Tag Archives: halloween

Halloween Safety 2015

"Let's go to THIS house - there's a grownup who's WAY too unto it!"
“Let’s go to THIS house – there’s a grownup who’s WAY too into it!”

As we reported last month, Halloween spending is down this year. Overall, we will shell out about $7 billion in 2015, down from $7.5 billion last year. That’s about $74 per household, down from $77 in 2014.

However, as you pinch your pennies, don’t forget to invest in safety for your little goblins! In that vein, here’s a classic bit (as if) from years past, “Halloween Safety for Nerds and Other People.” This is not so much a consumer piece, other than the fact that you are spending $75, and you would like to get your kids home in one piece.

When I was a kid, Halloween safety consisted of my dad telling me not to accept any apples, because hippies were hiding their drug needles in them. “That’s it! Now go run in the night streets in your dark gray Batman costume!”

So, to pay it forward, I will share a few Halloween safety tips from the National Safety Council.

Motorists: BE COOL! Seriously, I don’t even have kids, but I spend half the night screaming at the idiots driving 45mph on my street!

Parents: Basically it’s your job to suck all the fun out of it. Make your kids tell you their precise route. Give them a curfew time. And make them wear bright or reflective clothing, even if it ruins their Zombie costume.

Kids: Use some common sense! Don’t go to dark houses. Don’t eat your stuff until mom inspects it and steals the Kit Kats. Carry dad’s best flashlight, which you will surely break. And stay out of the abandoned mill, even if they dare you!

OK, enough sarcasm. You should download the list. There are tons of great tips to keep Halloween safe. The alternative is a “Trunk or Treat” in the middle school parking lot…and nobody wants that!

Be sure to check out the rest of our Halloween 2015 coverage:

And have a safe and happy Halloween!

 

 

Avoid Halloween Ripoffs!

HALLRIPOFFSWhat’s scarier than ghosts and goblins at Halloween? Getting ripped off by unscrupulous Halloween vendors! That’s the gist of an article entitled “Don’t get tricked when shopping this Halloween.”

…spending on Halloween festivities, including candy, costumes, and decorations is expected to reach $6.9 billion. 157 million Americans are expected to celebrate Halloween this year, making Halloween the second largest shopping season of the year. The Better Business Bureau advises consumers to spend Halloween shopping dollars wisely.

In particular, the article advises you to be cautious around two types of Halloween vendor: the popup store and online.

A popup store is one that one space in the strip mall that used to be a Marshall’s or Ross but is now empty. Around mid-September, it suddenly turns into HALLOWEEN HEADQUARTERS! Next month, it will be Santa’s Workshop or something. So, unlike a regular store that will still be there next month when that giant, air-fed jack-o-lantern in your yard breaks, or some weird charge shows up on your credit card statement, these guys are long gone.  (And no, this is not to malign all popup stores. Just be careful, is all.)

Some tips for dealing with popup stores are…

  • Check the company’s Business Review at BBB.org before doing business.
  • Buy from companies that have been around long enough to have a clear track record.
  • Stores with a spotty past may change their name from year to year.
  • Ask the store how long it plans to occupy the building. If you cannot get an answer, ask to speak with a manager.
  • See if they have a website in case you need to contact them later.

They also say to shop closer to Halloween for lower prices (and a way worse selection!) As for online Halloween vendors…

  • Check the company’s BBB record at BBB.org.
  • Use your browser to search for the company’s customer reviews by typing their name plus the word “review.”
  • Services like Pay Pal are useful because they do not disclose your credit card number to the seller.
  • With reputable retailers, pay by credit card.
  • Know the return policy and read it carefully.

And, in all instances, save your receipt! There are a lot more useful Halloween shopping tips at the original piece, so check it out! How about you? Have you had success with seasonal vendors? Any horror stories to share? (I got ripped off by some 4th of July dudes once!) Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Top Halloween Costumes 2015

Your challenge is to do better than this. Shouldn't be hard.

True Halloween tale of terror: when I was five years old I wanted to be Archie (the kid from Riverdale, not Archie Bunker.) The costume came with a mask and a full-body suit of Archie clothes – a one piece thing consisting of a shirt and blue pants. Archie wore blue pants – very important. So, I got the costume several days early, and was told not to wear it because I would tear it up. Well, I wore it, and I tore the pants part. Furious, my mother cut off the pants and made me wear GREEN CORDUROYS! The only way to make an Archie costume even more lame is to wear it with green corduroys.

Anyway, don’t be that mom.

While there’s still time, you can take this festival of self-expression and dress your kid exactly like everyone else. And Today.com studied eBay, Pinterest and Polyvore to compile a huge list of 2015’s most popular costumes for grownups, kids, couple and groups. Here are a few examples…

Kids (eBay)

  1. Mario and Luigi
  2. Star Wars
  3. Batman
  4. Frozen
  5. Witch

Adults (eBay)

  1. Batman
  2. Frozen
  3. Alice in Wonderland
  4. Star Wars
  5. French Maid

Most searched on Polyvore

  1. Unicorn (nobody knows why)
  2. Evil Queen
  3. Harley Quinn
  4. Bad Sandy (from Grease)
  5. Poison Ivy

Top Pinterest ideas (for the DIY-ers)

  1. Shark
  2. Giraffe
  3. Bear
  4. Big Bad Wolf
  5. Flower

For couples (Pinterest)

  1. “Anchorman”: Ron Burgundy and Ms. Corningstone
  2. “Big Bang Theory”: Sheldon and Amy
  3. “Toy Story”: Buzz Lightyear and Jessie
  4. Fred and Wilma Flintstone
  5. The Most Interesting Man in the World and his favorite beer

Nostalgia Picks (Pinterest)

  1. PowerPuff Girls
  2. Mario Kart
  3. Green Army Men from “Toy Story”
  4. The Spice Girls
  5. “Rugrats”

So many choices. And these are just the top 5 from each category. You will find a ton more ideas at the original piece, so check it out! How about you? What’s your Halloween costume idea for 2015? Have you even thought about it? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend. Two weeks to Halloween!!!

Halloween Safety 2013

These two probably won't get hit by a care. But they WILL get hit by 8th-graders!
These two probably won’t get hit by a car. But they probably WILL get hit by 8th-graders!

As we noted earlier this week, Halloween spending is down in 2013. Here are the stats:

The National Retail Federation expects a 13.75 percent drop in total U.S. spending on Halloween — to $6.9 billion compared with 2012. Adults will spend an average of $75.03.  The Orlando Sentinel

However, as you pinch your pennies, don’t forget to invest in safety for your little goblins! In that vein, here’s a classic bit (as if) from last year, “Halloween Safety for Nerds and Other People.”

This is not so much a consumer piece, other than, as we reported earlier, you’re going to spend $80 per kid this Halloween (2012!) and you would like to get them home in one piece.

When I was a kid, Halloween safety consisted of my dad telling me not to accept any apples, because hippies were hiding their drug needles in them. “That’s it! Now go run in the night streets in your dark gray Batman costume!”

So, to pay it forward, I will share a few Halloween safety tips from the National Safety Council.

Motorists: BE COOL! Seriously, I don’t even have kids, but I spend half the night screaming at the idiots driving 45mph on my street!

Parents: Basically it’s your job to suck all the fun out of it. Make your kids tell you their precise route. Give them a curfew time. And make them wear bright or reflective clothing, even if it ruins their Zombie costume.

Kids: Use some common sense! Don’t go to dark houses. Don’t eat your stuff until mom inspects it and steals the Kit Kats. Carry dad’s best flashlight, which you will surely break. And stay out of the abandoned mill, even if they dare you!

OK, enough sarcasm. You should download the list. There are tons of great tips to keep Halloween safe. The alternative is a “Trunk or Treat” in the middle school parking lot…and nobody wants that!

(photo: springsgov.com)

 

Halloween by the Numbers!

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My house, every Halloween!

In my house, as a kid and as an adult, we always did it up for Halloween. And, looking back, I don’t remember ever dialing it down very much during hard times. Apparently, that is still the case in the US!

Here are some stats:

  • 70: The % of Americans celebrating Halloween in 2012.
  • 170 million: The number of Americans in the “Halloween market” this year.
  • 8 billion: The amount of $$$ we will spend for Halloween in 2012.
  • 80: The amount of $$$ spent by each person. Up $8 from last year.

So, how does Halloween avoid our belt-tightening?

Halloween has been one of the few annual events that we’re willing to shell out plenty of bucks for, almost certainly because of the escapism we feel by dressing up like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. We also have few qualms about dressing up our pets like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. Time Magazine

And to illustrate that last point, the article says that we will spend $370 million on pet costumes this year, up about 25% from 2011!

So, how about your family? Is Halloween a big deal? Have you cut back on the spending the past couple of years, or not?