20 Ways To Make Money During This Halloween Season

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Spooky season is here which means it’s time for Halloween traditions like carving pumpkins, breaking out the cinnamon brooms and carefully planning costumes. Outside of this just being a target-rich environment for social media posts, there may be ways to make some passive income while still celebrating.

20 Ways To Make Some Quick Cash This Halloween

Before you bounce from house to house for some candy and family-friendly fun, you might want to consider where there are also creative money-making opportunities this Halloween season. Sometimes when you’re good at being festive, it can create financial windfalls. Here are 20 great ways to get paid this Halloween season: 

1. Sell old Halloween costumes
2. Carve jack-o-lanterns for people in your neighborhood
3. Set up a face-painting booth on Halloween
4. Organize a haunted house
5. Scare people at Halloween parties
6. Sell homemade Halloween treats
7. Teach Halloween-themed online classes
8. Make Halloween soundtracks
9. Be a trick-or-treat chaperone
10. Sell handmade Halloween crafts
11. Provide Halloween decoration services
12. Make Halloween props for photo booths
13. Create Halloween greeting cards
14. Decorate and rent out your guest space
15. Attach business cards to trick-or-treat candy
16. Have a trick-or-treat yard sale
17. DJ a Halloween celebration
18. Babysit or pet sit so parents can go out
19. Tailor Halloween costumes
20. Make specialty beverages for parents for donations

1. Sell Old Halloween Costumes 

If you are a Halloween veteran, chances are you have accumulated a fair stack of wigs and costumes that you may or may not have use for on a daily basis. Instead of storing these relics, you could sell them on a site like Facebook Marketplace, Etsy or eBay. True Halloween pros never repeat a costume so it may be time to profit from your past. 

2. Carve Jack-o-Lanterns for People in Your Neighborhood 

You may love carving pumpkins but not everyone wants to deal with the mess or hassle. These people may be open to paying for the festive glow of sneering jack-o-lanterns on their front porch. A few weeks before Halloween, start stocking up on pumpkins and then let your neighbors, friends and family know that you can sell them carved for a fee. It’s a fun way to make a few bucks. 

3. Set Up a Face-Painting Booth On Halloween Night 

Setting up a face-painting booth outside your house or inside the lobby of your building could be surprisingly lucrative. Children and adults alike love face painting but especially commit to the process on Halloween. You could offer finishing touches for costumes or full transformations for those who don’t have a costume and are excited to have a last-minute option. 

4. Organize a Haunted House 

People love to be tormented throughout the spooky season so if you have a knack for Halloween decor and gore you could transform your home. Some ideas are:

• A haunted house
• Zombie wonderland
• Terrifying old asylum
• Kid-friendly playground

Once you’ve set the scene, advertise for it and sell tickets online so you can get a good idea of headcount and what you’re making in real time. 

5. Scare People at Halloween Parties 

If you prefer tricks over treats, then you can offer your services at varying Halloween parties. Along the lines of being a hired actor, you could douse yourself in fake blood, add some fake teeth and really give people a scare at a gathering. All you do is set up your jumps, gags and book with the host beforehand. You can get a decent paycheck for only working for an hour scaring the goosebumps off of their guests. 

6. Sell Homemade Halloween Treats 

Pumpkin spice muffins, blood-red pudding cups and eyeball cupcakes are just a few of the Halloween-themed treats you can make and sell. Halloween treats involve more than just candy so if you have some baking skills, this can be a good way to score some money on the holiday. You could have a little bake sale decked out with Halloween fare in your neighborhood leading up to Halloween so people can stock up on your goodies. 

7. Teach Halloween-Themed Online Classes 

If you have sewing, decorating or even pumpkin carving skills you could teach online courses in whatever area you specialize in. People can sign up and pay for your class to better prepare their house or costume for the festivities. 

8. Make Halloween Soundtracks 

A sensational way to monetize your musical prowess is to create and sell Halloween soundtracks. This could be original songs of spooky lore or even a screechy and creepy collection of scary sounds. Music sets the tone for any Halloween gathering so this could be an untapped market in your area. 

9. Be a Trick-or-Treat Chaperone 

Between some parents’ work schedules or just generally being over it, you can find many customers willing to pay you a good sum to walk their children from house to house for trick-or-treating fun. This gives them peace of mind their children are safe on what can be a chaotic night, while also awarding yourself some bonus income. 

10. Sell Handmade Halloween Crafts 

If nothing else, Halloween is known for the bits and bobs that get thrown around the house to create an autumnal explosion or spooky sensations. Either way, if you are crafty and can make a pumpkin-shaped wooden sign, then this may be your time to shine. Everything from decorative throw pillows to scented candles will sell like hot cakes so make sure to get your store prepped now. 

11. Provide Halloween Decoration Services 

It’s time to string some fake spider webs as you can definitely make money by offering your decorating services this Halloween. Many people who want to participate in the aesthetic festivities don’t necessarily have the time to decorate. You can sell your skills for decorating and also add an additional fee for clean-up to attract many customers this Halloween season.  

12. Make Halloween Props For Photo Booths 

Make and decorate some cardboard cutouts of mustaches, fangs, monocles, mohawks, werewolf muzzles and more. You can set up a photo booth with all Halloween-themed props and charge for some Halloween photography. This is a smart way to make some money with little overhead.  

13. Create Halloween Greeting Cards 

Nothing spreads Halloween cheer like sending spooky or fall-themed cards to friends and family far away. As many people want to reach out this holiday, start making some Halloween greeting cards to sell on Etsy or through your social media platforms. 

14. Decorate and Rent Out Your Guest Space 

You could convert your guest room into a Halloween extravaganza. Think haunted house but more localized. Halloween lovers looking for a space when visiting your town for the holiday are more likely to book your room than one at a standard hotel. 

15. Attach Business Cards to Trick-or-Treat Candy 

Though this is more of a long game of making money on Halloween, it is a good idea for viral marketing to a guaranteed audience. If you have a budding business venture, especially in the arts, crafts or baked goods arena, attaching a festive business card to the candy you give out on Halloween is a great way to get the attention of the parents of kids in your neighborhood.

16. Have a Trick-or-Treat Yard Sale 

While giving away candy you can also make a buck or two selling your old stuff. People will be walking up to your house anyway so having items to sell is a great way to entice some impulse buyers. 

17. DJ a Halloween Celebration 

This is another money-making opportunity for the musically inclined. Halloween is a holiday associated with big bashes and celebrations — many of which are looking to book a musical act. Have your Halloween set list ready to go and start booking parties now. 

18. Babysit or Pet Sit So Parents Can Go Out 

Kids aren’t the only ones that want to go out on Halloween. Parents want to dress up and party so by offering to babysit or pet sit, you can earn a good chunk of cash on Halloween night. You can even charge a bit more per hour as you will be working a holiday.

19. Tailor Halloween Costumes 

Everyone wants the perfect Halloween costume and for it to look custom-made. Unfortunately, not everyone has design or sewing skills. If you do you can charge to alter Halloween costumes and make some bank as people would love a tailored perfect fit. 

20. Make Specialty Beverages for Parent Donations

Though it is not technically street-legal to sell alcohol, doting parents may be willing to make donations if you have a fun and themed drink ready to go at your house while they walk their kids around. It can be a spiked punch or a test tube shot, either way just give it out and let the donation and tip bucket fill up. 

Final Take To GO 

There is no shortage of ways to make money during this Halloween season. With a little creativity and a lot of festivity, you can pad your bank account just in time to start shopping for the next holiday season.

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