Easy DIY Outdoor Halloween Decorations on a Budget

Halloween is one of my favorite times to decorate, and I love transforming my yard into something fun and spooky without spending a fortune. 🎃👻

This post may contain affiliate links, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click here for my disclosure policy

Today I’m sharing a collection of easy DIY outdoor Halloween decorations you can make with Dollar Tree supplies, thrifted finds, and items you probably already have at home. These projects are budget-friendly, quick to put together, and they look amazing both day and night.

Whether you’re hosting trick-or-treaters, throwing a Halloween party, or just love decorating for the season, these ideas will help you create the perfect spooky yard.

Spooky DIY Halloween Yard Decor You Can Make Cheap & Easy Video!

Smoking Witch Cauldron

Materials Needed:

Plastic cauldron
Small table or stand
Mister
LED humidifier
Thrifted candle holder (spray painted black)
Glass Fish Bowl
Water

Placing cauldron on porch with color changing mister inside.

Instructions:

Place your table or stand on your porch.
Fill the cauldron with water and set it in front of the table.
Place the candle holder on top of the table.
Add the mister or LED humidifier inside the cauldron.
Cover the candle holder with a thrifted fishbowl.
Plug everything in and watch the mist and color-changing lights create a spooky bubbling cauldron effect.

✨ By day: It looks like a mystical centerpiece.
✨ By night: The smoke and color-changing lights make it the star of your Halloween yard.

Steaming Crystal Ball

This one is the perfect companion to the cauldron!

Place humidifier on thrift store candle holder

Cover mister with fishbowl to create crystal ball

Place the LED humidifier on top of your painted candle holder.
Add the fishbowl over the top.
Turn it on and watch the glowing mist swirl inside like a magical crystal ball.

The cauldron and crystal ball together on the porch

Tip: Set this up with the cauldron for a “witch’s potion table” vibe.

Trash Bag Cobwebs & Ghosts

Materials Needed:

Large black trash bags
Scissors
Tape or static cling

Instructions (Cobwebs):

Fold the trash bag diagonally and trim the edges.
Keep folding into smaller triangles.
Cut curves and slits into the sides.
Unfold to reveal giant cobwebs.
Use static cling to stick them to your windows.

Instructions (Ghosts):

Use leftover trash bag pieces.
Cut ghost shapes and add eye holes.
Place them in your windows and pull down the blinds.

✨ Daytime: Subtle but spooky.
✨ Nighttime: The silhouettes glow through your windows for a haunting effect.

Cardboard Ghosts

If you’d rather avoid trash bags, cardboard works too!

This was part of a lid of a tall box that I had and I started by tracing the design that I wanted. And once again, I used the cutting tool to cut out my design.

Now I needed some extra cardboard on the bottom, so I traced out what I needed and then I cut it with the cutting tool. Then I added some tape to add the additional sections. I used my pencil to draw some additional shapes. I used my scissors to cut out the shapes.

Trace and cut out a ghost shape from cardboard.
Paint it black and let it dry.
Tape LED string lights to the back.
Place it in your window for a glowing ghostly silhouette.

By day you'll see the ghost as it contrasts the white blind.

By night, you'll see the ghosts glowing silhouette.

You can find the full tutorial at Easy DIY Cardboard Halloween Decorations

Nightmare Before Christmas Shower Curtain

Add instant character with a themed shower curtain!

Chas placing shower curtain on tension rod

Slide a fun Halloween curtain (mine was The Nightmare Before Christmas) onto a tension rod.
Fit it into your window with the image facing out.
Add lights behind it to make the design glow at night.

Grab your shower curtain on Amazon Buy Now

Creepy Door Cover

A quick and affordable way to spook up your entryway.

Stretch a Halloween-themed door cover over your front door.
Display it as-is during the day.
At night, shine a light on it so the design is visible.

Mine was just $1 at a garage sale and features a creepy clown — super effective!

Get your Halloween Door Cover on Amazon – BUY NOW

DIY Window Boards

Materials Needed:

Cereal boxes
Faux wood contact paper (Dollar Tree)
Tape

I'm starting with some cereal boxes that I had. I started by opening the box and then cutting the box up.

Instructions:

Cut cereal boxes into planks.
Cover with faux wood contact paper.
Cut jagged edges for a weathered look.
Tape them across your windows to look boarded up.

Such an easy way to give your home a haunted-house feel!

You can find the full tutorial at Easy DIY Cardboard Halloween Decorations

Cardboard Jack-o’-Lanterns

I had two other boxes that were lying around, and on these boxes, I used a permanent marker and I drew two jack-o-lantern faces. Then I grabbed my scissors, and yes, I got started on those jack-o-lanterns.

I was able to take the orange spray paint and coat them with that. So I painted the faces, but I also painted the top and the sides. I didn't worry about the back or the bottom. However, depending upon where you'd put it, you might want to paint the back too. Anything that's going to be exposed to who might see it.

Cut jack-o’-lantern faces into cardboard boxes.
Spray paint orange (or hand paint).
Add puck lights inside to make them glow.

You can find the full tutorial at Easy DIY Cardboard Halloween Decorations

Ghost Light Projector

One of the fastest DIYs!

Pick up a rotating Halloween light projector.
Set it in your yard and watch ghosts dance across your home at night.

Get your projector lights on Amazon – BUY NOW

Skeleton Bottle Candle Holders

Place mini skeletons inside thrifted bottle candle holders.
Add a tealight on top.
Hang them on your porch or in a tree.

✨ At night, the glow through the skeletons is perfectly eerie.

Get your hanging bottle candle holder on Amazon – BUY NOW

Frankenstein Crate

In my third crate, I will be painting apple Barrel kelly green.

For this last one, the first thing I did was draw the face, mouth, chin, nose, some stitches, and hairline

Grab a Dollar Tree crate.
Paint it green and add a Frankenstein face with markers and paint.
Use as porch décor alongside pumpkins or scarecrows.

Are you looking for outdoor fall decor? Here are some easy projects and a couple you can leave up all season long.

You can find the full tutorial at: The Simplest Ways to Make the Best of Outdoor Fall Decor

DIY Cardboard Tombstones

I ended up with two of these boxes so I ended up with six of these curved pieces of cardboard but

I took my pieces outside and I started to try to paint them with some concrete spray paint But that just didn't do it. So next I tried some metallic silver spray paint and that worked much better So I gave everything a coat of that And then I just started messing around. I added some black spray paint, more metallic, more concrete. I just kept playing around with them till I got the look I wanted.

Cut tombstone shapes from cardboard.
Spray paint with black and silver for an aged stone look.
Paint on spooky words.
Add skewers to the base and stick them in your yard.
Shine a solar light at them for nighttime glow.

I placed the tombstones in my yard to create a little graveyard. And I'll be using a solar spotlight to help me light these up in the evenings.

And I'll be using a solar spotlight to help me light these up in the evenings.

You can find the full tutorial at Easy DIY Cardboard Halloween Decorations

Final Touches

I love adding Dollar Tree garland and lights around my door for an extra festive touch. For trick-or-treaters, I hand out candy, glow sticks, Charlie Brown rocks, and hot apple cider.