So Easy It’s Scary: 7 Ways To Make Money On Halloween

You’ve done the apple picking. The pumpkin patch-ing. Now you’ve got to get ready for the trick-or-treating. Sure, it’s time well spent but it’s also about putting out some cash to help keep everyone in the spooky holiday spirit.

But Halloween can be about more than just putting out money for costumes and candy and devilish decor. Here are some ways you can make October 31 less frightful and more frugal by making some extra cash.

1. Sweeten the deal: Attach business cards to trick-or-treaters’ candy

Attach your business card to the candy you’re handing out and when parents inspect the candy later, they’ll find it and, hopefully, call you. Own a restaurant or retail business? Attach a 10 percent discount card instead of a standard business card.

2. Don’t mask your enthusiasm for Halloween past and present: Sell old costumes online

They might have been charming or good for a laugh back in the day, but now your old Halloween costumes just look sad tucked away in a basement corner. Try selling them via Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or by using an online selling app like Letgo.

3. The bewitching hour: Be a sitter for parents of children or pets

Kids aren’t the only ones who enjoy Halloween; many adults look forward to attending Halloween parties or costume balls. Offer your services as a babysitter or pet sitter on websites like Care.com and Rover.com.

4. Add some drama: Pick up a seasonal job as a haunted house actor

Local haunted houses, corn mazes, and amusement parks hire actors at this time of year to portray an array of ghosts and goblins, witches and warlocks, and more.

5. Heat up your cauldron…er…oven: Make and sell Halloween-themed baked goods

If baking is your jam, offer to whip up a custom order for neighborhood house parties. You can also drop into local restaurants and cafes to ask if they’re interested in adding your treats to their pastry cases for a cut of the profits.

6. Sew spooky: Tailor costumes, old and new

Sometimes a favorite costume is too large, too small, or not scary enough; offer your sewing and tailoring services and you could score a nice gig during the Halloween season.

7. Pretty frightening: Put your face painting or hair and makeup skills to work

Post your hair and makeup skills on social media or Craigslist and you could see an uptick in demand for your services from Halloween revelers wanting to look their scary best for parties before or on the big day.