I posted these last year, but they are worth repeating when it comes to saving money!
Here are some tips to save money while keeping your little goblins happy:
1 – Have a costume exchange with friends. We all have dress up gear at home. How about organizing a swap? Invite friends and classmates over, bring your costumes and other items from your dress-up box and have at it. Try to find or organize a costume swap; check locally and see if there is a swap at your school. If you are more adventurous, you could invite the kids to the swap and ask them to put together an outfit. Keep it fun, and let their creativity take over. My sister suggested that you could make a game of this by having children draw names out of a hat, have each child choose one item, and go round and round until all items are chosen. Set ground rules to keep it fair. It’s ok to have an exchange where you are just lending items – be sure to ask friends to put their names in the backs of the costumes and return them after Halloween.
2 – Use craigslist, local consignment stores and freecycle.org to find a costume and costume components. I love freecycle.org, especially for items like costumes and craft materials, which you may also need for Halloween. You could post a “Wanted” email on the Freecycle.com listserv for the items you need for your child’s’ costumes, as well as offer any items you no longer need. Craigslist and consignment stores are also low-cost options. (Updated 10/20 -- Goodwill rocks too! Thanks to a commenter for this tip!)
3 – Make your own costumes. My children’s old preschool asked children to wear homemade costumes. I admit that my first reaction as a mom of twins was “no way! Too much work”…! But when we starting making the costumes, it turned into a great family event. We all worked together, and the kids were so proud of what they made! We did this two years in a row, and the memories were worth it! Last year, my son was Percy the Tank Engine. We just painted a box dark green and pasted on the number; my son hung the box around him and wore overalls and a train conductor hat! It was great. My daughter was a gypsy – we layered on clothing, beads, a headscarf and clip on earrings. She looked great! We had everything we needed for the costumes in the house – cha-ching! I saved the money I would have spent and used it to buy extra candy (for me!). Other easy ideas I love: "Smarty" pants, by gluing "Smarty" candies on to pants; Dice, by painting a box; and Salt and pepper -- just putting an "S" on white clothing, and a "P" on black clothing. If you are going to make your own costumes, there are some great websites with fun ideas:
1 - http://www.ehow.com/topic_1765_diy-costumes-kids.html
2 - http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/
What are you doing to save money at Halloween?
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