Sure, you can go to the local WalMart store and buy a ton of cool Halloween decorations and be done with it. But, do you know how much money you will have to invest in that plan? If you have a limited budget to spend on your scary fare, it is a better bet to use substitutes and makeshift craft items to get the same, scary effects. The advantage of these projects are multiple: you not only get time with the family while you are making them, you also save tons of money. If you make a mistake on something, you can simply start over- not a big deal at all.

Dollar stores are also a great suggestion for some of your supplies as well as premade Halloween decorations that can serve as your start for the scariest house on the block. You can also pick up orange and purple light sets which will make your decorations stand out even more. If the dollar store has Christmas light sets out, pick up a few white sets, some green and if possible a plain red set.

To make a ghost, you need a clean, empty milk or similar, gallon jug. After cutting a small square out of the back (near the handle), push the set of white lights in, leaving the plug end out. With a black marker, draw your ghost's face on the front of the jug, plug him in and he is ready to scare the neighborhood. If you are using this ghost outside, weight him down with some sand or rocks. You can use the same idea to make other creatures by simply painting the jug various colors like green for Frankenstein, black and white for Dracula and brown for a wolfman. Add special touches with felt or other material.

Red lights in a clear bowl can be made to look like fire. You can also add the red lights on top of material in a plastic cauldron to make it look like something is bubbling away in there. Black trash bags can stand in for bats and vampire capes. You can make ghosts out of white trash bags. Use small, plastic grocery bags to stuff your creations and give them some "body".

Old metal cans can be used to make lanterns for your walk way. You can use fall leaves and old weeds in your yard as part of the decor. There are no limits to how creative you can get and you only have to invest a little bit of your time to make yours the scariest house on the block.