Tag: Halloween storage

Is Halloween America’s Favorite Holiday?

Posted on by Jordank

You may have noticed that #Halloween gets a lot more attention in the United States these days. Even when you factor in the truly American penchant for catering to — and monetizing — people’s interests, the #holiday has seen incredible growth in interest and participation.

Much of this growth is thanks to adults. Nearly half (47%) of U.S. adults named Halloween as their favorite holiday of the year, according to a new report from Ferrero Group, makers of Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Kinder and numerous other chocolate and candy brands.

“Last year, we identified the emerging ‘Adultoween’ trend, and now we’re seeing it evolve into a full cultural movement,’ says Chad Stubbs, CMO of Ferrero North America. “Adults aren’t just participating in Halloween anymore; they’re truly embracing it as their own holiday.”

The phenomenon isn’t limited to candy consumption. In 2005, half (52%) of adults celebrated Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation; today, that share has grown to 73%. That’s a lot of candy, pumpkins, plastic skeletons and fake spiderwebs — and no less than $2 billion worth of costumes.

Add to that the fact that the “spooky season” is promoted with horror-movie marathons, TV premieres, “haunted” attractions and more, and you have a seasonal economic juggernaut of frightening proportions — one that attracts more enthusiasts every day.

Unfortunately for the Halloween shopper, candy prices have jumped 10.2% since last year, CNN reports, with chocolate products leading the increases due to tariffs and cocoa shortage. That’s forcing many families to cut down on trick-or-treat giveaways or try to save money elsewhere.

You can #economize on #costumes and household #decorations by #shopping the #thrift and #secondhand stores supplied by #donations to ClothingDonations.org, of course. You can also #donate any lightly used clothing and extras throughout the year. Keep the candy, though.

Happy Halloween to the many millions of aficionados in America! We at The Organizing Blog hope you have a safe, spooky and fun holiday.

Now That Halloween Is Over

Posted on by Jordank

Recently, Martha Stewart was making the rounds of TV talk shows to promote her creative ideas for Halloween decorating.

She’s a whiz, using Styrofoam pieces, netting, cheesecloth and glow sticks to create creepy-crawly décor perfect for a ghoulish good time.

When Halloween is over, however, how do you create storage for items that you’re sure to use next season?

Stewart and other organizational gurus recommend the following:

  • Purchase Halloween-colored plastic storage bins that are stackable and come in a variety of sizes. Keep your holiday decorations color-coded by using black, orange or purple bins for your Halloween items.
  • Consider purchasing or making dividers to ensure your decorations — hanging bats and cheesecloth ghosts, for instance — make it through storage intact for more creepy fun next year.
  • Keep your smaller decorations or breakables in popcorn tins, and add a label about what’s inside.
  • If you buy storage bins in bulk and don’t want to spend extra to color code your Halloween items, consider purchasing transparent bins so you can easily see what’s in each container.
  • Make sure you purchase bins that will fit into your storage area. Measure your closet, for example, to make sure you’re not buying a bin that’s too large or can’t be stacked in the available space.
  • Think about the material for each item as you attempt to pack it away. Is it worth saving? Will the materials degrade over the course of a year in storage?
  • Organize your decorations by area of your house. If you have items for the front porch, for example, store these items together to save decorating time.

If you love Halloween as much as most people seem to, you might have accumulated more items than you can possibly use.

Here are some tips for cutting through the clutter:

  • Consider donating costumes that your children have outgrown. You may have other costumes that can be repurposed, so consider donating those as well.
  • Look for shabby items, and toss them. Donating to nonprofit groups is a worthwhile endeavor, but they don’t want your trash.

Here’s a great decluttering technique that you can test out as you take down all of your Halloween decorations.

Assemble four boxes, labeled “trash, ” “give away, ” “put away” and “sell.” Give yourself an hour for the task, but set a timer for 45 minutes. Use that time to go through your items and sort them into the boxes. When the timer rings, set it again for 15 minutes, and use that time to clean up and move the boxes to the appropriate spot.

Don’t forget that www.ClothingDonations.org would love to receive your items to fund its programs for veterans. You can visit the site to schedule a pickup. Easy!