With Halloween creeping closer, many are looking for costume ideas, decorating tips and party ideas that do not frighten their budget.

There are several frugal ways to decide on a costume. Costume possibilities can be found in your own home. Check the attic, a parent's old wardrobe, or the back of your closet for less expensive costume ideas.

"It is even possible to make a costume out of any old hat," said Gary Douglas, owner of Herbert's Fun Shop.

Many thrift shops may also sell used, but imaginative Halloween costumes. Rather than buying a costume, renting one can save you money. This year there are plenty of popular ideas.

The top five costumes to be snatched off of the shelf are firefighter, police officer, Josie and the Pussycats, Harry Potter, and soldiers, according to Elena Reid, district manager of the Halloween Superstore.

To compliment your costume ideas, there are some reasonable ways to decorate your home with items found in your kitchen. Use small white garbage bags, stuffed with tissue, to make a ghost head that you can hang from a tree to create a spooky look.

Another inexpensive idea is to line your driveway with luminaries made from brown paper lunch sacks for even more impact, switch your normal outside light to a black or orange bulb.

Holiday parties are popular this time of year. To give your party a little Halloween flair, fill a non-latex rubber glove with water and a couple drops of food coloring. Freeze it a couple of days in advance; this will make a perfect hand ice mold for your punch bowl. You can also use the same technique with an old plastic mask to create a floating face ice mold. Make sure to cover the mask's holes with tape before filling it with water.

Instead of the traditional candy bowl, scrape the insides out of a large pumpkin, let it dry and fill the cavity with holiday treats.

Window decorations can be fun and economical. Hanging a floor length sheet or cloth from your window in front of a lamp with an orange light bulb and a fan can create a spooky glow of flames dancing in the window. Stickers, stencils or window drawings also generate a Halloween look.

You might incorporate a theme to create a certain mood or reflect a particular atmosphere. Consider a monster mash, toga party, or martian motif. Covering walls inside a room with aluminum foil and buying or renting a strobe light from a party store, you can create a three-dimensional space-age environment.

Carving a pumpkin to create a jack-o-lantern is a common ritual that people of all ages enjoy. Pumpkins make suitable decorations and can even inspire a carving contest. Stencils and carving packages can be found at any local grocery or craft store for a minimal cost.

The traditional game of bobbing for apples requires only a large tub filled with apples and water.

Another recreational activity, which only requires warm bodies, is playing murder in the dark. A group of people sit in a circle and choose a detective. While the detective is out of the room, a murderer is chosen. When the detective comes back, the lights are turned off, the murderer taps the victim who screams, the lights are turned on, and the detective tries to figure out the murderer's identity.

For many, Halloween is a day to dress up and have fun. Saving money in creative ways can add fun to the festivities.

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