Halloween Planner
DWC
PRINTABLES
Halloween
Planner
Plan it once. Enjoy the night.
dwcmagazine.com · Strong Women, Strong Voices
Where to start
Read this one. Print the rest.
Halloween goes wrong in the same three places every year: money spent without a total, guests invited without a count, and a costume left until the last week. Every sheet here exists to close one of those gaps.
Work in this order
- First Party details, budget, guest list. Nothing else can be decided until the date, the money and the numbers are fixed.
- Next Invitations, communication group, dietary requirements. Send early and record the answers as they arrive.
- Then Menu, drinks, sweets, decor, costumes, DIY projects. These are the spending sheets. Fill in the estimate column before you shop.
- Last week Shopping list, playlist, games, schedule, trick or treat route. This is the running order for the night.
- After Expenses and traditions. Write down what it actually cost and what you would keep. Next year starts here.
Two rules that save the most
Set your total budget first and fill the estimate column before you buy anything. The budget sheet only works if the estimate goes in before the receipt does.
Give every task an owner. The assistance checklist has space for names beside each job. A task with no name beside it is a task you will do yourself at midnight.
Printing
On screen, tick the sheets you want at the top of the page and print only those. Each sheet is sized for a single A4 page. Print the checklists and the schedule double-sided to keep the pack thin.
Notes before you begin
Party details
The facts everything else hangs on
The basics
Budget overview
| Category | Estimated | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Venue hire, if any | ||
| Invitations and stationery | ||
| Catering, food and drink | ||
| Trick or treat sweets | ||
| Decor and accessories | ||
| Games and activities | ||
| Entertainment | ||
| Costumes | ||
| DIY projects | ||
| Total |
Guest summary
Notes
Brainstorm
Nothing is decided on this page
Theme ideas
Details to settle
Ideas worth keeping
Notes
Budget
Estimates go in before you shop
| Item | Qty | Estimate | Total |
|---|
Expenses
What it actually cost
| Item | Qty | Total |
|---|
Suppliers
Caterers, hire, entertainment
Guest list
Names, contact, reply
| Name | Contact details | Replied |
|---|
Guest details
One card per household
Invitations
Draft it here, then send it
Envelope wording
How names and addresses will be written.
Invitation wording
Include the date, time, place, RSVP date, costume rule, and whether to bring anything.
Still to confirm
Group contacts
Who is in the chat
Admins
| Name | Contact number |
|---|
Guests in the group
| Name | Contact number |
|---|
Messages sent
So nothing is said twice, or never
| Date | Topic | What was sent |
|---|
Party checklist
Date, help, money, venue
Date and time
Help
Write a name beside every line. A job with no name is your job.
Money
Venue
Only if the party is somewhere other than home.
Party checklist
Theme, food, invitations
Theme and decor
Food and drink
Invitations and replies
Party checklist
Transport, and anything else
Transport
Only if you are driving between houses rather than walking.
Anything else
Notes
Checklist
Four lists, name them yourself
Checklist
One long list
Menu ideas
Everything you might make
Starters and snacks
Main dishes
Side dishes
Puddings and sweets
Menu ideas
Drinks and everything else
Drinks
Everything else
Ice, napkins, serving dishes, bin bags, candles.
Notes
Final menu
What is actually being served
Starters
Mains
Sides
Pudding
Drinks
Who is making what
Notes
Drinks
Count the drivers and the children first
Soft drinks
Alcoholic drinks
Notes
Recipe
One sheet per dish
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Dietary needs
Allergies first, preferences second
| Guest | Adult or child | Requirement or allergy |
|---|
Sweets
For the door and the party
| Type | Flavour | Qty | Cost |
|---|
Decor
Room by room
| Area | Decor and ideas | Notes |
|---|
Playlist
Build it before the night
| Song | Artist |
|---|
Games
And what each one needs
| Game or activity | How it works | What it needs |
|---|
Entertainment
Compare before you book
To do
Two months, one month, three weeks
Two months before
One month before
Three weeks before
To do
Two weeks, one week, the day
Two weeks before
One week before
On the day
DIY projects
Finish these two weeks early
Shopping list
Name each list by shop or by aisle
Running order
Set-up to clear-up
| Time | What happens |
|---|
Notes
Running order
Write your own times
| Time | What happens |
|---|
Notes
Day plan
For the week of the party
Notes
Cannot slip
Hour by hour
Today
Week plan
The run-up, week by week
Cannot slip
Notes
Costumes
Hire early, make earlier
Ideas and sketches
To hire
| Costume | Cost | Return by |
|---|
To make
| What is needed | Qty | Cost |
|---|
Pumpkins
Carve two days before, no earlier
Pumpkin budget
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|
Notes
Face designs
Draw the face on each pumpkin before you cut anything.
The route
Agreed before anyone leaves the house
Houses to visit
Stops if driving
Walking route
Sketch the streets and mark the meeting point.
Driving route
Copy this page for every driver.
Traditions
The things worth repeating
Key dates
September and October
Dates that matter
| Date | What is happening |
|---|
Notes
Reminders
Find us
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What to get next
This planner is free for a limited time. Two things worth having when it goes back behind a price.
The Christmas Planner
Thirty-six sheets built the same way. Gift lists with a budget column, card and postage deadlines, who is sleeping where, the cooking timings for the day, and a December calendar that keeps the whole month in one place. If Halloween ran smoothly on paper, Christmas is the month that needs it more.
dwcmagazine.com/products/christmas-planner
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