There’s not many things that get college students as excited as they get about Halloween, and in all actuality, college students seem to get just as into it as children — if not more.

It’s a fun excuse to dress up, eat candy and decorate your living space in all things orange and scary.

It’s great to see college students get so involved in big holidays such as Halloween, as it’s an enjoyable holiday to participate in with all the fun to be had on Halloween night.

But as college students float around from party to party in their costumes this upcoming Saturday, they might not be thinking about the positive effect their Halloween celebrating has had on the economy. In fact, it may be one of the last things on their mind, however, it is one of the more helpful aspects of celebrating Halloween.

As a major holiday, Halloween does pretty well for itself. It is estimated that Americans spend $8 billion or more a year on Halloween. http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-does-halloween-affect-economy.asp

Those who spend money on Halloween, college students included, are benefiting the economy in a huge way. This is a great upside to spending money on holidays, and college students may not even realize they are helping themselves out in the long run by helping the economy out now. And all economists believe that Halloween is definitely positive for the economy.http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-does-halloween-affect-economy.asp

When the entire population is taken into account, Halloween was the fourth-favorite consumer holiday, which is a little surprising given the amount of money that many people seem to drop on it. http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/10/22/halloween-by-the-numbers/

However, Halloween is a favorite among college students because unlike Thanksgiving and Christmas, most students are on campus celebrating with friends and not at home when October 31 rolls around, which is shown by how many students participate.

In 2010, 69.4 percent of young adults aged 18 to 24 dressed up for Halloween. This means a lot of costumes and a lot of spending, with adult costume purchases even expected to total $1.2 billion this year. http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/10/22/halloween-by-the-numbers/

Adult participation in Halloween in general is on the up and up. The average spending per adult was $66.28 in 2010 and seems to keep rising, as 27 percent of people say they plan to spend more this year than last year. http://studybreakscollegemedia.com/2014/scary-spending-power-students-on-halloween/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/10/22/halloween-by-the-numbers/ But it pays to have the perfect costume because this money is helping out in a huge way.

While spending more money is not something most college students usually strive to do, they should still be proud to know that this holiday splurging is not in vain, as all of this is going toward the future of the economy, which college students especially should be concerned about.

A stronger, more stable economy would benefit college students more than anyone else because it would increase the job market, increase paychecks, and lower government borrowing. http://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/economic-growth/benefits-growth/ For those who are responsible for student loans, a stable economy could help out a lot.

This is why the jump in interest in Halloween among college students means nothing but positive things.

Conscious spending is important for college students, but Halloween is fun! If students can feel good about helping out the economy while they are enjoying themselves, then there are no reasons to complain.

This is important to note because with the economy as unstable as it is these days, a positive boost every Halloween is undeniably helpful. Especially for young adults because the economy is going to affect them a lot in the upcoming years as they search for secure jobs and try to become financially stable.

Young people should probably be more invested in and concerned about the economy than anyone else, so the fact that they are contributing to strengthening the economy by enjoying Halloween is an excellent thing.

So while you are out on Halloween in a costume, or eating candy alone at home or even at a haunted house, take pride in the fact that you are contributing to a stronger economy by having fun.

Courtney is a sophomore in LAS.

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