It’s October, which means it’s time to focus on what your children are going to dress up as this Halloween — and how much their costumes are going to cost you.
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2014 Halloween Consumer Spending Survey, the average person will spend $77.52 this Halloween, up from $75.03 last year. In addition, 67.4 percent of celebrants will buy Halloween costumes this year, the most in the survey’s 11-year history, and consumers will spend $1 billion on children’s costumes.
However, before you let these figures spook you, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to spend so much, even if you plan to buy costumes for your kids. Here are seven ways to cut the cost of your children’s costumes this Halloween.
Reuse last year’s costume. If your child’s costume from last year still fits ( assuming you bought big), don’t let it go to waste. Have your little one wear it again this Oct. 31. To be sure, this trick likely works best for younger kids who don’t have much say in what they dress up as.
But even for older kids, parts of last year’s costume may be salvageable for this year (for instance, any costume with a tutu can easily be repurposed into a ballerina look and butterfly wings can become fairy wings). And if you have multiple kids close in age, a variation of this idea is to have them trade 2013 costumes with each other (one wears the other’s 2013 costume this year, for example).
Leverage what’s in your child’s closest. With a little imagination, it’s easy to cobble together costumes from your child’s wardrobe. Jeans and a plaid shirt, for instance, can become a cowboy or cowgirl costume (with the right hat) or a farmer look (with a bit of hay in the pocket). Or clothes all in the same color, with a few accessories and a little makeup, can become animal costumes (a brown shirt, brown pants, fake ears and a fake tail, for example, can make a great monkey outfit). Looking for more inspiration for leveraging your kids’ wardrobe? Pinterest is a great resource to check out. In addition, don’t forget to consider a variation of this idea: Using items (especially accessories like purses and ties) from your own closest to make a costume for your kid.
Buy a “costume” that can be used all year long. If you’re going to buy a costume, consider buying regular clothing items that can easily be transformed into costumes. As the site Rookie Moms (rookiemoms.com) cleverly points out, many kid pajamas, with a few accessories added, make great costumes (think superman or skeleton pajamas, for instance). Or if you like the farmer or animal costume ideas above, but your child doesn’t have the right items in his or her closet, consider buying the necessary regular clothes. The beauty of pajama and regular wardrobe costumes is that your little one can wear the items all year long, making the purchases well worth the money.
Shop late. Many retailers began offering Halloween costume sales as early as last month, but the most generous deals aren’t here yet. They come at the last minute. In the days and hours just before Halloween, many stores offer great deals on remaining inventory as they try to clear out their shelves. So if you’re not picky about what your kids wear, holding out until closer to Halloween is an option to consider.
Trade little costumes with friends. If your kids can’t trade costumes with each other, consider swapping old kid costumes with friends. You could have a pre-Halloween swap party or play date (complete with candy apples and other fall treats), where you let the kids try on each other’s old disguises to see what can be swapped.
Shop second hand. Thrift stores and garage sales also can be great resources for finding cheap used costumes.
Make a costume. If you’re crafty and have spare time, you can always make a costume for your little one (cardboard box robot, anyone). There are loads of free costume patterns online, and old curtains and sheets can easily be transformed into numerous types of costumes (ghost and toga looks, to name a few) with a little handiwork.
Finally, don’t forget to think ahead to next Halloween as soon as this year’s candy is collected. Generally, you can find the best deals on costumes in the days after Halloween, as retailers aggressively try to clear out unsold inventory. But while this final tip won’t help you save money this year, the other seven above definitely should.
What tips for saving on kids’ Halloween costumes did I miss?
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7 Ways to Save on Children’s Halloween Costumes originally appeared on usnews.com
