Keep the outdoor decor in line. Sure, I love to have fun, too, but I also have to store everything for the other 11 months of the year. We've found that a pumpkin or two plus the porch light is enough decor for us. Spend on what makes you happy. For us, it's never been the decor. It's all about the Snickers bars.

• Share the wealth. I have neighbors who pool their Halloween candy and sit outside to distribute it together and enjoy a visit and seeing the trick-or-treaters.