How To Handle Halloween Storage Like A Pro

Halloween and the #GoingSimpleChallenge may be over but our work in maintaining our homes is never done! 

With four kids and a husband who likes to shop clearance sales, Halloween can get real overwhelming, real quick.

Choosing to gatekeep our homes as we flow through seasonal changes is a great way to keep our possessions in check throughout the year!

Bonus points, this means the Going Simple Challenge gets easier every year too!

How We Do :: Halloween Storage

Today I have a few simple tips to tackle Halloween storage. As well as some ways we keep our budget in check as a family of six!

Seasonal Books

We store seasonal books with decor right in the holiday storage bin! This way our favorite holiday reads don’t clutter up our book rotation all year long. And when we bring out a collection for the holiday seasons, it is like Christmas morning!

Our holiday book collections hold a special, magical power every year when we get them out and rediscover favorite old titles! This isn’t just for Christmas either. Our Halloween and Easter collections are just as magical!

Going Simple Tip :: See what the magic of a book rotation can do for your littles, and you too! Click Here to learn about book rotation!

Hand Me Down Costumes

Every costume here was worn at least once already, and is now washed, drying and will go back in our Halloween decor tote to reuse next year if possible. 

If they are too worn out, like this cat costume that has seen two trick or treating seasons already, they get recycled accordingly (moved to dress up stock, or recycled/trashed). 

Shop Clearance For Next Year

We always hit up the costume clearance for sizes we will need next year. The price difference? Spending $5 on a costume instead of $25! Totally worth it for a large family on a debt free journey.

Resell Outgrown Pieces

This little bumble bee costume is in prime condition, even after three babies wearing it. So I’ll store it with our fall decor to sell next year when peak resale season hits.

Repurpose Candy Surplus

Why is the mountain of candy one of the most overwhelming blessings of Halloween?! I hate to love it. We upcycle bulk candies like M&M’s, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars into our decanted baking storage. Will they make it into a pan of brownies or get eaten first? Nobody knows. But at least the effort is there, and it looks pretty in the meantime!

Simplify Decor + Respect Storage Boundaries

Establishing a storage boundary before we start packing up for the season means we set a limit on what we keep. In our home, Halloween gets one tote. I pull down and gather all my decor items first, sort by category, then return everything to the bin!

Simple Storage Tips

• Larger items in the tote first
• Nest items inside each other where possible
• Put back your favorite items first
• Use the Keepers method

Starting with placing favorite Keeper pieces of holiday decor into the bin, and working toward least favorite items means when the bin is full, it will be easy to recognize which potentially part with! As I placed items in the storage tote this season, I was left with one pumpkin that wouldn’t find. I’ve never actually liked the item, so it was easy to let go!

How do you guys handle costumes and decor? When our littles get older I know the drive for consumerism will be a much larger battle.

I’m hoping laying the path for creativity and upcycling while they’re young will help us down the road.

xo

Amy