Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Frugal Halloween Costumes

Halloween is quickly approaching and I've been noticing more and more costumes in store sales fliers. I have a strict $5 budget per kid per costume and I'm willing to make the costumes if I need to to stay withing my budget. But by planning ahead, I can usually find a super cute costume for $5.

I keep to my budget by purchasing costumes the week after Halloween. I generally have to wait for a few days after Halloween for the prices to really drop (50% off a $25 costume is still too expensive for me!), but every year I've managed to find a cute costume for $5 or less. I check out Wal-Mart, the Halloween stores, Party City, Jo-Anns, Gymboree, Ebay, and my favorite, The Childrens Place. They will all have prices slashed on November 1st.

Another great place to find costumes at fabulous prices are second hand stores. It is harder to find costumes $5 or less there, but they are still way less expensive than the mainstream stores. We also give away our old costumes every year and have received hand me down costumes as well. It's a great way to get a free costume!

Last year I bought my son (who wasn't even born yet!) a bumblebee costume for $5 (with shipping) on Ebay. My daughter's costume, a ladybug, was free except the black shirt and leggings I picked up for $6 at Wal-Mart last week (see how strict my budget is?). The bonus is that she can wear the shirt and leggings all winter.


2 Thoughts From Others:

ErinOrtlund said...

That's wonderful--it's silly to spend loads on a costume they'll wear once. Our problem here is that it's generally so cold by Oct. 31 that you really need to bundle up well! A bit limiting, but we get creative!

Camille said...

Erin, last year a friend of mine here who is from Ohio and I were talking about the weather and Halloween. When we were kids, we had to make sure our winter coats fit under our costumes. Now, we have to make sure our kids don't get too hot in theirs!

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