20 Pieces of Halloween Decor You Can (And Should) Thrift

Get your thrift on, witches, and fly on over to your local charity shop, flea market, estate or garage sale. From faux pumpkins and battery-operated candles to faux rats and plastic skeletons, bargain- and secondhand shopping is the way to score it all without tallying up a terrifying bill.

Mini plastic pumpkins and gourds are easy to thrift at your local dollar store each fall — or, even better, purchase them for pennies on the dollar in late fall when craft stores dramatically discount them to clear the shelves right before Halloween. To create the pastel, rainbow effect seen here, give the shiny, orange gourds a multicolor, matte makeover with budget-friendly craft paint.

For an oh-so-trendy (and oh-so-scary!) effect, put tarnished, timeworn candlesticks to work like we did to make these skeletal tapers. Easy to source at estate sales, thrift stores, and yard sales, either in brass or silverplate, weathered candelabrum can later be polished to their original brilliance for Thanksgiving or Christmas decor, following our handy tips, below.

Generously sized to light the way for trick-or-treaters and Halloween party guests, oversized candle lanterns can be pricey when purchased new but are easy to score secondhand. Start by checking your local charity shops, like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Habitat ReStore. Candle lanterns have been a popular wedding decoration for more than a decade now, making them especially easy to also thrift on secondhand sites like Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, Ebay, and Nextdoor.

Don't stash this summer's used tomato cages away; in about an hour, with just a few, thrifted supplies, you can give new (after)life to these garden supports. Our step-by-step instuctions and quick video, below, make this craft a snap.

Don't recycle those empty bottles just yet. Instead, save up a variety in interesting shapes and sizes, then give them a macabre makeover with two to three solid coats of flat black spray paint (check the can's label to ensure it can be used on glass). Check your local craft or dollar store's scrapbooking area for blank labels or make your own with card stock and a permanent marker.

Plastic skeletons, whole or as parts, can often be found cheaply at your local dollar or craft store — and they often get dramatically marked-down as Halloween draws near. Give the bony bits a glam touch with a coat of gold spray paint and a bejeweled, charity shop crown. Below, culinary pro, Heather Baird, shares more tips for throwing a gory-meets-glam Halloween fête.

A visit to your local hardware store or drive through an affluent neighborhood will prove that the giant outdoor skeleton trend is still going strong. But, don't worry if you aren't lining up to splash the cash on the pricey, larger-than-life outdoor decor. Plastic skeletons in all sizes can readily be found secondhand. After you've thrifted your bony bestie, give one of our 19 ideas for creatively posing them, below, a try.

Thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales are all great places to score Halloween-themed barware for a bargain. From glassware to cocktail shakers and bar tools, run your secondhand scores through the dishwasher so they're good as new, then conjure up one of our creepy cocktail recipes.

Save some $$ on pricey copper mule mugs by searching local resale sites, estate sales, and consignment stores for the trendy tankards ... so you can splash some cash on the good tequila. Then, wow Halloween guests with our spirit-raising Dios de los Muertos cocktail, below.

Take crafter Jennifer Perkins' cue and artistically give vintage thrift store photos or silhouettes a haunting Halloween makeover with a little craft paint or markers. To protect the original images, work your magic on the frame's glass instead of on the photo itself. Take a tour of Jen's kitschy-cool Halloween home for additional inspiration.

Yep, that's right, faux evergreen trees aren't just for Christmas, 'Halloween trees' have been gaining in popularity. Here, kitschy crafter Jennifer Perkins gave a thrifted green faux tree a kicky, candy corn-themed paint job, then decorated the branches with black-and-white striped pumpkins and Halloween masks.

While fresh pumpkins are great for carving, foam, ceramic, and plastic pumpkins make ideal decor options you can purchase once, then display year after year. Best of all: A little paint is all you need to give faded or worn foam or plastic pumpkins an easy update. They're also a snap to snatch up at estate or yard sales, flea markets, and charity shops. Get more DIY Halloween decorating ideas, below.

If, like me, you have a stash of wood boards and paint left over from previous projects, this DIY decoration is the ultimate boo on a budget (AKA: free!). Just give the boards a coat of white paint, then paint on friendly or not-so-friendly faces. A quick once-over with sandpaper gives the ghosts a slightly weathered look.

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, taxidermied animals are sure to add a touch of the macabre to your Halloween decor. As a lifelong thrifter, I've spied them at estate sales, antique stores, and even my local Goodwill. If you're looking for a particular beast, shopping online secondhand sites could be the best bet.

If stuffed, deceased wildlife aren't your vibe (I mean, same!), you might prefer displaying a rainbow of foam and plastic pumpkins painted in Mother Nature's cheeriest hues. While thrifting the pumpkins is a smart money-saving move, also be on the lookout for paint, brushes, and general craft supplies while bargain hunting.

Lidded jars are not only handy for corraling clutter, they're also easy to thrift at secondhand shops and yard sales. For a quick but frightening fix-up, fill the jars with water, green food coloring, rubber creatures (like mice, snakes, bats, or insects), leaves or dried flowers to transform any room into a mad scientist's lab.

A tisket, a tasket, upcycle those thrifted baskets! A little craft paint, some twine, and a bit of felt are all you need to turn these storage all-stars into rustic pumpkins. And, while you're crafting, watch our quick video, below, for three more easy ideas for transforming everyday items into pumpkins.

Using beginner sewing skills, you can easily make a pair of these spiderweb pillows to dress up your sofa this Halloween. Just topstitch fuzzy white yarn to thrifted pillows with a sewing needle and white thread, then finish with plastic spiders for the ultimate spine-tingling effect.