Deinfluencing Halloween: Costumes, Candy, & Crazy Overconsumption

Summary

---

Frugal Friends Podcast

Episode: Deinfluencing Halloween: Costumes, Candy, & Crazy Overconsumption

Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Date: October 3, 2025

---

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of the Frugal Friends Podcast tackles the growing culture of Halloween overconsumption, especially around costumes, candy, and home/yard decor. Jen and Jill critique the social media-fueled trends that encourage overspending and excessive waste, and they offer practical, conscious, and fun alternatives to engage with the holiday meaningfully—preserving both your budget and the planet.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Surging Cost & Pressure of Halloween (01:30–04:00)

• Average Halloween Spend: Americans are expected to spend about $104 per person on the holiday.
• Earlier Shopping: 47% of consumers now shop before October, and social media pushes Halloween content as early as July.
• Quote:
  • “Americans are expected to spend an average of $104 per person on Halloween… very different from just 32% 10 years ago or 40% five years ago.” – Jen (01:31)

2. Social Media’s Role in Overconsumption (02:01–03:19)

• Halloween-themed content on platforms (especially TikTok) sparks FOMO through constant “hauls” and decor displays, fueling unnecessary purchases.
• Behind the Trends: Many viral videos are incentivized through affiliate links and ad revenue.
• Quote:
  • “Halloween is fun, but, like, candy over consumption can leave you broke and with diabetes. Jill, you changed the line.” – Jen (02:45)
  • “It was medically inaccurate anyways.” – Jill (03:09)

3. The Environmental Cost: Waste & Landfills (06:40–08:39)

• Halloween’s Plastic Waste: Around 2,000 tons annually, equivalent to 18 blue whales, mostly from costumes, decorations, and candy wrappers.
• Long-Term Impact: Most costume materials (83%) are non-recyclable plastics (polyester takes up to 200 years to break down).
• Quote:
  • “Halloween generates approximately 2,000 tons of plastic waste each year. That is comparable to the weight of 18 blue whales.” – Jen (07:31)

4. Viral Trend #1: Costumes (10:05–20:27)

• Discussion: Costumes are fun but have become a symbol of waste and identity performance.
• “Cool Girl Costume” trends on TikTok push buying/returning multiple outfits in pursuit of being unique.
• Thrifting, re-wearing, and swapping costumes are championed as responsible alternatives.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “As adults, we can have one costume for a decade… Like, I am Shrek every year for Halloween. That sounds cool.” – Jen (15:34)
  • “83% of Halloween costumes are made from non-recyclable plastics like polyester… which takes 20 to 200 years to decompose.” – Jen (17:39)
• Tips: Reuse, thrift, borrow, or use what you have. Make it a tradition—not a trend—to have a “signature” costume.

5. Viral Trend #2: Home Decor & ‘90s Nostalgia’ (20:31–30:22)

• Trend: Each year a themed aesthetic dominates (e.g., Barbie pink, now '90s nostalgia); influencers post huge decor hauls to drive affiliate sales.
• Critique: The “authentic” 90s Halloween look is often manufactured and not based on real childhood memories.
• Quote:
  • “I actually don’t remember any of this in the 90s… half the people making this content were not alive then!” – Jen (24:32)
• Solution:
  • Skip the decor if it’s not your style, or thrift/diy if you want to participate.
  • Embrace single, meaningful pieces—for example, one thrifted black cat or skull as the centerpiece each year.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “I’m becoming a big proponent of making the event the decoration.” – Jen (29:41)

6. Viral Trend #3: Lawn Decor & Giant Skeletons (30:25–39:50)

• Observation: Professional-level yard displays, massive spiders/skeletons, often seen as “minimalist” or the new norm.
• Waste Factor: Most of this decor is short-lived unless it’s invested in as a durable, multi-year item.
• Quote:
  • “We are buying giant skeletons. $300 giant skeletons. Which is $300 for the skeleton and endless possibilities for the accessories.” – Jen (34:05)
• Balancing Fun and Responsibility: Participate in neighborhood or community events mindfully. Choose one lawn piece and use it ritualistically to create lasting memories.
• Tip: Avoid “keeping up” with viral trends; focus on 1–2 meaningful traditions for your family each season.

7. Practical Takeaways: How to “De-Influence” Halloween

• General Principles:
  • Reuse, borrow, thrift, and repurpose as much as possible.
  • Transform sentimental rituals into lasting traditions.
  • Support kids' and pets' costumes especially if they’re used year-round for play.
  • Encourage younger people to resist social pressure to “one-up” costumes or decor, especially if they can’t afford it.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Social Media Overload:

  • “You watch one video for longer than three seconds—the algorithm says I can keep this person longer if I show them more videos like this.” – Jen (26:16)

• Costume Identity Humor:

  • “All I did was take my RunDisney shirts and I was just… a runner. That was my costume!” – Jen (17:12)
  • “Costumes should be funny.” – Jen (17:31)

• Empowering Listeners:

  • “Use what you already have. For the majority of these costume ideas, guaranteed, you already have what you need.” – Jill (19:15)

• Dealing with Trends:

  • “Creators are incentivized to create more of this content because they’re earning money from it.” – Jen (26:16)

• On Ritual and Meaning:

  • “The fewer things that we have, the more special they become.” – Jen (39:50)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------- |---------------- | | Average Halloween spending | 01:30–02:00 | | Social media trends in October | 02:01–03:19 | | Plastic/waste impact | 07:11–08:39 | | Costume trends & critiques | 10:05–20:27 | | Home decor & ‘90s nostalgia | 20:31–30:22 | | Lawn decor & giant skeletons | 30:25–39:50 | | Practical takeaways | 38:52–39:50 | | Lightning Roundup | 45:44–48:43 |

---

Host Reflections & Personal Stories

• Jen’s Adventure Anecdote (04:00–06:35): Ties her dog's outdoor “adventure” into the idea of planning for adventure through fiscal responsibility, ultimately pitching their meal planner.
• Personal Costume Experiences: Jill loves the creative process and obscure concepts (her favorite was “the sound the Cranberries make in ‘Zombie’”), while Jen supports long-term costume use and maximizing fun for kids.
  • “Any costume that takes about 10 minutes to describe is a winner.” – Jen (48:08)
• Parenting Tip: Support and encourage kids to have fun with costumes—ideally ones that get multiple uses, e.g., for play throughout the year.

---

Community Connection: Bill of the Week (40:06–43:33)

Story highlight:

• Listener Emily from Ohio celebrates finding her first-ever brand new chair—negotiated down to $500 from $1,000 and paid in cash.
• Jen and Jill commend the strategy: taking time, having a spending plan, negotiating price, and ask Emily how she’ll use the savings.

---

Lightning Roundup: Favorite Halloween Memories (45:44–48:43)

• Jill: Celebrates recent adult Halloweens, especially a trip to New Orleans and her “sound of the Cranberries” costume.
• Jen: Treasures memories of dressing up her kids—favorite costumes include Spiderman and a tiny lumberjack.

---

Final Takeaways

• Halloween should be fun but can easily become an exercise in waste and financial regret if you follow social media pressure.
• Instead, choose traditions and rituals that are meaningful, sustainable, and budget-friendly—whether that means picking one thrifted or DIY decor, making children’s costumes an adventure, or just not engaging with the trend cycle.
• “Buy less, keep longer, prioritize memory.” – Jill (39:00)

---

To share your own frugal win or bill of the week, visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill.

---

Transcript

[A]

You hear that? That's not just a Toyota truck. That's the sound of no crowds, no alerts, no distractions, and no telling what you'll find next. You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.

[B]

This message comes from Capital one with the SparkCash plus card.

[A]

From Capital One, you earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase and get big purchasing power so your business can spend more and earn more. Steven, Brandon, and Bruno, the business owners of Sandcloud, reinvested their 2% cash back to help build the company's retail presence. Capital One what's in your wallet? Find out [e-mail] sparkcashplus termsupply de influencing Halloween Costumes, candy and crazy over Consumption welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life.

[B]

Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[A]

Welcome to Frugal Friends. My name is Jen.

[B]

My name is Jill.

[A]

And Americans are expected to spend an average of $104 per person on Halloween. 47% of consumers planned to shop costumes, decor, and more before October even began. Very different from just 32% 10 years ago or 40% five years ago.

[B]

Why is this? The answer will shock you.

[A]

No, it won't. It's social media pushing Halloween videos As early as July, I went back to HomeGoods. So here is this week's haul of random stuff I bought Halloween edition. It is time for my annual July Halloween shopping haul. I'm going to go through all of my purchases, where I got them, and how much everything cost. I went to Spirit Halloween today, so I'm going to give you a quick little haul of everything that I got. It's mainly accessories. I have such a good Halloween haul. I'm so excited to show you everything I found. Nostalgic, cozy Halloween home decor. Guys, we have an unboxing and I'm going to be trying to sort it with my old Halloween stuff. So let's get into it.

[B]

Yeah, let's get into it.

[A]

July and then also weekly Halloween hauls. So yeah, let's do get into it. Halloween is fun, but like, candy over consumption can leave you broke and with diabetes. Jill, you changed the line.

[B]

I took it out because eating too much candy doesn't give you diabetes.

[A]

It was medically inaccurate anyways.

[B]

So today don't over consume is the point, but we botched the bit.

[A]

Okay, stick with us. I think the bit's even better now because you see what happens behind the scenes. And today, we are looking at the most viral trends for Halloween this year. What's on the rise, and how to discern whether it's something you truly value. Because we love fun, we love Halloween, we love fall. I love I'm a fall girly. I am an autumn.

[B]

Yeah, colors wise, it's me.

[A]

If it's something you truly value, or if you're hopping on a cool girl costume bandwagon, that'll make sense later. But first, this episode is brought to you by Jill Changing. No, it's not. This episode is brought to you by Adventure. This weekend, my dog Ellie escaped the backyard. And once I realized that, I look outside to be like, where she go? And there's a car parked in front of my house with its door open. And I'm like, I don't know. And I look and I see Ellie laying in a puddle on the road in front of my house.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

And I'm like, oh, cool. Glad nobody took her. And I open the door and I'm like, ellie, what are you doing? And she comes just, like, running back in. And I look at the lady who's clearly distraught, and I'm like, thank you. She must have gotten out in the backyard and she chewed her airtag holder. So right now she has no identification. Like, she's microchipped, but that's it. So that could have been very stressful. But she comes in and she's panting and she is wet because she was laying in a puddle. It had just rained, so. So, like, when it stopped raining, we let her out in the back to, you know, have some time. And she took advantage of that time, but, like, hopping the fence in somewhere, I don't know where. And she had an adventure. And I don't know what that adventure was that she came back, like, exhausted, like, so tired. She laid down in a puddle. But I want that type of adventure for you. I want it for all of you. And we can have more adventures like that by being fiscally responsible. And one of the best ways to do that is having a meal plan. And that is why we created our ultimate meal planner spreadsheet. It has everything you need to keep meal planning and prepping organized. Favorite recipe trackers, pantry, fridge and freezer, inventory trackers, measurement conversion sheets. And our pride and joy, a thousand meal ideas so you will hopefully never run out of it. You'll also, as a bonus, get my old book, Meal planning on a Budget. It is available on Kindle on Amazon, but I'm going to give it to you for free. So head to frugalfriendspodcast.com meal planner. Check it out. If you're with us on YouTube, head to the description. There is a link for 30% off of the meal Planner.

[B]

That was an adventure in and of itself. Just figuring out how you were going to tie in your dog's adventure to the meal planner. You did it. I was here for the roller coaster.

[A]

And that's why you shouldn't change things behind my back without letting me know.

[B]

Well, I took you on an adventure. That's what happened there. Okay, so last year, Halloween spending surpassed pre pandemic levels and it's steadily rising this year. But there's another cost that makes this so important to talk about and it's the waste generated by single use products. And I want to say, nowhere is that more evident at a holiday it feels like than Halloween. Although I guess Christmas would be better for some reason.

[A]

But I. I would agree. That's the one thing that I do not like about Halloween and can sometimes refuse to celebrate it because of that. Halloween is. Generates approximately 2,000 tons of PLA. I had to like reread that to make sure I said it right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But according to a study, Halloween generates approximately 2,000 tons of plastic waste each year. So that is comparable to the weight of 18 blue whales.

[B]

Blue whales.

[A]

And that waste is mostly from costumes, decorations and packaging. So all the packaging around that candy that you and your children are eating, not just in October, but literally I keep mine until I get Christmas candy later in the year. All of that creates waste that is not recyclable.

[B]

Yeah. If you were to think of just the candy Americans buy, roughly get this 600 million pounds of Halloween candy every year. Most of it also then comes packaged tiny packages, non recyclable plastic little wrappers with the average trick or treater generating about one pound of trash. Listen, we're not trying to take away your candy, okay? No, come at us. Just know what we're participating in.

[A]

Just in a scope of what is happening around Halloween. And now it's not just one day. Right. Halloween is all. Is all the trunk or treats all across October. And from what you're going to see in this episode, starting as early as July, like people, like once 4th of July is done, people getting in to Halloween. So the expansion of the holiday increases, the scope increases, the waste and landfills are not free. Like I just, I. This is something I need everybody to know. You pay for your city's landfills, so you pay for that in Your property taxes, trash collection fees on your utility bill and product pricing. Companies charge their consumers. They factor in all of their waste and the cost of their landfills into the product pricing. We are paying for all of this waste. It doesn't just go away. And sometimes we'll ship it overseas, but a lot of it stays here and we pay for it either way. So we're covering the three biggest trends in Halloween and how you can embrace them, but with maybe a little bit more responsibility fiscally and for the earth.

[B]

So the first category we wanna deep dive into is costumes. That's right. We're coming at ya.

[A]

We are. How do you feel about costumes?

[B]

I love costumes. I actually really do enjoy dressing up. It's very fun for me. But it can be a huge area of overconsumption, one time use. And so yeah, it is an area that we need to make sure we kind of rein in. And so I think that this is one of the best parts of Halloween in my opinion is getting to like do something fun, have a theme to it and go nuts with what you wear.

[A]

I, I think some people who love it should do it. People who do it well. I, I hate costumes for the singularity of them because some people love costumes. They will wear costumes throughout the year for different occasions and different things. Right there. There are people that you know will wear a costume on other days besides Halloween. Those are the people who can costume responsibly. Me, I don't dress responsibly. I don't dress up at costume parties because I, I just don't like it. Love the singular. So that's me. But I love the people who really do it like so. And it can bring people together when you do it right. Like when you get the whole office to dress up like ghosts or like your boss that is funny or all the characters from the beloved movie Shrek. When you do it right, costumes can be real good. And if we had that, if I was in a company that was like, we're all dressing up as Shrek and we're going to do it, I'll be like, okay, I'm Fiona. Maybe I don't deserve to be Fiona because of the type of person I am with costumes. But I would be something. I would participate for the camaraderie and the community because that's more important to me otherwise.

[B]

But you would do it with the things you already have.

[A]

Right? And so a big trend is just getting everything thrifted, which is what I do for my kids. So I fully 100% support getting your kids into costumes, Getting your pets into costumes. Highly, highly support those things. A. Because my kids wear their costumes throughout the year. I'll come in. This is a true story. We were at a friend's house and all the kids were playing and I couldn't find Kai, which is not weird. But I was like, oh, my gosh, is he okay? Is he sad that, like, all the kids are playing and he's. I can't find him. So I go upstairs and he has put on a full dragon costume mask and everything. His clothes are, like, at his feet and he's in full dragon costume. So not his costume, but his friend's costume. And he's living his best life as a dragon.

[B]

That's adorable.

[A]

I am. I am obsessed with that kid.

[B]

Yeah, that's very fun. So, like, costuming has become something a little bit different. Different from that.

[A]

I think it has become and I think it always has been, but we're seeing more of it being like this. October 31st is basically right around the corner now that the 4th of July is over. And if you're like me, you're already thinking about your Halloween costumes and how you're going to beat last year's and how you're going to be best dressed. These are my Halloween costume recommendations. If you want to be the cool girl, want people to know what you look like, but be the only person doing it.

[B]

If you want to have an actually cool Halloween costume this year, then keep watching.

[A]

My qualifications for making this list are that I am incredibly good at Halloween. I just got a bunch of Halloween costumes in the mail, and I'm going to have my mom help me rate them and decide which one I should wear on Halloween. Hey, this is actually cute. Wait, look at the rest. I like it. This is a sleigh. These are super cute. Could be like a nine. I think mom's finding some costumes as well. Okay. Love the shoes, are very mermaidy. The detail, super cute. Yeah, it's. I hate that there's a viral sound going around that it's like from a movie and I can't remember. It's. Oh, it's from mean girls. Like, Halloween is the one day of year where a girl can dress up like a. Yeah, we get it. And it's totally okay. And so I'm not saying that's what this is, but, like, it really has become, like, this. Cool, cool girl costumes. Cool girl. Halloween is a trend on TikTok and that we're wrapping up costumes in our identity. We're Buying five or six costumes to see which one looks best and then returning them and that you may get your money back. But that still has a toll environmentally on, you know, if that's something that we're trying to be conscious of here.

[B]

And how many costumes people will have. Like in my mind, Halloween happens one day and you have a costume this year for Halloween, hopefully from something you already have in your closet or something that you're able to thrift. But it's becoming more and more regular to have. I don't know how many parties people are going to, but have more than one costume in a year. And that's just a big commitment. It's a lot of consumption.

[A]

It used to be you have one costume per year and even I think that is too much. I think as adults we can have one costume for a decade of our lives and be known for that costume. You are that costume and that can be part of your personality. Like I am Shrek every year for Halloween. That sounds cool. Is that not cool?

[B]

Are you saying you are or you're saying that could be a statement somebody makes.

[A]

That's a statement that you make. I never paint my face green. I'm just not committed enough.

[B]

I do love.

[A]

I am not committed to the bit. Any bit enough.

[B]

I love coming up with new costumes every year, but I never really spend money on them.

[A]

Yeah, but that's. That can be another like going to the thrift store to buy costumes. So that's where I will buy my kids costumes. But that's getting more and more difficult as they have more and more opinions and it can be hard because then you're finding the one that's in your size, that's okay. Or you're throwing something together and you don't fully love it. So then you are wanting to be something next year different. So. And then maybe you don't love it and you're like, I really wanna love it. So then you buy something new. Anyway, so let us know your costume experiences in the comments. Like, am I totally off here? Cause I've had these same thoughts in my mind to the point where I just quit. Maybe I. If there is something that I could be for Halloween every year for the next 10 years, tell me in the comments and I will be it.

[B]

Go for it. Lock in. What were you last year? Or you've never been. You've never changed.

[A]

It's not that I've never been. I dress up. One year I took my race, my Rundisney race shirts and I was just.

[B]

A runner that's cute.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Why don't you. You don't want to lock in on that. Um, you could really double down.

[A]

I just dress up like I'm going for a run.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm a runner. Uh, yeah. It's not super funny. I feel like costumes should be funny.

[B]

Oh, you want it more funny than that?

[A]

Yeah. But maybe I don't need to maybe change my mind. I don't know. But I do. I support children's costumes and pet costumes. But it's also important to remember that 83% of Halloween costumes are made from non recyclable plastics like polyester. And polyester takes 20 to 200 years to decompose.

[B]

And in the UK, sorry to come at all of our UK friends, but roughly 7 million costumes are discarded every year, which creates 2,000 tons of plastic waste. The equivalent to 83 million. I can't say million without saying it like that. Plastic bottles. And then for the U.S. yeah, we're up here too. Is roughly five times larger than that of the UK. So good on you. UK. So imagine that number being 10,000 tons of plastic.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We doing it wrong somehow we're doing it wrong.

[A]

So think before you costume. Think before you bit.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. Share costumes. If you had a friend who did a fun thing last year, take their idea, do it this year, borrow. I mean, I think especially for kids.

[A]

You can find that on Facebook Marketplace. I see costumes on Facebook Marketplace. Someone's like, I did this really cool, bizarre thing last year and then they're selling it this year.

[B]

Yeah. Reuse your costumes. Like Jen says, just lock in, pick what you are. And that's 10 years.

[A]

And that make that part of your personality.

[B]

Use what you already have. That's the thing for the majority of these costume ideas, guaranteed, you already have what you need. And then maybe you can supplement some of the items with the thrift store.

[A]

Put on your partner clothes and dress up as them for Halloween. I'm full of great ideas.

[B]

She's full of ideas.

[A]

And don't fall into the bandwagon of dressing up. And I think this is. As older people we can, you know, our prefrontal cortexes are fully developed. We can be like, of course I'm not going to fall into this, like cool girl costume trap. I don't care anymore. But I think it can be hard for our younger listeners or if you have somebody younger in your life, it does play into kind of like the social, cultural norm. And so it's kind of partly a responsibility. They don't have to deal with the next one, the next couple things as much. So, yeah, I would say speak words of encouragement to the younger people in your life that maybe, maybe don't feel comfortable in these cool girl outfits. Maybe can't afford them. All of that.

[B]

And there are other ways to still have fun in costume.

[A]

Yeah, just tell them to be Shrek for the next 10 years. That'll be fine. All right, our next viral Halloween trend is home decor. And I don't hate that this is going the direction it is, but every year Halloween has a different thing, right? So Barbie movie comes out and Halloween things are Pink. This year, the 90s Halloween decor is in. So I was seeing videos like pink is out, purple's out. We are doing all 90s. And so when we are thinking about the 90s, we think about this stuff.

[B]

A few years back, I woke up to Eric telling me that I was grinding my teeth in my sleep. Wasn't surprised. I was super stressed during that season. But I was bummed to learn that the remedy, AKA getting a night guard, would be super expensive and somewhat time intensive.

[A]

Which is why we're so excited about Remy. Remy's custom night guards are clinically tested to prevent teeth grinding, reduce jaw tension and facial muscle strain, and improve sleep quality. You get the same professional quality and comfort as a night guard from the dentist, but remy costs you 80% less and is much more convenient than having to go into the dentist's office to get one.

[B]

I got my impression kit delivered to my door, followed the super simple instructions to create my impressions, shipped it back in the pre labeled package, and about two weeks later had my custom fitting night guards in my mouth. Sleeping like a champ with Remy.

[A]

There are no waiting rooms or overpriced bills. Just a better way to protect your teeth while you sleep. Try Remy risk free. Go to shopremy.com frugal and use code frugal to get up to 50% off your night guard at checkout. That's 50% off at shop r e m I.com/frugal with code Frugal. Thanks Remy for sponsoring this episode. You hear that? That's not just a Toyota truck. That's the sound of no crowds, no alerts, no distractions, and no telling what you'll find next. You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.

[B]

This is gonna be my first Halloween in my new house and I want this.

[A]

I am determined to bring back the.

[B]

Whimsy of Halloween, the nostalgia, the magic 90s Halloween decor is the only acceptable way that I will be decorating for Halloween this year.

[A]

Today we're just gonna go to a bunch of different stores. We're gonna see what we can find.

[B]

That matches that vibe. Little clown pumpkin is so cute. I love these older looking cats. Love all these cute little figurines that remind me of when I was younger.

[A]

Nostalgic, cozy Halloween home decor. Guys, I will not be accepting or receiving judgment for this. Mommy hello kitty head. Ah, you guys. For like treats and snacks. She's so freaking cute, you guys.

[B]

I went back to home goods.

[A]

So here is this week's haul of random stuff I bought.

[B]

Obviously, this one was first.

[A]

I couldn't wait any longer to show you this. Look at this bougie skull lamp.

[B]

I'm gonna turn it on for you.

[A]

Got this super cute ghost pillow. Can never have enough pillows or ghosts. You truly cannot have enough ghosts. And I, I will agree with her on that. But. So this is the stuff we're seeing when we see 90s Halloween decor. And the funny thing is, is I actually don't remember of any of this in the 90s. I know half of the people making this content could not remember the 90s because they were not alive. But I was alive for the entire 90s.

[B]

Or they were infants.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And yeah, we were both alive for all of the 90s.

[A]

So my Halloween was like a few quirky candles, lawn clippings in the pumpkin bags. Do you remember that? You probably had more of them because you had actual.

[B]

We actually had long.

[A]

We had like one bag. And then the. The blockbuster Halloween commercials because they were promoting all the scary movies that I would never watch because I am still to this day, like, deathly afraid of scary movies. But that was. That was mine. Do you remember yours?

[B]

Yeah. It was really the buckets, the plastic pumpkin with the little Jack o' lantern with the black plastic. It was that and then it was the bags with the candles in it. Yeah, just a couple of them. And carving your own pumpkins.

[A]

So all of these things are not really what I envision. Like now when you're searching for like, 90s home decor, you're getting all these current picks and how do you get like so many. Yeah, so many pumpkins. And all of the things. Where do you put all of the. All the home decor, all the table decor? I feel like I am constantly fighting a losing battle to keep things off of my counters. And there are just now so many things to put on the counter.

[B]

Uh huh. Yeah. I mean, let us know in the comments what you remember being kind of nostalgic about Halloween because for us it definitely was not what they're kind of portraying now.

[A]

Yeah. But these creators are incentivized to make these videos. And so. And here's the game. And we talk about this every time we talk about social media. So you watch one video for longer than three seconds. The algorithm says I can keep this person longer if I show them more videos like this. And it shows you more and more creators to that. You know, you think that it's normal that everybody's doing this. The creators are incentivized to create more of this content because they're earning money from it. So they're earning money from views on TikTok. And if they have an affiliate link for something like on Amazon, it doesn't matter if you buy the thing that they're promoting. They can give you their 50, you know, 50 cats. 50 Halloween cat haul. Right. And they don't want you to buy 50 Halloween cats. They don't want to buy 50 Halloween cats. But if you bought one Halloween cat, they get a kickback. You don't have to buy any Halloween cats if you click their Amazon affiliate link and you made any Amazon purchases in the next 24 hours.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Without clicking another creator's link in the meantime.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

They get a commission on whatever you buy just because they most recently sent you to Amazon. They don't care. They actually probably hope you buy a hot tub or something. Right. Forget the cash.

[B]

They want you getting all your appliances.

[A]

Right. Like this is the vicious cycle that normalizes the hyper consumption of holidays like Halloween.

[B]

So the solution, I mean, one of the solutions can just be skipping the decor. Here's the thing, it can be really fun. I watch these videos and it looks really cute. But if Halloween isn't your season, if you're not a real kind of spooky girl, you're just doing it because it's the only things you see available at home goods. And now it's what you want. You could be the person who just skips it. You don't have to be purchasing all of these things just because it's what the stores have on their shelves or it's what everybody on Instagram is doing. And if it is even inspiring you to. You know what though? I would like to have a little bit of decor. You could thrift it, you could diy. There's plenty happening in the great outdoors that become Halloween decor. Right. Halloween decor is really not even about being aesthetic. It's about being like creepy and gaudy and trashy.

[A]

Scary on purpose, intentionally.

[B]

You just can go get toilet paper and cotton balls and just like extra spiders, and you're good.

[A]

Here's the thing. You get one thrifted black cat, and that is your Halloween decoration every year. And you make that Halloween decoration your personality. So, like, on social media, you're posting pictures of the cat every day. Like 30 days of cat. And maybe it's like elf on the shelf style. And this is your. And just become known for this. I'm becoming a big proponent of making the event the decoration.

[B]

Almost having a designated spot in your home where, like, this is where my decor goes. And decor literally being the singular version, not the plural version. This is where my one thing that's celebrated the season goes.

[A]

That's fun. I love that idea.

[B]

That's the most Halloween. Right? Because that's like bucking the system. It's creepy, it's weird, it's odd and obscure. That's a great way to be Halloween.

[A]

And if you don't want to get a black cat, get that. That chrome skull with the very large.

[B]

Light bulb on top of it. Just that.

[A]

Or ghosts. Because you can never have enough ghosts.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, I love that one thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All right, next category. You know we're coming for you.

[A]

We. And this is gonna offend a lot of you.

[B]

We're ready to offend, actually.

[A]

I want to be here in your time of need. I want to say the hardest things to you.

[B]

I'm holding your hand while we offend you. And we look you in your eyes and offend you. Okay, Lawn decor.

[A]

Lawn decor.

[B]

Mm. Spent the last two weeks making the creepiest, crawliest Halloween decor I've ever seen. It all started when I covered the entire house in giant spider webs. I wanted it to look authentic, so I picked up the stuff that they use in haunted houses. I then made a giant spider using chicken wire, spray foam, and pipe insulation. And this thing is massive. His leg span is over 12ft. I also made spider egg sacks using Christmas ornaments, a giant centipede out of plastic plates. And I melted Saran wrap on a store bought skeleton and wrapped him an extra webbing to look like a spider victim. To bring it all together, I installed Govee Outdoor Smart lights. And I seriously think these took the yard over the top. The LED rope lights and spotlights, color mode and brightness can all be controlled using the Govee Home app or even Amazon Alexa. I synced Ours to some spooky Halloween music and it seriously looks like a professional light show. But be honest. Would you vote for my house to win best decorated in the neighborhood?

[A]

No. I am so scared of that. And the whole thing was an ad.

[B]

Like let's we all know by now that was the thing.

[A]

The whole thing is an ad. So somebody paid for that whole. Right. He who shall not be named, because I don't know their name paid for that whole thing. Um, so yeah, and I, I don't want to come for. So we have a, an area in our city that really does go all out for this and they have a competition between in the neighborhood for like, like this. So I don't want to come at this creator specifically because I actually love going to this neighborhood to, to trick or treat and to look at all the cool houses and all the cool decorations. But this isn't. This is a spectacle that most of the city comes to see. Right. This ain't just one random house that you have to know about to pass by. Like everybody is coming. Like, you know, if you did this there, then it's definitely going to be seen. And you're part of a community like doing this kind of like the group costumes. So for that I love. But people are taking it too far. And I don't think they're taking it this far. But I do think people think they found a radical middle. Like when people say, like, oh, you don't have to buy all 50 black cats. We just want you to buy one. This is where we've, where we've come to, where people aren't buying the whole kit and caboodle, but they are buying giant. Giant skeletons. $300 giant skeletons. Which is $300 for the skeleton and endless possibilities for the accessories. So I'm all about reusing and repurposing. We've talked about this, but I have seen too many people and I think it's just because they don't want to put the skeleton away. I've heard that is difficult.

[B]

Well, because it's an investment. Now you spent a car payment on this three.

[A]

Yeah. Half a car payment for some people, if you've seen our car payment video. But they will dress it up in seasonal accessories. So now it's not just a Halloween piece. Now we are buying it stuff for St Patrick's Day, for Easter. We're dressing it up for Christmas in different ways. We are making giant frappuccinos for the skeleton.

[B]

Yeah, we are.

[A]

And creating life size replicas of Taylor Swift.

[B]

We sure Are. Yep. You know, though, people are really amazing. And that's why I'm so torn, because I love to see it. I love to watch people's creativity in full bloom over something just kind of kitschy and fun. Right. I don't want to take all of this away from us because it's. Creativity is human. And to have fun and enjoy the different seasons is kind of how we move through the seasons. Well. And finding ways to embrace it and do things together and give enjoyment to one another. And I think a lot of this does do that. Right. The whole thing about lawn decor is anyone driving by your community, everyone can see and notice it. And so that's really fun. But then there's that piece of feeling. The bar just raise more and more every single year. That now we're, at this point we're spending $3 on a giant skeleton is kind of just normal and it's how we feel.

[A]

Or even minimalist. It's seen as, like, being minimalist.

[B]

It's how we feel. We can engage in something and do the really fun thing. But I think we need to remember that there are still ways to engage in the fun thing without going over the top. Buying a ton, consuming a lot, throwing a bunch of junk away. There is a reality to we can love Halloween and enjoy it, and it doesn't have to cost us as much.

[A]

The thing I didn't like about the first video was like, yeah, it looks great, but after Halloween's done, all of that is going in the trash. All that is money that's getting thrown away. And, yeah, like, obviously not her money, but, like, lawn decor does not last long, especially cheap lawn decor. It's, you know, it's in the elements. So it is either you're spending a lot of money for a very durable product that will stand the test of time, but if you are not spending a good amount of money, everything you put outside is gonna get thrown in the trash. If not at the end of the season, in a couple of years.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so one of the things that's, I think, could be good for the skeleton is that it does seem like it's very durable. So if you're taking it down after every Halloween season, it could be something that lasts you a really long time. So if that's how you're using it, awesome. If you're leaving it up all year, that's just, like, not going to be the case.

[B]

Also. Just recognize, though, like, skeletons are on trend, eventually there's going to be something else that's on Trend.

[A]

Right. So, yeah, the giant skeletons. Skeletons will always be on trend. Like ghosts. You can't have enough. But the giant ones.

[B]

And so what can be done? I think recognizing that every video is chipping away that barrier, like the conscious consumption barrier that we've built for ourselves, that we think this is what's normal. And so I think not relying on the purchases that other people are making as our final gauge of what's normal, but our own spending plan, our own enjoyment of the season. The things that actually bring us joy and make us feel the most like we are doing the fun things. And actually, we recently made a monthly money challenge about kind of like gearing up for the holidays. And this is one of the things that we talk about in that challenge, is identifying with every holiday just one to two traditions that have been really meaningful in the past. And lean into that. It doesn't have to be every single tradition that everybody else is telling you about. Those are just brainstorming ideas. They're just helping you to brainstorm. If you don't already have good ideas, but if you've already got good ideas, you've had things that you've enjoyed in the past, do those things. Yeah, just keep replicating that. Keep making memories that way.

[A]

Pick one lawn decor and use it every year for 10 years and make it your personality.

[B]

Buy less, keep longer, prioritize memory.

[A]

And because when you do that, like, you make things special. So few things are special. Like, nowadays, everything is a viral trend. It's in, it's out. But very few things are special. And I think we, I mean, I joke about buy one thing and make it your personality. But it can be in these rituals that we kind of make special. They don't come special, but we through our rituals every year of bringing it out and putting it back and having it in pictures, having it in the house when people come over, we make things special. And so the fewer things that we have, the more special they become.

[B]

Do you know what else we've made special? And we have simplified because we haven't changed it a bit. We pull it out every single time.

[A]

We've only made it better by adding a video to it.

[B]

The bill of the week.

[A]

This is the day. That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage, maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck Bills, Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the Bill of the Week. Hi, Jen. Hi, Jill, this is Emily from Ohio. I have owned my house for two years. I have furnished the house with hand me downs from family members. So until today, I have not bought any furniture. My bill of the week today is the chair I bought brand new at the store about five weeks ago. I had been at the store this, I've gone to the furniture store. I picked the chair that I wanted, I priced it out, I started saving for it and the sticker price was a thousand. But it's been on sale at 800 for the entire month of March. I think that might just be their base price is 800. I went to the store today to buy the chair and I, I got one that was on clearance for $540, except I negotiated the price down to 500 and was able to pay with cash that I had in my bank account. So my bill of the week is a brand new chair for my living room. The first chair I have bought for my house. Yeah, girl. Oh yes. It just kept getting better and better and better. Furniture is one of those things that you can negotiate. Like you can't go into the Gap and negotiate a discount. I've shared my horror story of that of trying, not me negotiating, but somebody trying to negotiate me as a store associate. So, like you can't do that, but furniture stores you actually can negotiate at.

[B]

Sure can. She sure did. Well done, Emily. And the fact that you've taken so much time and care with curating your furniture. Lesson number one. And then creating a spending plan, starting to save up for it. Lesson number two. And then still being willing to change your mind for a lesser priced item. Lesson number three. And then negotiating lesson number four. Now here's lesson number five, which I'm sure you did, Emily, but I'll be curious. Let us know if you're watching us on YouTube. What did you do with the excess money? Because if you thought you were going to spend a thousand, you only spent 500. Where'd the other 500 go? What you gonna do with it? You're gonna pay off debt. Let us know. You're gonna invest.

[A]

If you're listening, you're put in a.

[B]

High yield savings account. Are you gonna buy a skeleton with it? No judgment.

[A]

You could buy a giant skeleton with it. We would still love you. I mean, I'm not against giant skeletons.

[B]

No, no, no, no.

[A]

I'm not against the lady who dressed her skeleton up looking like Taylor Swift.

[B]

No, no. Like hats off.

[A]

That was so much.

[B]

Did you.

[A]

There was a. She put a Mariska Hargitay tag on the cat and I don't know what the significance of that, but it seems significant.

[B]

Of course it is.

[A]

Please let me know if you know that is our cat named Mariska Hargitay Marisa Mariska Cat Cat K Help us.

[B]

Solve this Red All Help me if you all are listening, have a bill that you want to submit. If it's about negotiating, saving money, buying something you love, getting hand me downs be in bill frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill can't wait to hear it. Introducing your new Dell PC with the Intel Core Ultra processor, it helps you.

[A]

Handle a lot, even when your holiday.

[B]

To do list gets to be a lot like organizing your holiday shopping and.

[A]

Searching for great holiday deals and customer quests, questions and customers requesting custom things. Plus planning the perfect holiday dinner for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and Uncle Mike's carnivore diet.

[B]

Luckily you can get a PC with all day battery life to help you.

[A]

Get it all done.

[B]

That's the power of a Dell PC with Intel inside backed by Dell's Price Match guarantee. Get yours [e-mail] deals, terms and conditions apply. See Dell.com for details.

[A]

Look, it's okay to make some financial mistakes. We've all missed payments, signed up for cards we didn't need, or ignored our credit scores. You're not alone. That's why you need Experian, your big financial friend. The Experian app helps you check your FICO score, find ways to save, and get matched with credit card offers that fit your needs. Some cards are labeled no Ding Decline, which means if you're not approved, they won't hurt your credit scores. So yeah, it's okay if you haven't been the best with your finances. That's why you've got Experian on your side. Download the app for free today. Applying for no Ding Decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores.

[B]

Xyrian and now it's time for the Lightning Roundup.

[A]

All right, what is your best Halloween memory?

[B]

Mine are all newer because I didn't really celebrate Halloween as a child. Halloween has become something more for me lately, but there was a year that we went to New Orleans with friends. So six of us total, just romping around New Orleans in our costumes. And that was very fun. My costume the one year Speaking of obscure, I might have shared this, but it would have been a year ago was the sound that the Cranberries make in the song Zombie. Because I want it to be a sound. Right. Like, why pigeonhole yourself with. With a visual when you could be any number of sunsets?

[A]

And it's so good. Do you think you'll be it every year for the next nine years?

[B]

I have the stuff to do it. Yeah. And so Eric extrapolated that sound. Like.

[A]

Hey, hey, hey. Whoa, whoa.

[B]

You know that song?

[A]

Nope.

[B]

It's in Zombie.

[A]

Zombie, Zombie. I only know Zombie. I only know that sound. Hold on. No copyright infringement here. Get out of here.

[B]

Okay, so he extrapolated that sound and then I.

[A]

The more I think about it, I'm.

[B]

It's amazed out. And then I put that on my phone so I could like press it. Oh no. Then I attached my phone to a Bluetooth speaker, put the Bluetooth speaker down my dress so then at any point I could go into the app on my phone and click the noise that I wanted. And it permeated from my body because I was. Was sound and I was sound of Cranberries and Zombie and. Yeah. And then I dressed like a cranberry and it was all very obscure and nobody knew what in the world I was. And that was the best part.

[A]

I love you for this.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you. Blows my mind. Girl costume.

[A]

I have never. I've never been more proud to be associated with you.

[B]

Any costume that takes about 10 minutes to describe is a winner.

[A]

Yeah. And you shouldn't just restrict yourself to that for one year.

[B]

No, no, no, no. That was a killer idea. I think once I unlocked the. I could be a sense. One of. One of our five senses for Halloween. Just. Sky's the limit now. Maybe this will be a smell.

[A]

Do you have a Bluetooth speaker that you can put in your dress and be a sound? There you go.

[B]

Just pick your favorite sound.

[A]

Pick your favorite sound that. That's it. And let us know what sound you're going to be.

[B]

All right, your turn.

[A]

Oh my gosh.

[B]

Favorite Halloween memory.

[A]

I so since having kids, I think those are my favorite Halloween memories are just the memories of Kai being different things. So like running around trunk or treats as spider man or his first Halloween when he was a little lumberjack and I put a stick in his hand and we made a little beard for him.

[B]

Just.

[A]

Those are so special. And yeah, I know it's a lame.

[B]

No, I love that. But I love that kids in costumes is the best.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. If you are loving us talking about how to de. Influence yourself from a lot of different things. We did a really good one on de influencing kids stuff without totally erasing.

[A]

All of the magic of childhood.

[B]

Yeah. So cue that one up. But also, thank you all so much for listening and for reading our book. A lot of you have read our book.

[A]

Have we mentioned it lately?

[B]

I don't think we've mentioned it lately. It's called Love Without Going Broke. You've never heard that we've written a book.

[A]

I think we've never mentioned it before, but this is our book that we have.

[B]

How have we forgotten to mention this? And yet you all have found it. A lot of you have found it and. And so many of you have reviewed it. Like this person, Carrie gave it five stars and said, I've been a fan of Jen and Jill's Frugal Friends podcast for about two years and was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this book. One of the things I love about the book is the advice, tips, suggestions they offer that are reasonable, attainable, and based on real life situations. At the end of every chapter, they offer a question for you to reflect on and a task for you to start working towards implementing each values based spending. The best part for me is their acknowledgment that nothing is perfect. Things come up in life and you're not necessarily always going to be working towards your goals and that's okay. They explain their concepts, examples and tasks for the reader in ways that are easy to read and understand. It's a really great guide that I'll continue to refer back to when I need a reminder or a refresher on my own journey of frugality. Amazing. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you so much, Carrie. That is encouraging for us to hear that it is resonating like that.

[B]

Yes. And so if you are watching us, please, let's play I spy. Do you see the little bell? Click that subscribe button. Subscribe to us. That would be great. If you are listening to the podcast, leave us a review wherever you're listening. If you have read the book, if you're one of the million, the millions of readers who have read the book.

[A]

Book. It's not millions.

[B]

Leave us a review of the book, please and we'll see you next time.

[A]

Bye. Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.

[B]

Okay. Did this give you any inspiration for what you'll be this year?

[A]

Uh, no. One thing that we are thinking. Kai watched the Incredibles this year and really loved it.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

So we were considering doing Incredibles because I could be Elastigirl and daddy could be Mr. Incredible.

[B]

There is an Elastigirl costume at the Goodwill.

[A]

Oh really?

[B]

I just saw it.

[A]

He would be Dash and Atlas would be Jack. Jack the crazy baby.

[B]

Yeah, he would.

[A]

And Ellie could be the invisible girl because she's black and in the night she goes invisible.

[B]

Yeah. Cute. She would let her hair go down.

[A]

In front of her when she's on adventures.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

She goes. She goes invisible. We don't need a black cat because we have an all black dog. And that's spooky enough. But so that is, I think we are considering.

[B]

Yeah. Nice.

[A]

But we've never done a full family costume before. Travis and I don't dress up.

[B]

This is the year to do it. I think the kids are the age for that.

[A]

We'll see.

[B]

I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for it.

[A]

Okay. What about you? You going cranberry?

[B]

Probably.

[A]

You should. That's a good costume and it deserves to be seen.

[B]

Whatever it is. It's going to be from my wardrobe. Yep.

[A]

Good for you.

[B]

Thank you. You walk in tired and hungry, one bad dinner away from losing it. You don't like to cook.

[A]

You don't want more takeout. You just want something good. That's why there's dish by Blue Apron. Pre made meals with at least 20 grams of protein and no artificial special flavors or colors.

[B]

From fridge to fork in five minutes or less. Keep the flavor, ditch the subscription.

[A]

Get 20% off your first two orders with code APRON20. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more.