Most of the year, you want your neighbors to glide by your house and comment about how pretty your flowers look, or how nicely your greenery is landscaped. But come Halloween time, someone gasping that your home looks "spooky-" or "scary-looking" can be quite the compliment!

Kids love coming home to a festive-looking abode during this haunted holiday season. But for a lot of busy parents, the thought of decorating the house seems very daunting.

Lisa Kothari, party-throwing expert and author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs…What Parents Want to Know about Planning Their Kids' Parties, says that decorating your home doesn't have to take a lot of time, or cost a lot of money.

"We've all seen those homes that go all out, but you don't need to do that," says Kothari. "If you just look around your home you can reuse many things you have in your house. When you're starting with materials you already have, it's is a big budget reduction. "

"Sometimes people feel overwhelmed because they don't have much time and they end up buying the decorations that are already made--but they end up spending a lot of money," explains Kothari. Instead, she recommends going around your house and finding simple craft items like yarn, paint, and jugs, so that you can create fabulous decorations all by yourself.

Kothari states that the key to keeping your sanity, and staying on budget, is planning. Try sitting down for 20-30 minutes and plan out your Halloween decorating ideas--taking an assessment of the items you already have in your house, and the ones you need to buy.

But most importantly, acknowledge that you can't do it all: "Don't do a hundred different things. Pick 2 or 3 things that you are going to do," says Kothari. "Work within your time parameters and get the kids together and do them--it's a lot of fun and a great family activity."

But even if you start with items already in your home, you probably will have to make at least one trip to the store for some items you don't have in stock. Don't be overwhelmed by all the expensive doodads and accoutrements lining the Halloween aisle--keep your thoughts on the task and hand, and stick to your list!

Read on to discover seven decorations you can create with items around your house.