Ghosts and goblins can be scary at Halloween time, but so can over-spending on decorations. Shiver with fear for all the right reasons this Halloween by making your own decorations on the cheap. After all, spooky is a state of mind, not the product of crisp décor and expensive accessories.

 Frightful Spiders and Ghosts

 Make your house the scariest on the block with a gigantic, menacing black spider made from extra-large black trash bags stuffed with leaves or crumpled newspaper. Use old bike reflectors to make super creepy eyes. If you prefer a friendlier scare, use white trash bags to make Casper-like ghosts and hang them from your trees. Be sure to cut ragged edges along the bottom edge of the ghosts, so that they flap wispily in the wind.

 Scary Figures

 Nothing's creepier than feeling like someone is lurking around you. Give your guests a good scare by creating shadowy figures, and all you have to do is raid your storage unit or attic. Drag out old clothing and stuff the clothes to make lifelike statues. Arrange your creepy figures outside, or around the corners of your home, and behind trees. For more fear factor, rake leaves into body-shaped piles, placing shoes at one end to make it look like bodies are lying in your yard. Or, dress an old life-size doll, and place it in the window with back-lighting for a scary night time silhouette.

 Eerie Interiors

 Cute table-top groupings can be made by filling old jars with candy corn and other seasonally colored candy. Or, go a more ghoulish route and make them creepy lab experiments gone wrong by filling jars with water, food coloring, and doll parts. Paint spine-chilling silhouettes of witches, bats, and black cats on old plates for table settings, and cover throw pillows with scraps of Halloween-colored fabric for an additional festive touch.

 Whether you prefer decorations that are campy or downright terrifying, Halloween is the time to let your imagination run wild. Explore the “dark side” of your storage areas and take advantage of all the old décor, clothing, and toys you have stashed away.