Halloween can be super scary for the finances, but there are so many ways that you can save money when it comes to your kids’ costumes! Here are a few tips to help you slash your Halloween budget!
Make your own. You may shudder when you think about making your kids costumes, but you don’t need to be a sewing pro to knock it out of the park! There are tons of great costumes that you can make with things from around the house and with minimal/no sewing! Check out the ideas here and here to get you started!
Step out of the Halloween aisle. You may be able to find great Halloween costumes for less money in other areas of the store. How about using those Superman pajamas with a home-made cape? Or grab some overalls and a plaid shirt; add some accessories and you’ve got a farmer or a cowboy! (And they can wear those pieces again). Buy an inexpensive leotard and make your own fairy wings and tutu and you’ve got yourself a ballerina fairy! Or snag a sports jersey and add some accessories for your little sports fan!
Hit the thrift store. You may get lucky and find a great Halloween costume for a few bucks at the thrift store. But even if their costume section is lacking, you can find all kinds of pieces that can be used for a great costume. Alter an old prom dress for your little princess or grab the brightest clothes you can find for a fun clown costume!
Costume Swap! Get together a group of friends and host a costume swap (it can even be done over email). We all have a bunch of old costumes in storage, so this is a great way to make use of them and everyone saves money! Have everybody provide a list of the costumes they have available for borrow/sale/trade and the sizes, then “shop” from your friends collections! It helps if you invite friends with a wide age range of children and both boys and girls!
Shop for costumes in November and January. Hit the Halloween aisle on November 1st and try to score some clearance buys in the next size up. Though many stores just box up their costumes and save them for the next year, you can usually find a few costumes and accessories for cheap if you get there the day after Halloween. And in January, look in the toy section for after-Christmas clearance deals on dress-up clothes and accessories that can be used as next year’s Halloween costume! Last year I scored 3 princess dresses at Target in January for 75% off and now I’ve got 3 years of Halloween options for my little girl for less than $15 total!
Do you have any great money-saving ideas for Halloween? Leave a comment and share them with us!