Nothing is scarier during Halloween than pockets and wallets filled with nothing more than cobwebs and moth balls. Sadly, you can’t buy a costume with last year’s leftover trick-or-treat chocolate, and scaring the pants off your neighbors does not mean you can filch the change from said garments either. When you need to make some quick and easy money for Halloween, try one or all of these nine ideas listed below:
1. Haunted house operator or spook
No matter where you live, there is at least one haunted house, cornfield maze, or hay ride operator nearby. Oftentimes, the more popular a place becomes, the scarier attractions they have that need to be staffed by creepy people or those who simply love dressing up to make children cry. I have done it, and was paid above minimum wage.
If you are not up for becoming a spook, then why not create a haunted house attraction of your own? Though it takes some time and money to fabricate a convincing experience, you may end up generating more profits than originally planned.
2. Costume shop employee
Seasonal costume shops are always hiring. You can contact Spirit of Halloween, for example, to see where a store near you is opening or apply online. Though these places are generally only open for 2-3 months, you would be making minimum wage or working relatively flexible hours, since most people are college or high school students in need of some extra dough. Plus, you see all of this years whimsical costumes and decorations before anyone else.
3. Pumpkin farmer
People love pumpkins. I mean, just look at all the pumpkin spice stuff that swarms the shelves as soon as the first leaf turns orange. If you have a decent patch of soil and some time to devote to growing some lively pumpkins, gourds, and squash, you can sell these vegetables individually or make up little Halloween or autumnal themed cornucopia baskets then vendor them off.
More: 10 Bizarre Ways to Decorate Your House with Pumpkins
4. Pumpkin carver
Have a knack for creating incredible jack o’ lanterns? Offer your carving services on gig sites like Taskrabbit, Gigwalker, Etsy or put an ad in the classifieds section of your local newspaper. You can also book your services for Halloween parties. Give classes or make tutorials too.
People love doing creative things, but not everyone may be able to come up with the same designs as you. Also, if you are really crafty and add things like lights, sounds, paint, and other elements, you can up the price of each masterpiece.
5. Sell Halloween treats
Homemade goodies around Halloween are so much better than just bags of chocolate. People will pay a pretty penny for fresh cookies, cakes, doughnuts, and other treats that are healthy, natural, and delicious.
Put your love of baking to good use by holding a bake sale or, again, offering your skills up on a gig website. Perhaps, you can even use a social dining experience app to have people meet you at your home to receive said treats.
6. Become a Halloween makeup artist
Remember how I mentioned my experience as a haunted house spook? Well, for every haunted house, there needs to be at least 2 or 3 talent makeup artists on board to bring the monsters to life.
These artists get to play with fake tattoos, piercings, hair dye, fake blood, wounds, and all kinds of awesome special effects. Of course, the more experienced you are, the more you get paid.
Be prepared to show off your skills when you apply for this job, too. You have to know what you are doing and be able to get it done quickly. Plus, you may need to come up with your own Halloween makeup ideas.
7. Create or star in scary videos
Similar to making a haunted attraction or becoming a ghoul for a couple of nights, why not make your own indie horror film? Nowadays, there are so many software programs that you can film, edit, and publish the content then stream it to the masses. Even if you do not have high-tech gear, a scintillating story could be more than enough to appeal to people. I mean, look at the original Blair Witch project.
8. Make and sell costumes
For those with embroidering or sewing skills, designing customized and quality costumes is never a wasted moment. People love having well-made and comfortable clothing that they can wear again and again.
Besides, not everyone person can find a premade costume in Target that is right for them. So, Etsy and similar sites to the rescue. If you can accept ideas and create unique designs, then you can easily rake in hundreds per costume piece. And trust me, Halloween lovers (and cosplayers) will pay to receive handcrafted merchandise.
More: 10 Cool Halloween Costumes 20 Something Girls Will Love
9. DJ at a Halloween party
If you happen to love spinning records and own DJ equipment, consider doing gigs at local Halloween parties or clubs. Of course, this means more than just playing “Thriller” and “Monster Mash” on repeat.
You are going to need to have a decent playlist of ambient tracks too. Depending on your skill set, experience, and equipment, you can easily make a couple hundred to a thousand bucks in just a few nights.
Halloween is right around the corner, so how are you going to gather some spoils to take part in the fun? Thankfully, there are dozens of ways to not only get into the spirit of this spooky holiday, there are ways to accrue a small fortune as well. Have fun, and make that money.