Costumes: Tricks for Treating Yourself to a Budget-Friendly Halloween

So, you and your kids have a blast celebrating Halloween. But you need to control your spending? Well, this Halloween, you can have your fun and spare your budget, too. It just takes a little creativity, inspiration from online sources, a look through your closets, help from friends and neighbors, and maybe a trip to a thrift store.

Make your own costumes with stuff you’re likely to already have at home that can be transformed into costumes. For your kids, homemade costumes can be turned into a project that lets them exercise their creativity, as you save money and enjoy quality family time. Here are a few homemade costume ideas:

• Pinterest has a treasure trove of homemade Halloween costume ideas! Goodwill Industries of West Michigan has an entire collection of DIY Halloween costumes they’ve curated on Pinterest.
• Good Housekeeping offers 35 homemade costume ideas.
• Looking for last-minute, quick and easy costume ideas? Woman’s Day offers 30 ideas, many of them adapted from simple wardrobe items with an added flourish or two.
• And the DIY Network provides 36 simple ideas for kids’ costumes.
• Swap costumes. Expand your choices for money-saving costumes by swapping costumes with friends, relatives and neighbors.
• Visit a local thrift store. At thrift stores, you may find once-used costumes at a fraction of their original price. Or you can find just the right scarf, hat, vest or other accessory to complete your homemade costume.

How do you spend less on Halloween costumes? Tell us on our Facebook page.