Halloween Budget Planner — Stop the $40-Per-Kid Spiral

Five categories, one screen. Enter planned and actual spend for costumes, candy, decor, party and pumpkins — see totals and overspend warnings instantly, then save it in your browser.

Free Runs in your browser

Track every category Rows turn red when actual spend exceeds planned budget.

$0Planned ($)

$0Actual ($)

$0Left / over

How it works

Three steps to a Halloween that survives November

Set planned budgets

Decide what you can spend per category before the store aisles talk you into more. Numbers save locally on this device.

Log actuals as you go

Every time you buy a costume, a bag of candy or a string of lights, type the real amount in. The row colors tell you instantly.

Watch the totals

Planned vs. actual rolls up across all five categories. Red means dial back the next purchase — your future self thanks you.

Why a budget planner?

The "$40-per-kid problem" is real, and it repeats every October

On Facebook parenting groups and Reddit, the yearly complaint is identical: "Halloween costume shopping has a way of turning into a $40-per-kid problem before you've even picked a theme," and most of what gets bought is "worn once and tossed in a closet by November." Add candy, decor and a party and the number climbs fast. This planner forces one honest number per category before the shopping starts, so the costume swap next year — and your January credit card statement — both look healthier.

Plan a costume swap instead Cheap decor ideas

Is my financial data stored?

Only in your own browser (localStorage). We never send budget numbers to any server.

What counts as "overspend"?

When actual spend exceeds the planned budget for a category, that row turns red. Green means you are still under budget.

Can I reset the numbers?

Clear the inputs and press Save again. You can also bookmark this page and come back before October 31.