Money Matters: Halloween spending gets spooky

Shopping
Halloween spending trends could be a good opportunity to get audiences engaged with a quiz. How much does an average family spend on Halloween? What are the most-purchased items, candy or costumes? Do men, on average, spend more, or women? How does Halloween spending compare to other holidays? What about costumes for children vs costumes for pets, a growing sector? The National Retail Federation provides good, up-to-date specific stats.

Local Business
Talk to a local small business owner who does well during Halloween, such as a pumpkin patch or costume shop. How important is Halloween season for their year’s bottom line?

In some parts of the country this year, heavy rain affected the pumpkin crop and could make pumpkins harder to find and more expensive.

Are there any pop-up Halloween stores in your town? Find out what employees there do the rest of the year, and how the space is used. Has the growth of online shopping or recent retail closures affected the retail space available for pop-ups?

What is the economic impact on the community? You could also ask about the most popular characters and themes for costumes and decorations this year.

Saving
Hunt for free or low-cost Halloween events and activities in your community. Try the local library, YMCA, community center or zoo.

Brainstorm more money-saving Halloween tips, like heading to the toy section to search for costumes rather than the Halloween section or specialty store and purchasing pumpkins at the grocery store rather than a patch with an entrance fee.

Weekly Money Matters personal finance content for your newsroom is sponsored by the National Endowment for Financial Education.