How to Save Money on Halloween Costumes

Every fall season the children seem to get amped up once they see the leaves falling to the ground as they realize Halloween season is just around the corner. Halloween represents dressing up as their favorite characters and setting out into the neighborhood for trick or treating and attending parties. For parents, this time of year can hit the pocket book quite hard as the price of costumes can be outrageous. There are plenty of creative ways to dress up the little ones without breaking the bank.

Halloween Savings - Auction Sites

One of the first places you may want to consider shopping for a costume is through E-bay or Craigslist. People will pay forty to sixty dollars for quality costumes to be used only once then put out to auction or sale the following year. This is a great opportunity to purchase a really good costume for a third to a half of the original purchase price. Usually costumes are auctioned and sold in the classifieds all year around as sellers' cleanout closets and storage spaces. Do not overlook this potential goldmine of costume savings.

Halloween Savings - Thrift Shops

Pay a visit to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store. These stores are great locations to pick up a costume for dirt cheap. If you do not see your exact costume in mind but your child is flexible with costume ideas, you may want to explore other "dress up" clothing at the thrift shop. For example, perhaps the little boy is deciding between Spiderman and a cowboy. Well if Spiderman costumes do not exist at the thrift shop, perhaps some boots and western shirts are available for only a few bucks. This is a good reason for your child to provide you with more than one costume choice.

Halloween Savings - Dollar Stores

Dollar stores are another great place to begin your costume creation. While maybe only a few of these stores sell costumes, most of them at least sell props to make your costume complete. It is at the dollar store where one can pick up perhaps the facial disguises, wigs, or any other funny prop to make your costume complete.

Halloween Savings - Swap with Friends

Consider talking to other neighbors or school parents about doing a costume exchange. This is a great way to keep your costume cost at zero. This can be accomplished with many friends and a meeting or party can be set up to host the costume exchange event. Keep it simple and perhaps consider bringing more than one or two old costumes from your storage to the swap meet.

Halloween Savings - Make Your Own

One of the most original costume ideas may originate from your very own home. Take time to go through old clothes (this includes adult clothing). Go into the garage and see if there are any fun props. Mom's old dress or dad's flannel shirt can create quite a few costume ideas when faced with a last minute inexpensive costume idea.

These are just a few effective ways to enjoy the Halloween dress up without spending too much money. Try to give the older children some alternatives so they feel as though they have a say in the costume process. If you are making the costume from scratch, remember to keep your degree of difficulty simple if your sewing proficiency and building skills are on the low end.