First Person: Budget-Friendly Halloween Activities

The holiday season is just around the corner, and that means money will be spent on doing things with the kids. As it gets closer to Halloween, we are deciding which activities we will be able to do while still to sticking to our budget. There are many options available, and many of them are kid-friendly. These are the activities we are planning to go to with the boys, and how we will fit them into our budget.

Fright Night at the Zoo

We were given a season pass to the local zoo for my son's second birthday. We have only used it a handful of times, but we plan to go at least a few more with the holidays coming up. This pass includes free admission for the entire family, free parking, and discounted food from the restaurant inside the grounds. For the Halloween event, there will be face painting, costume contests, and much more. It will cost us approximately $20 for food, and everything else will be covered by the season pass.

Apple picking

This is a family tradition that we do each year with my in-laws. The place we are visiting has deals on picking your own pumpkin, picking apples, and some other kid-friendly activities. We opt to choose our own pumpkins because they are three for $10, which is cheaper than most places. You get to go out into the pumpkin patch and pick the three that best suit your needs. After we are done for the day, we have usually spent $35. This is the one thing our toddler looks forward to each year, so we have to make it fit into the budget.

Terror in the Timber

I love haunted houses and spooky walks. I have gone to one each year since I was a young girl. The school in town here hosts a haunted walk in the local forest preserve. My mother-in-law typically participates in it, and my husband and I have gone every year. It cost $16 for the both of us, and works out as a great thing to do for date-night. They also offer a walk during the daylight hours for younger children. It is a less scary version, and has been a big hit with our niece and nephews.

This year our Halloween activities will cost us $71. We have decided to forgo most of our September entertainment money in order to be able to do more things in October. As it stands now, we already have the money to be able to do everything we want as a family in October.

*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.

First Person: We Are on the Road to Becoming Financially Fit

First Person: Cutting Out 3 Simple Luxuries Saved Us $190 a Month