All too often we read ghost hunting articles designed to appeal to only the most hardened of ghost hunters who absolutely intend to prove the paranormal once and for all. And in addition to investing thousands of dollars in equipment, other articles will tell you the exotic (and more often than not expensive) locales that must be traveled to before ghosts can be seen. This isn’t one of those articles.
If you want to get started ghost hunting on the cheap, you likely already know the location you want to visit. But if not, it doesn’t have to be a famous haunted location where forms need to be filled out and guides need be called out. In fact, you can have a highly effective paranormal investigation at a friends house with no more than a few dollars worth of material. And investigating a friend’s house with them in the room assures you will have all the electricity you need and you will have permission to be present. Of course you will have to ask their permission.
What will you need? If you’re not actually setting out to bring back proof, you likely won’t need more than the most basic components of the ghost hunting trade to gather one thing or another that seems simply unexplainable. Be sure to secure a notepad and a few pens for taking notes, recording the times when events take place, and generally impressions gathered during the course of the investigation. Additionally, you may want to get an audio recorder. If you don’t have a video camera you can still have a fairly productive ghost hunt simply by setting out to record EVP. Ask if any entities are present and then ask follow up questions. You may be surprised just how chilling the responses often are and how quickly these sorts of investigations can turn all but the most hardened skeptics into believers. In addition, bring any cameras you may have on your person and the necessary literature (much of which you can find on sites such as this one) and you will have an interesting ghost hunting experience. Anything not already present at the haunted site you may want to bring with you.
So you’ve got your supplies and you have selected a location. Now what? You may want to start by turning out the lights and depending on flashlights (if that helps your investigation crew get into the mood for ghost hunting) or you could simply leave the lights on as you move along. We recommend against turning off the power to your house or apartment for several reasons as it may become necessary if you need light in the event of an emergency. Also it will keep your friend from having to reset all their clocks after the event is over.
Altogether ghost hunting doesn’t need to be an activity designed only for the hardened professionals. By making a few alterations anyone, in fact, can search for the paranormal.