A mother has issued a stark warning to fellow parents after a popular Halloween activity, pumpkin picking, resulted in an unexpected and substantial bill. The mum-of-two, identified as Emma, took her children to a local pumpkin patch during the October half-term, a common family outing around Halloween, only to be left "stunned" by the final cost.

Emma shared her experience on TikTok, revealing that the nine pumpkins her family picked cost a staggering £71. This hefty sum was solely for the pumpkins themselves, as an additional £6 per person was required for entry into the pumpkin patch. "So if anyone's thinking about going pumpkin picking this year just don't," she advised, showcasing a wheelbarrow filled with three giant orange pumpkins, two medium paler ones, and four smaller ones. She expressed disbelief, stating, "That was £71!"

The shock at the till was profound, with Emma noting her partner's "face just absolutely dropped." She lamented the situation, asking, "how do you say I'm not paying that when you've already filled your basket full of pumpkins?" Her reaction highlighted the financial strain, as she gasped, "£71 on pumpkins. I feel sick. What the hell? You have to remortgage your house just to go pumpkin picking? It's right bad!"

The root of the high cost, Emma discovered, was that pricing was based on the weight of the pumpkins rather than a fixed price per item. "It's not on per pumpkin anymore - it's per weight," she explained, humorously adding, "So make sure you take a bank loan out before you come!"

Her TikTok video quickly garnered attention and reactions from other users. Many expressed similar surprise and vowed to avoid such expensive outings. One commenter asked for clarification, "Is that just for the pumpkins or for entry too?" to which Emma confirmed, "Just pumpkins! £6 each entry too!" Another user commented, "I’ve never been before and after this video I’m never going," while a third shared, "We’re going at the end of October pumpkin picking but after seeing your video I’ll only be buying one pumpkin!" Conversely, some users suggested more economical alternatives, such as purchasing pumpkins from supermarkets like Asda or Aldi, with one user stating, "Day light robbery. We go pumpkin picking….in Asda."