Halloween is just around the corner, and even though you live in an apartment building, there's a pretty good chance you'll get some trick-or-treaters knocking on your door. It's not quite the same as neighborhoods with tons of single-family homes, of course, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare yourself for the handful of kids that come your way.
Many parents who live in apartment buildings may actually prefer to go door-to-door in a building that they know, anyway. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but consider the fact that making Halloween fun for your neighbors could go a long way in building good relationships, too. Be kind to their kids, and they won't forget. Here are the best ways to prepare yourself for a fun and safe Halloween as an apartment tenant.
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Decorate Your Door and Windows
Decorating your apartment entrance door doesn't have to take a lot of money or work. You can easily buy a door banner that easukt hangs or you can go so far as to make your own decorations that cost even less. You can cut out pumpkins, bats, skulls, etc. out of construction paper and just tape it to your door. You can buy a pumpkin, carve it, and put a LED candle inside and set it by your door. The whole point is to make your apartment look fun and welcoming instead of just plain scary. We would advise not putting fake blood on your door or making it look super creepy. You don't want to put all the that work in just to make the kiddos run away. You can get a great Halloween banner like this one for around $10.
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Dress Up in a Great Costume
Nothing says festive like a great costume, and kids will love it if you come to the door all dressed up for the occasion. You can just use make up and a few items you find in your home (hat, gloves, funny t-shirt), and you won't have to spend a lot of time or money, as a result. Be creative. Put plastic flowers in your hair. Take a large cereal box and cut out eye holes. Make a fake mustache. You decide what you want to be. Just try not to make it too scary, unless the kids in your apartment building are all teenagers. Then go hog wild and try to scare the living daylights out of them. If that's not your cup of tea. Just choose something like this for less than $40.
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Get Some Really Big Treats
Don't scrimp when it comes to candy, especially since you're likely to get only a handful of kids. That means you don't have to get tons of candy in small sizes. If a kid comes to your door and you give him a tiny box of Milk Duds, he's not going to be all that impressed, will he? You should do something big like full-sized candy bars, giant cookies, or make something fun at home like popcorn balls. Wrap them with great decorations like colored cellophane, plastic bats and spiders, or anything else creative. This will also guarantee they'll come back around next year because you'll officially be the coolest tenant in the building because you'll have the best (and biggest) treats. You can get a canister of huge cookies on Amazon right now and you don't have to leave your apartment to get them.
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Get a Spooky Fog Machine
If you really want to be over the top in terms of the Halloween look, then spend around $50, and get yourself a super-slick fog machine. When kids knock and you open the door, they'll be blown away by the fog emanating from your place. This one can change the color of the fog to suit the look you want, and you can even add lighting effects to increase the drama. It shoots 2-3 meters and uses non-toxic fog juice that's safe and water-based. Wbo knows, maybe this is just the kind of special effect you need year-round to make your place look especially unique.
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