Halloween Haul

We've crossed from the pungent days of Summer into the purgatory before the williowing nights of Winter. Which means in theory all those big box stores have finally gotten their Halloween stuff out, right?

Right?!

I've been stalking the stores since post-Labor Day and thought I'd share the few things I thought cool enough worth buying and from where.

I'll begin with Big Lots, who usually has stuff out late August (they're sports like that).

 The bat lamp is a little pathway light that's solar powered for $4.

And now my dog can finally be consumed by a dragon.

Wal-Mart last year had a few not too bad options, I was actually surprised and was willing to pay a bit closer attention. Well, it seems to be almost all for naught, as this year housed mostly the same as last year and the few new ones were either coated in glitter or molting.

I had a gift card I wanted to use up and got this.

The ball is terrible plastic (I might replace it with real glass) and the claw bottom is best not spoken of. But I got a mister for about $20 which is about what they go for, assuming you can find one. Has anyone ever used one of the stupid plastic displacers that come with them? Ever?

Target. Oh Target, how you have depressed me so. It used to be Target was good for a gargoyle or two, a few heavy pieces that could actually work. Now it's about 56% party shit, 33% tie-in cheap crap, 3% costumes and 40% dolomite. She's become a hollow pumpkin of her once glorious squash self.

This bowl was about the only thing that piqued my interest, and it isn't plastic. That's 100% someone just broke one behind us porcelain. So do not get if you have kids, pets, or ghosts. Otherwise, it's $15 and not bad.

Menards isn't really a place one would expect to find much Halloween stuff but they have a few pieces from the gothic collection and quite a few light options. I got this eyeballs for $12 in mid-August and then realized oh, everyone has them this year.

I still like 'em.

Contrary to what you'd expect, we actually spend little in the Halloween stores, but once I saw this microwave sticker I had to get it from Spirit.

The head will come off once Halloween is over, but there's a good chance I'll be lazy and leave up the blood prints.

Walgreens, oh how I talked you up the past two years when you had a full 5' skeleton for $30, because damn that is a great deal. Alas, this year there wasn't much. So I got this little crow/raven/black bird/whatever, to add to my wizard table.

 You're going on super secret double probation Walgreens, so watch yourself.

When we start to get really bored and are willing to try just about anywhere for Halloween stuff insert places like Dollar General. Which is a good place to stock up on cheap hair for props *cough*.

A simple window cling for haunting up the bathroom. You're probably supposed to put it on the mirror, but that currently has bats on it so I stuck her onto the shower instead.

They also had some pretty cool looking tarantula sized spiders if you need to stock up, because you can never have enough spiders.

For my last place I'm mentioning a retail store that only exists in Nebraska and Wisconsin so, if you don't live there...sorry?

Shopko used to be a great place, with tons of gothic collection options. It's where I got my bloofer lady, who has a stick shoved up her backside currently. But like everyone else it's been sliding down into pathetic as Christmas lurks on its haunted doorstep.

I got some spider lights for $10.

I'll probably yank off the stupid orange tinsel next year, but otherwise there are a ton of spiders, and the big orange ones twinkle. Twinkling spiders!

I also got myself one of those hard plastic cups that come with their own straw, you know an adult sippy cup, because it had a skull.

And that's what I've found this year that's tripped my fancy. Not much, certainly nothing large, but we can't find $30 skeletons every year....apparently.

Happy Haunting.