Photo via WINK News Candy, creatures, costumes, oh my! Halloween is just a few weeks away and it’s easy to spend a lot of money gearing up for the day. The holiday might be more expensive than in years past while price increases are making just about everything that reminds us of Halloween “Scary” expensive. We spoke to an expert to find out how you can still have fun this year without money vanishing from your wallets. It’s Caroline Passmore’s favorite time of year, and she says, ”It’s a lot of fun to dress up and be someone else for a day,” but these tricks and treats can get eerily expensive. Kimberly Palmer with NerdWallet says the number one item that sends your wallet to the graveyard is your costume. But with largely empty shelves this year, getting creative and making your own costume can keep costs down. “Because of all of the delays and shipping problems we’re seeing,” Parker explains,” it can be really hard to even find the costume that you want. And if you do find it, it probably won’t be marked down, you won’t see many discounts.” If your child is dead set on that costume they saw on the rack, get out of the Halloween aisle and into the toy aisle. Dress up clothes can help you save a few bucks. Palmer said, “They’re not labeled as Halloween costumes, and they’re cheaper than what is labeled as Halloween costumes. Also, you can treat November 1 as a giant day-after-Halloween sale and buy decorations for next year. “If you have the space to store those items, it’s a really good strategy,” Passmore said. ”That is actually one of the things we really like to do go shopping the day after and get. Especially candy. Candy is great to buy the day after.” Don’t forget about your local dollar store. You can often find candy and decorations there at a much lower price.