28 Cheap DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations For Sustainable Home Decor

Spooky season has arrived and it is time to start creating some DIY outdoor Halloween decorations to get in the Halloween spirit! 

We will cover all the best affordable ways to decorate your home for Halloween but in a more sustainable way. From thrifting Halloween decor to upcycling and DIYing items you can save money and create the cutest outdoor Halloween decorations! 

I am always trying to find ways to blend my love of home decor with sustainable living practices which is why I put together this helpful list! We will even cover some tips on the best ways to store Halloween decorations so you can reuse them year after year! 

Let’s dive into some ways to create budget friendly Halloween front porch decor and yard decor to welcome in the spooky season! 

How to save money with sustainable Halloween home decor

If you want to save some money on Halloween decorations this year sustainable home decor principles will be your best friend. 

Here are some important things to keep in mind: 

• Start with what you already own. How can you repurpose or upcycle items to make DIY Halloween decorations?
• Check out the thrift store to buy Halloween decorations before buying brand-new Halloween decor. 
• Prioritize natural materials that you can find in your yard, farmer’s market or at a local park since they are biodegradable when the Halloween season is over . 
• Prioritize buying handmade Halloween decor from craft fairs, friends, or platforms like Etsy. It is great to support small businesses. There may be a higher upfront cost but if you store the Halloween decorations properly they will last a long time! 
• Swap Halloween decor with friends. Maybe a friend or family member is open to swapping their decor that way you both get something new to enjoy.
• If you buy brand new decor, prioritize Halloween decor made from durable materials such as wood, fabric, and metal. It will last longer than thin plastic Halloween decor and you won’t have to replace it every year. 
• Although places like the dollar store sell cheap Halloween decor try to avoid them as most of it is made of plastic and will break easily. Prioritize durable Halloween yard decor you can hold onto longer than one season. 
• Just use this list as inspiration! You don’t have to use all of the decor ideas on this list. Sometimes less is more when it comes to yard decor and front porch decor. 

This post is all about the best budget-friendly DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations.

The Best Cheap DIY Halloween Outdoor Decorations

1. Upcycle a doormat for cute Halloween front porch decor

Use your current door mat or thrift one and paint on cute ghosts, a Halloween phrase or spooky faces. Even painting simple abstract shapes using Halloween colors is a great way to bring in the festive spirit. 

2. Carve your own pumpkins for easy Halloween decorations

This is a classic Halloween decor idea and for good reason! You can grow your pumpkins or pick them up from your local pumpkin patch. 

Paint on the pumpkins, cut out fun faces or even add reusable battery-powered tea lights inside. 

There are so many creative ways to decorate pumpkins as decor! 

3. Thrift outdoor Halloween decor 

Some Halloween decor you just can’t diy at home. Things like blow-up yard displays or spooky Halloween spiders are going to be hard to make yourself. 

Thrift stores and yard sales are great places to find these kinds of outdoor Halloween decor for cheap!

4. Wrap your front porch column with old fabric and add eyes to make a mummy

Add a few diy mummies to your front porch by wrapping the columns with fabric you are no longer using. Maybe you have old bed sheets that you can cut up and repurpose for this diy project. 

Draw on or add fabric/felt eyes to finish off your mummy decor. 

5. DIY Halloween sign using palettes or chalkboard

A DIY Halloween sign is perfect for outdoor Halloween decor because it won’t get ruined if you get a bit of rain.

You can make a sign from old boards, wood pallets or if you have a porch you can add a chalkboard sign. 

6. Use hay bales to make your own spooky scarecrow 

Pick up some hay and use old clothing you no longer use to create your own scare crows. If you can’t find hay you can simply use other fabric to stuff your scare crow.

7. Use cotton yarn or twine to make spider webs to hang in front yard trees

The spider webs people normally use for Halloween home decor is so fun but it is made of plastic which can get swept away in the wind and easily turned into litter.

It also can get pricey if you need enough bags for all of your Halloween decor. Instead, just use some twine or cotton yarn.

8. Paint wooden pumpkins from refurbished wood 

Maybe you have some leftover wood from a project or your neighbor does. Repurpose it by making your very own DIY yard pumpkins.

These are perfect because they won’t get damaged in the rain and can easily be stored for next Halloween!

{RECOMMENDED POST: 5 Top Tips To Sustainably Celebrate Fall}

9. DIY hanging ghosts in tree branches for spooky trees

Use old white fabric to make your very own ghosts to hang up in the trees in your front yard! They will sway in the wind and look perfectly spooky. 

10. Make spooky silhouettes with lights, cut-outs, and shadow play

Whether you want to make witches or black cat shadows you can cut out your ideal shape and then use a light to cast a shadow on your home.

Of course, this will only display at night but it is a fun and cheap way to have unique Halloween decor! 

11. Halloween wreath with mini pumpkins, corn husks etc.

A Halloween wreath is a must have if you are decorating your front porch! There are tons of different ways to make Halloween front door wreaths but my favorite is using grapevines and mini pumpkins.

You can paint the wreath different colors or leave it as is for a more natural look. Other ideas include making Halloween cats, ghosts, and monsters out of felt or old fabric to attach to your wreath. This is a perfect Halloween decor idea that kids can participate in as well! 

12. Use a tomato cage to make yard ghosts

Make your very own yard ghosts with the tomato cages you used over the summer.

After getting off the old tomato vines and rinsing them off you can drape a sheet over them and draw on eyes for a front yard Halloween ghost! 

13. Ghost lanterns using milk jugs or plastic bottles 

Don’t throw out your milk jugs and plastic bottles! Wash them out to create little ghosts to hang in your front yard with a bit of twine. Again, this is a great craft to include your kids in! 

14. Paint chicken wire white to make yard ghosts

Use chicken wire to shape ghosts or witches to decorate your yard. Add a bit of white paint for your ghosts or the base of other colors and you’re good to go! Be sure to secure them with stakes so they don’t blow away in the wind and keep their shape. 

15. Mummy door using old fabric 

Create a cheap Halloween front door by using old fabric and taping it to your front door. Cut long strips and crisscross them to create the body of your mummy and then add on felt eyes!

You could also make a giant spider for your front door with some black paint and fabric scraps. 

16. Paint tree stumps to look like ghosts, pumpkins bats etc

Use old tree stumps as front yard decor or even on your front steps. With some paint, you can transform them into cute Halloween characters like bats, witches pumpkins, scarecrows etc. 

17. Make bats for your front door from old/thrifted fabric

Use black fabric dye and old clothing or thrifted fabric to create bats you can secure to your front door.

{RECOMMENDED POST: 46 Cozy Front Porch Fall Decorating Ideas On A Budget}

18. Use a projector and sheet to play a Halloween movie each night 

If you have a large flat space on your home you can project a Halloween movie or Halloween-themed slide show at night.

Be sure to use a sheet so your projection lays flat. A great place to set this up is on your garage door!

19. Orange outdoor lights for eerie lighting 

Did you know they make Christmas lights in orange? String up a few orange lights on your front porch or wrapped around trees to ensure your Halloween decorations last night and day. If you store the lights properly you can easily use them year after year! 

20. Monster bushes using plastic bottles 

Save your plastic bottles and cups for an easy way to decorate your front yard bushes!

You can easily repurpose them by painting little eyeballs on them and making your front yard bushes look like little monsters or eyes in the night. Glow in the dark paint would also be perfect for this DIY Halloween project! 

21. Jack o Lantern Planters 

If you plan on getting mums for your Halloween front porch display grab some terracotta planters and paint a jack o lantern face on them. Your mums will then look like a fun hairdo on your pumpkins! You can save the planters for next year or paint over them for the next holiday.

Or you can use pumpkins as DIY planters as well!

22. Cardboard tombstones for Halloween night

So these work better for outdoor Halloween party decorations rather than leaving them up for the whole season. But you can totally use some old cardboard to make DIY tombstones. 

23. Floating witch hats 

Grab some twine, black fabric (can be an old t-shirt), and a wreath to make your very own witch hat. You could even use some of the chicken wire we discussed earlier to make the hat stand up tall. These are so fun to have swinging in the trees of your front yard or on your front porch. 

24. Glass paint on the front door 

Not everyone is comfortable with glass paint on the windows but if you are cool with it this is a super cheap way to bring the Halloween spirit to your home. You can paint pumpkins, a fun Halloween message, or add Halloween characters. 

25. Tin can garland 

Save your tin cans to create a DIY Halloween garland. You can punch holes in the cans and add tea lights inside for a cozy fall vibe or you can paint the cans to look like little ghosts.

String them together to make a garland that you can string across your front porch.

26. Leaf garlands as an easy Halloween craft

This craft will probably need to stay under the cover of your front porch but start by collecting beautiful fall leaves.

Then add your preferred wax like coconut wax or beeswax to preserve them and you can string them together to make a fall garland. This DIY Halloween idea is perfect because it will be biodegradable at the end of the spooky season. 

27. Fabric banners and flags using acrylic paint

Halloween flags at the store can be really expensive and are mostly made out of plastic! Make your own at home with thick fabric. You can use paint or your sewing skills with felt shapes and letters to design a unique Halloween flag or front porch banner! 

P.S. if you don’t know how to sew just use hot glue! 

28. Wood pallet

Get creative by taking apart unused wooden pallets to make all sorts of Halloween signs, a diy fence for a Halloween graveyard, and a casket for skeletons or tombstones.

The best way to store Halloween decorations 

Storing your Halloween decorations properly will save you tons of money in the long run! 

The best way to store Halloween decorations is by using large plastic bins that you already have (or can thrift!) and putting them in a closet. 

Fabric bags and containers are great options but if you are storing your Halloween decorations in your garage or attic they could get destroyed. 

I hope these outdoor Halloween decoration ideas are a fun way for you to celebrate the Halloween season! Whether you love scary Halloween decorations or cute ones there are tons of creative ways to make DIY Halloween decorations that are eco-friendly and not super expensive! 

Have any other cheap DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations? Let us know in the comments below! I’m sure others in the community would love to learn from you as they decorate their outdoor space!

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you would like sustainability and wellness tips sent directly to your inbox!

Stay well, 

Maggie 

This post was all about the best cute DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations.

Other posts you may like: 

5 Healthy Plant-Based Fall Snack Ideas You Need To Try This Fall Season

8 Sustainable Thanksgiving Tips To Host The Perfect Holiday Spread

If you would like to save this post of Easy DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations for later-Pin it!