Even the most lavish spenders have budgets and great Halloween props and decorations need not suffer at all from small ones. There are literally tons of Halloween shops online that have some really great props but there are drawbacks to those shops as well. Even the inexpensive ones aren't all that inexpensive, especially when you add in shipping costs. While I love, love, love surfing the sites and looking at all the cool stuff they offer, I don't usually plan to buy. I plan to make.

Online Halloween retailers are wonderful places to get ideas. With a little time and effort you could probably make that $100 item for less than half. So for the Home Haunter, on a budget, or otherwise, here is a list of shops that will become your best friend during the Haunting season:

Dollar Stores
This includes Dollar Trees, Family Dollars, Dollar Generals, It's A Dollars, 99 Cent Stores, and the like. Not only do these stores usually have some Halloween decorations at very reasonable prices, they also have things cheaply price that you can, what I like to call, Halloween-A-Fi. (See the separate listing for more on that!)

Big Lots
This is a store that sometimes has really great props and decorations at really great prices. As a matter of fact, it's one of my favorite places to find Halloween stuff. Another great spot for things that are just begging to be Halloween-A-Fied

Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx
Clothing may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of these discount stores but if you've never been there Halloween hunting you're in for a real treat! Mostly they have what I like to call "set-up" items; things that look good on your mantle or a shelf somewhere. You can usually find really cool pictures frames and candle accessories and everything is affordable.

Good Will, Salvation Army
Ahh, the Home Haunter's Mecca! It's no secret that I don't really like buying costumes. Sure, they look great on the websites, but all too often, unless you were actually the model used in the shoot, the costume, once home and on you, doesn't exactly look the same. It also bugs me that most costumes you come across in stores are "One Size Fits All" or "Fits Up To X Amount." What is up with that? Do you normally buy clothes that would fit everyone on your block? I don't and I don't expect my Halloween costume to either! I also don't appreciate the poor quality a lot of costumes are made out of (unless you drop lots of $$$). Only twice have I purchased a costume and both times I was disappointed. I actually sent one back it was such a disappointment. I won't tell you where I got it because the site is a great site otherwise and it wasn't really their fault because they didn't actually make the costume. However, I will tell you what the costume was so you don't buy it thinking it's awesome: Lady in Waiting (Young Adult size.) It was kind of a creepy, regal looking dress that I was so excited about I nearly broke out in hives waiting for it on the day it was supposed to arrive. It looked like a circus tent when I tried it on. A very poorly made circus tent. It also didn't help that I found the same exact costume in Walmart for exactly $20 cheaper. The moral of this story, kids? Make your own costume! That's where The Good Will and Salvation Army come into play. Not only do they have a huge selection of clothes (in your exact size) that you can use to build your costume, they also have accessories and items you can Halloween-A-Fi!

Walmart, Kmart, Walgreens, etc.
These stores always have a nice selection of props and decorations and while some bigger, fancier props can be expensive even at these discount stores, most are still definitely within budget. Plus you can get candy and party ware at these places and if you must buy your costume, you'll find a (usually) reasonably priced array here.

Michaels
Michaels is another favorite Halloween shop of mine. Their Lemax Spooky Town Collection is beyond awesome (though some pieces are a bit pricey) and they have a good selection of "nicer" decorations, as opposed to blood and guts and gore (see below). They also have great candle accessories and some nice bigger, more expensive props. My darling Donna was born here and for that I'll be forever grateful!

Spencer's/Spirit Halloween
Spencer's, your local lewd mall shop, becomes known (sort of) as Spirit Halloween during the Haunting Season. Make no mistake, you won't save any money at these two places (Spirit is mainly online, but Spencer's sells a lot of their internet stock in their shops) but there are some really cool props to be found here and sales do happen. These decorations are more along the line of gross and gory and are more suited to older kids or adult parties. I've gotten a pretty cool severed head here for around $25 and various severed arms and legs for under $20. They also have a line of more adult oriented costumes and accessories.