Halloween on a Shoe String During the Credit Crunch.
October 27th, 2008

I think if I go to the supermarket in the next few days I'll get a T-Shirt printed with the words 'ALL I GOT WAS A LOUSY TURNIP' and walk up and down the aisle packed with latex masks and everything else a witch might require. Don't kids watch Blue Peter these days? Who needs to buy a witches hat from the shops when all you need is a pair of scissors, a black piece of cardboard and a few sticky stars and sellotape. A witches broom? Well we're not short of twigs lying around at this time of year, gather some up, grab an old garden cane and a bit of string and tie them up round the bottom.

Who needs a pumpkin! All us 1980's kids needed was a cheap turnip and a butter knife to hollow it out. Then a bit of string to slot through to make a handle and a small candle. And turnip makes a nice mash with potato to go with sausages and gravy. I'd prefer that to a watery bowl of Pumpkin Soup!

Rather than buy a plastic or latex mask, which soon ends up in the bin, just grab some sugar and water, mix it up and paste it on your face. Then get a bowl of rice crispies or cornflakes and dunk your face in it. You'll come up for breath with a face full of warts and boils. Then get some flour and run it through your hair and dust it over your cereal face.
If you want to strike extra terror put on a swimming cap and repeat the process all over your head.

Trust me this will scare people a lot more than some mask made in China. It left a few people with severe trauma in the Autumn of 1983!! For a costume, one of mums or grannies old 'black number' dressses can soon be whipped into shape for a witches flowing dress, go outside and get some genuine cobwebs to add then get out your pritt stick and draw on some moons and stars and get a cheap tub of silver glitter and sprinkle over the shapes. Get a silver pen and do some pictures of spiders on the dress. A few face paint crayons can give you dark bags under your eyes and blood red lips. Capes can be made from black refuse sacks, thread and gather up to create a high collar.

For those that have opted to look like an extra Star Wars, to match your scaley face you need a piece of rope and big white sheet, cut a hole through the top, put your head through and wrap the sheet around and tie the rope to create a monk style habit.

So, if your looking to save some money and reduce the amount of 'plastic junk' you buy there is plenty of cheap effective alternatives and anyway surely half the fun is getting things made and ready not just loading up the trolley in the supermarket.

WITCHES PUNCH

2 Blood Oranges - Sliced
2 Red Apples - Diced
Dash of Blackcurrant cordial
1 ltr of Fresh orange juice
1 ltr of water
Blackberries
1 Lemon squeezed
5 teaspoons of sugar

Warm on hob.