Start Saving For Your Halloween Costume Now

If October’s imminent arrival has you thinking about all the money you’re going to shell out to have the most awesome Halloween costume on the block, you are not alone. It turns out we are all planning to go a little nuts this year:

“According to the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend $6.9 billion this year for Halloween. To put that number into context, the same NRF survey found that Americans planned to spend $3.3 billion as recently as 2005.”

Scary! Exactly how many Don Draper suits and Sexy Cat outfits does $6.9 billion buy us? Oh wait, a breakdown of that amount reveals that only $2.5 billion of that goes to human costumes. Then there’s the additional $300 million we spend to dress our pets up like bumblebees and Yodas. And, of course, let us not forget the candy and decorations—for which we will fork over $2 billion. That’s a lot of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and fake spider webs!

So, why, with our infamously shitty economy, are we going more bananas than usual for Halloween? Are we in some kind of arms race with Canada to see who can have the spookiest haunted houses and sluttiest nurses? No, thank God. It appears we just want a break from our completely depressing lives—and pretending we’re someone else for a night is an ideal way to achieve that. Plus, stuffing your mouth full of those weird chewy candies that come in the generic orange and black wrappers feels pretty darn nice too. That probably also explains why it’s not just a holiday for kids anymore. Apparently, 70% of grown-ups are planning to celebrate Halloween this year. So hopefully you’re ready to fork over mad cash—dip into your 401k if you need to!—to look awesome, because it is literally the only night this year when you’ll be able to pretend you are a happy, successful person/zombie/gladiator.

Now That’s Creepy: Americans Will Blow $7 Billion on Halloween [Time]