GET BUTTONED UP

Eighteen years ago, Ernie and Carol Romegialli received life-changing news. In late August 1991, at the tender age of 6, their daughter, Johanna, was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Motivated by two things -- a desire to keep Johanna's life as normal and fun-filled as possible, and a goal to raise money to find a cure -- Ernie started a Halloween tradition that has since raised more than $650,000 for diabetes research and become southern New England's largest Halloween attraction. We were inspired by his ability to organize -- and his many great ideas on making the most of your Halloween. A Q&A.

Buttoned Up: Tell us a little about how you organized your first Haunted House.

Ernie: Well, being that Johanna was diagnosed in August, Halloween was the first really big kid holiday to occur following the news of her condition. Unfortunately, it's a holiday full of candy and sugar, things she could no longer enjoy because of her diabetes. To take her mind off it, and to make sure she still got to really enjoy the holiday, we decided to decorate the yard, put out a jar to raise money for diabetes research and hand out noncandy treats. I made some very basic mannequins using 2x4s for the bodies and then put a "scary" mask on Styrofoam balls for the heads. We had a few people from the neighborhood volunteer to be actors who popped out of bushes with masks on. Our little collection jar filled up to the tune of $1,400 by the end of the night. Every year since then, it's just gotten bigger and bigger.

Buttoned Up: And today, your Haunted Graveyard is a Halloween juggernaut?

Ernie: Yes, it's pretty incredible. We raised $1,400 the first year, and by the third year we raised $14,000. I think we had 6,000 people in the yard that year. Every year we added a few more props or "scares" to the yard. We started making wooden facades, mazes and things like dungeons and vampire sets. When we ran out of room in the front yard, we added props to the back yard. By 2007, the event had gotten so big we had to move it to a nearby family theme park in Bristol, Conn., called Lake Compounce. Today, the Haunted Graveyard is open on weekends for the entire month of October, features more than 20 big "scares" and has thousands of visitors. The best part is that we've raised more than $650,000 for diabetes research.

Buttoned Up: What advice do you have for busy people who want to put together a haunted house without (a) taking a ridiculous amount of time, and (b) breaking the bank?

Ernie: Well, you should be able to put together a pretty decent Haunted House for less than $250. The easiest and least-expensive thing to do (that also happens to look great) is to put up a few tombstones around the yard. You can make them out of Styrofoam. Carve them with hot wires and paint them up with different color grays. It can be a fun family project. You can also make your own mannequins using a solid 2x4 base or PVC pipes and then putting a Styrofoam ball on for the heads. Simply cover the base frame you make with a sheet to turn it into a ghost or put it in a costume. If you're put off by the concept of DIY, stores like Spirit Halloween (http://www.spirithalloween.com) offer great props at pretty reasonable prices. Finally, don't underestimate the impact of simple acting -- have your spouse, a relative or a friend dress up as a goblin or ghost and jump out of the bushes on cue.

Buttoned Up: Any other things people should take into account when planning for their Halloween decorations?

Ernie: The best advice I can give is to focus on the fun aspect. There's nothing like entertaining people -- scaring them, making them jump. It's easy to talk yourself out of taking on a project like decorating your house for Halloween because you think about how much work it will be. But if you focus on getting the laugh (and the jump), you'll get lost in the creativity and fun of putting it together. The haunted house is at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn. For details, visit http://www.hauntedgraveyard.com.

The writers are co-founders of Buttoned Up, a company dedicated to helping stressed women get organized. Send ideas and questions to .