Thrifty Ideas for Halloween Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner, and with the condition of the economy, many of us are trying to think of what we can do without spending too much money. Here are some thrifty ideas for costumes. Keep enjoying this time with your family and friends without letting the economy get the best of you.

First, for those with children, check with your family and friends who have children about the same age and perhaps you can swap last years costumes. Then your children and theirs will have new costumes, and the most you have to spend is possibly buying new makeup.

You can also take in your old costumes to your local thrift store, and they generally give you store credit for what you have brought in. This is a great way to not spend too much money, and you are giving someone else a chance at a new costume as well.

Here are some costume ideas that you can do from items at home.

Shipwrecked Survivor - Take a shirt and pants, tear the end of the sleeves, bottom of the shirt, and the bottom of the legs of the pants. Take fake plants from an aquarium and safety pin to your clothes, you can also use some fake plants tangled in your hair (depending on hair length). You can get more creative with this one as well by thinking of things that would be in the sea that could get stuck in pockets or on a person and add them to make your costume more complete.

Static Cling - Wear all black clothing and safety pin pieces of other clothes, like some socks in misc places, and grab some lint from the dryer to place on your clothes as well.

Cheerleader - If you have a child who is a cheer leader at school, they can use what they already wear and just be creative. If you want a monster cheerleader, be creative with ratting the hair, and the makeup. If they have an outfit from last year that fits them, you can even tear it a little and get it dirty to complete the monster look. Outfits of theirs from previous years work great for the younger ones as well.

Old Fashion House Wife - Take a conservative dress, add an apron and wear your hair in curlers.

Missing Child on Milk Carton - Have your child help you with this one. Take a cardboard box, have your child or children help you color it or cover it with colored paper to make it look like a milk carton. Write what you would normally see on the carton. On the backside of it, use a blown up picture of your child for the "missing child". Or just have your child or children draw a picture of a child, this way it is even more creative. Or you can make a missing dog milk carton, and have them draw a dog, or any other animal of their choice.

Remember to have fun with your children. You can enjoy this time more if you are able to make your costumes at home, and the more creative, the more time you spend with each other.