The Grace Space: How to Win at Halloween 2013

If you didn’t already know, Halloween is my favorite holiday of all time. It’s the one night a year where you get the opportunity to dress up in a crazy costume, fiesta with your friends and get candy, all in the period of 24 hours. Sure, Halloween can become a bit less exciting once you reach adulthood, but what’s stopping you from enjoying the magnificence of such an amazing holiday?

If you’re still a bit worried or wearisome regarding what exactly you can do to make Halloween 2013 your best yet, check out the list below for some tips–and make sure to have fun!

1. Make a kick-a** costume without spending a ton of money

When I was younger, I always thought I had to go to Party City or Spirit in order to have a radical costume that would gain me popularity, worthiness and–most importantly–candy. However, once I got to high school, I realized that the idea of buying a $35 tutu for one night was not in any way worth it, so I started to go through my own closet to make my own witty costumes. In the past few years I have been a Brownie, Rosie the Riveter and a cat–all without having to devote an hour to finding a pre-made costume in a store. This year, Halloween is on a Thursday, which means there will be a lot of opportunities to dress up in a variety of costumes. I have already determined the majority of my costumes, but, if you are wondering exactly what you could do without having to buy anything, I recommend utilizing the interwebs to the best of your ability–trust me, you will find something perfect for you.

2. Eat and drink all of the Halloween themed goods you can find

Have you been to a grocery store in October? There are so many awesome treats to get that are Halloween-inspired other than the joys of candy. One of my favorite treats is Tony’s Fine Foods’ Boo Chips and you best believe that I will be buying a sh**-ton this weekend to tide me through the coming days. Other awesome treats to enjoy until Nov. 1 include: World Market’s Halloween Pasta, Clif Bar’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie and pumpkin juice. Just make sure to not indulge too much or you may wake up Nov. 1 in a bed full of candy wrappers.

3. Hang out with your friends and do holiday-inspired activities

Halloween in college is typically the most party-filled weekend of the year. However, if you’re not in the mood to go to one of these shindigs, do some awesome other activities with your besties. Especially in Seattle where there are so many amazing things to do that involve this holiday of ghouls and ghosts. A few recommendations I would have would be: go see “Halloween” on the big screen; pick out some pumpkins for carving from the local pumpkin patches and walk around the Hill on Thursday to see some fantastic costumes. If none of these suits your fancy, Google some ideas to find exactly what would be great for you.

4. Watch all of the Halloween specials available everywhere

As just mentioned, there are going to be some awesome Halloween classics playing around the city this week. You will have the option of not only seeing “Halloween,” but also “Donnie Darko,” “Psycho” and “Dracula.” If you don’t want to leave the comfort of your home and your jar of Nutella, kick back and turn on your television to see if “Hocus Pocus” or “The Ring” are playing to fulfill all your holiday enjoyment. Just remember the popcorn!

5. Make your own awesome goodies in the form of baked goods, drinks, crafts, etc

Even though you could always buy Halloween garlands or Boo Chips for the entire month of October, Halloween-themed treats can get a bit pricey–even though they may be fantastic. To save your money, because you’re a college student and should be saving at least a little money, use what’s already in your dorm/house to make some amazing goodies. Use your old and unneeded homework to make cobwebs, and put a Post-It skull on your window for all to see. Bake some orange chocolate chip cookies. Knit a pumpkin beanie. Seriously, the possibilities are pretty endless–just be awesome and you’ll prove yourself to be a charming fan of the holiday.