For many, the Halloween clearance shelves are a place to stock up for the next year, but we have tips on how you can take advantage of all the Halloween sales and clearance items for that huge holiday coming up — Christmas! You may have a hard time wrapping your mind around what things you could use for two completely different themed holidays. We’ve found several that’ll hopefully inspire and save you some money by repurposing stuff.
Make sure to download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for the latest on holiday savings, and check out the KCL Deals page for the best sales and clearance items before and after Halloween!
1. Paint pumpkins along with some floral pieces for quick and easy Christmas decor.
You’ll find pumpkins at their lowest price right after Halloween, so pick up a few along with some gold spray paint. As long as you don’t carve pumpkins, they should last several weeks. Better yet, buy those plastic pumpkins that always go on sale after Halloween.
2. Or paint your pumpkins white and make a snowman.
Feeling a bit more creative? DIY a snowman out of uncarved pumpkins (or plastic pumpkins). Coat the pumpkins with white spray paint and let dry completely. Apply hot glue around the stem of the bottom gourd and set the smaller pumpkin on top. Press down on the top pumpkin for a few seconds to ensure a good seal. Add a face and ribbon or scrap piece of fabric for a scarf to complete your Christmas snowman.
3. Gift clearance Halloween costumes for dress-up.
This makes an awesome gift. Collect Halloween costumes on clearance, everything from a fairy princess to a pirate, and let the kids play dress-up year-round. Here are some costume ideas to pick up along the way:
- For the head: hats, wigs, tiaras, and headbands
- For the feet: cowboy boots, rain boots, firefighter boots, and shoes with small heels
- Clothing items: short dresses, robes, short slips (for bridesmaid dress), suit vests, and camouflage vests
- Props & accessories: badges, purses, wallets, magnifying glass, stethoscope, cane, and microphones
4. Put a makeup kit together as a holiday gift.
Look for costume makeup on sale and clearance and put together a kit for young kids to play with, or if the colors aren’t too funky, even adults will appreciate makeup under the tree.
5. Fill stockings with Halloween candy.
Looking for cheap stocking stuffers? Check out the Halloween candy clearance section at Target, Walmart. Even CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid discount their Halloween candy up to 70% off.
Related: Got leftover candy from trick-or-treating? Check out all the ways you can reuse Halloween candy.
6. Make Halloween tea lights into holiday snowmen tea light ornaments.
It’s as easy as drawing a face with a black permanent marker, gluing down twisted wrap ties or string, and wrapping the tea lights with a piece of ribbon or scrap fabric, and you have lighted snowman ornaments for your tree. You can also paint the bulb itself orange if desired.
7. Give decorative Halloween pillar candles as gifts.
If someone on your Christmas list loves everything Halloween, gift them some clearance Halloween candles. Remove anything attached that might be too related to Halloween, like skulls hanging off a candle — unless skulls are somebody’s thing.
8. Stock up on black leggings.
Why not? You can wear black leggings whenever you want. Since they are often used as an accessory for Halloween, you can find them on clearance for as low as 50% to 80% off.
9. Create a candy door wreath.
Craig Baerwaldt | flickr
Getting Halloween candy on clearance is a great way to save money on a wreath like this. The kids will love helping you, too.
10. Pick up supplies for holiday baking.
Halloween baking clearance items like colorful sprinkles, cake pans, kitchen accessories, and more work great for holiday baking — just exclude the orange and black if needed. Baking products can drop as low as 50% to 90% off right after Halloween.
11. Make holiday fudge using clearance Halloween candy.
Here’s a Million Dollar Fudge Recipe that uses Hershey’s bars that go on sale right after (and sometimes before) Halloween.
12. Build a gingerbread house with Halloween clearance candy.
Stretch your Halloween clearance candy or leftover treats by using them to decorate your Christmas gingerbread houses.
13. Decorate your Christmas tree with Halloween lights.
No reason you can’t use your favorite Halloween-colored lights on your Christmas tree.
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