I went Halloween shopping at Five Below with a $50 budget and think the competition should be scared

I've tried shopping at Party City and Spirit Halloween before, but Spirit mainly sells costumes, and I find Party City a bit overwhelming.

Plus, I'm not shopping for a party yet; I just want some subtle reminders that spooky season is upon us.

I was pleasantly surprised by Five Below when I went holiday shopping there last year, so I decided to give it a chance for Halloween.

At Five Below, almost everything is $5 and less — though there is a section inside called Five Beyond where products can be up to $25.

At the store I visited, the $1 items in the wheelbarrows — caution tape, spiderwebs, and skeletons — were a little intense for me, so I kept moving.

These pumpkins were much more my style. I grabbed a six-pack of velvet ones and threw them in my cart.

I was actually surprised that Halloween items didn't take up more of the floor. Maybe as Halloween gets closer, it'll encroach on the rest of the area.

As any Five Below fan knows, there's already a huge candy section at every location, which you can see in the background of this photo.

This section contained just Halloween-themed novelty candy and other treats.

Oreo is known for its specialty flavors. The Halloween-themed Oreos contain orange-colored cream but taste like regular Oreos.

I purchased one of these during the holiday season last year, and they're quite tasty.

I spotted Hello Kitty, Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch," and Beetlejuice.

I love a succulent, even if it's fake. They liven up a space, and these orange ones add a pop of color.

I went for the keychain.

There were also bat-shaped and cat-shaped pillows right underneath. They felt a little scratchy, so I decided to pass.

Unfortunately, they only had the shorts in my size, so I didn't snag the matching shirt.

In fact, "Nightmare Before Christmas" is all over Hot Topic.

This reminded me of the Rock Wall of graphic tees that's present at every Hot Topic, just not as large.

I'm glad teens are still into "Twilight" enough that merch is being sold. And with an animated version of "Midnight Sun" on the way, a whole new generation of tweens are going to be introduced to Forks.

I live in an apartment, so I'm not in the market for lawn decorations or window hangings, but I was pleased with this selection.

I liked this welcome mat, but I'd feel like a fraud if I got this without being a true cat person.

I'd say that "Harry Potter" as a franchise has strong ties to fall — school starts on September 1, the first film has an iconic sequence that takes place on Halloween, and the rest of the films are spooky — so it makes sense that "HP" items were on the shelves.

I was very tempted to buy the orange Jack Skellington plushie, but I just couldn't justify it.

In this photo alone, there are "Wednesday" action figures, "Nightmare Before Christmas" under-eye pads, face masks, tumblers, and "Beetlejuice" socks. Tim Burton really is everywhere.

There were shelves upon shelves of candles.

I already have a pumpkin-shaped candle, so I skipped these.

This entire aisle smelled heavenly.

There were dog sweaters, dog Halloween costumes, and bandanas.

There were also Hello Kitty products here, which I was surprised by.

The shades had names like Candy Corn, Pumpkin Patch, Crescent Moon, Spooky Cute, Batty, and Boo!

This has a Day of the Dead design.

Before tax, this was $47.65.

For just under $50 (before tax), I purchased:

• A pair of $5 ghost-covered pajama shorts
• A $1 pair of skeleton socks
• A $2.50 keychain
• A $3.50 Starlight Spell sugar scrub
• A $2 six-count of velvet pumpkins
• A $3 Jack-O'-Lantern succulent
• A $4 dog sweater
• A $4 novelty ice tray filled with gummy bugs
• Three fall candles for $5.55 each
• A $5 pumpkin welcome mat
• A $1 reusable bag

For just over $50, I tricked my brain into thinking that it was no longer 80 degrees in New York City.

This was my first Halloween-themed shopping trip of the fall, but after visiting Five Below during Halloween and the holidays — and enjoying its wide selection of affordable, fun items — I can confidently say it's one of my favorite stores for this type of shopping.