The ancient Celts recognized Oct. 31 as Samhain, the day before their celebrated new year. It later became known as All Hallows Eve, and today, we observe this day as Halloween. In fact, we still commemorate the foreshadowing of winter with many of the same Celtic traditions. Thankfully, animal sacrifices and witchcraft are no longer the norm, but costumes, parades and bonfires sure are — as are parties.
My husband and I have hosted a few ghoulish get-togethers over the years, ranging from pricey, sit down murder-mystery dinner parties to downright budget-friendly-bashes. Last year was the latter. It was last minute and budgets were tight, so I had to channel my inner Martha Stewart and get creative. Here’s how I did it — and you can too.
To begin, I designated the party a potluck, which instantly took the cooking burden off of my shoulders. But, that still left decor. Although I was dressed as a fairy, my wand wasn’t capable of instantly decorating my home, and no amount magic potion was going to accomplish this party feat. Instead, I had to conjure up ideas from the mere mortals of Pinterest, a luxury resource the Celts didn’t possess.
Using a little printer alchemy and some free sticker templates, my wine bottles were easily transformed. You can save cash by purchasing “Two-Buck Chuck,” or more appropriately, Charles Shaw, wine for this purpose for less than three dollars a bottle.
Chances are you’ve already purchased a pumpkin (if not, you can find one for under five dollars pretty easily at your local grocery store). Just cut off the top and carve out the entire center, place a clear bowl inside and add ice. You now have a decorative ice bucket. Also, it’s a win-win since you can roast the pumpkin seeds for a salty snack and use the pumpkin itself for a variety of dishes, including pies and soup.
I’m not a mom, and I have brown paper sandwich bags on hand, so chances are, you do, too. Just grab enough to line your entryway. Add sand to keep the bags from blowing, then place a tea light in each bag. Alternatively, you can splurge on the battery operated tea lights for better safety measures. Look for online templates to cut out features like the moon, witches or pumpkins on the front of the bags for a more creative glow. These may appear bland during the day, but at dusk, they turn into luminescent wonders.
The candelabras were the only decoration I spent money on, but I didn’t buy them. Rather, they were rented from a nearby party store for about $20 each. I had both black and white tapers on-hand from previous parties (Amazon has affordable options) which are a creep factor must. Candelabras add instant class and a warm ambiance for your guests to enjoy.
This idea is so easy and effective. Just grab some latex gloves (your hairstylist will even give you some if you ask nicely), fill them with water and place in the freezer. Once frozen, you can add these to a punch bowl (great for kid’s parties) or place in your ice buckets for a spine-tingling surprise. I recommend adding food coloring using hues like red, orange and purple to create contrast.
As you can see, I was able to transform my wholesome home into a frightening funhouse without buying a thing. Now it’s your turn to get spooky.
Sometimes planning early has it’s benefits. Every summer traveler knows that prices get completely out of control over the peak season, with economy selling out at more than double the price of winter travel, often fetching numbers in the thousands for tickets from the US to Europe. British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia are offering a sale to help you sit in a much comfier seat, a bed in fact, for just about the same price…
UPDATE: This deal has ended at $1500, it’s still available for $2,000. If you missed it, you should add us on Facebook + Twitter, where we posted the deal while it was still alive (with plenty of time to spare)…
American, British Airways and Iberia are offering excellent fares from many US gateways such as New York, Boston, Houston, San Francisco and more to Rome, Nice, Milan and many other dreamy European summer break cities. If you search Google Flights, you’ll find prices at $1949. We have a really quick and easy work around to save $400 per person. We’ve reviewed British Airways Business Class, American Business Class and British Airways First Class.
These deals start in March of 2017 and run through the entire summer season, up to September 2017 and possibly beyond. The best way to search is to head to Google Flights, plug in some dates, use their easy calendar to look at an entire month of prices and find the $1949 (or better) price. Once you find it, we’ll show you how to book below.
AARP used to be an interest group for senior citizens. It rebranded, and is now open to anyone of any age. Any member (costs $16 per year) can instantly save $400 on any British Airways business class ticket from the US. They can even apply the discount to anyone else on the reservation without issue. If you’re already an AARP member, login and head to “travel benefits”. If you’re not, join and then head to travel benefits, which will then send you to British Airways, with the discount already applied. You’ll immediately get the $1549 prices!
You can create an open jaw and see two destinations, just by adding a one way ticket within Europe to connect up your cities. If you book British Airways, you can also upgrade any Business Class ticket to First Class if there’s “award space”, better known as seats with miles available. All you’ll need is 20,000 miles each way, no copay. That’s an incredible opportunity.