How to save money on Halloween Costumes
Save money this Halloween by making costumes for your kids. photo by L. Friend
Halloween is only a week away, and the stores have been brimming with Halloween costumes since summer!
I confess, I have splashed out for a beautiful masterpiece for the kids- once, but living a far more frugal lifestyle, those days of costume stores are well in the past.
And even those 19.99 costumes you can pick up in the superstores tend to be poorly made, cheap material, or just downright plastic. Why waste your cash on that when you can always create unique costumes of your own.
We have been through a repertoire of ideas. My son was a robot once- I had a giant box that I attached dryer pipe to for his arms and added one of those weird cardboard pieces that a blender had sat in- all sprayed silver of course- for his hat. Add face paint, and voila, instant robot. It was a hit!
Here are some more ideas for creative costumes that you can reuse/ recycle.
- The Vikings. (pictured above) I used a brown flannel blanket, folded over and stitched up (by hand- didn’t own a sewing machine), cut the head hole with scissors, and then added gold braid down either side and around the neck hole, attached with hot glue. The double dragon head I drew on squares of stick-on felt (at Walmart or craft store- it comes in squares,) using the first one as my template. The shield is a round cardboard cut out with a handle of cardboard duct-taped to the back. Sword (not pictured) was cardboard cut out, duct-taped up to stand stiff. Love that duct tape! Hats I had bought at Norway in EPCOT back then, but they sell them now at even Dollar Stores now.
- Little Devil (not shown). Red dress, piece of red velvet material sewn on the back of dress as a cape (can be removed after Halloween). We bought a dollar store set of devil horns, plastic tiny pitch fork and tail at dollar store. Then I sewed the tail right on to the back of the cape.
- The Little Pirate. Black sweat pants, white long sleeved shirt with a plain scarf tied at waist. Picked up a waist coat at Good-Will- you can always find them there! And I drew mustache and goatee on his face with an eyebrow pencil.
Every little pirate needs a nap! photo by L. Friend
- Frankenstein. Black boxy jacket- picked up for a couple of dollars at Good Will. Black pants and t-shirt he already owned. Hair spray paint in hair- stripes, and face paint green and black on his face and hands (don’t forget the scars!)
Frankenstein is an easy homemade costume to make
- The Little Witch. Black dress- she already owned. Bought hat at JoAnn’s with one of those 50% coupons, a wart on her face (not shown) with eyebrow pencil. Shoes are her own.
An easy witch costume.
- The Mummy. Old sweats top and bottom. Bought gauze sheet at JoAnns, cut in strips (though they do sell strips of gauze now) and sewed in various areas to hold on. Make sure they are loose and your child tries it on a few times- better to use larger sized sweats underneath. The hat was a light colored ski-hat I wrapped in the gauze strips. Black face paint around eyes and on cheeks.
The mummy costume is more challenging- use old clothes underneath.
- The Swamp Critter. Same clothes as The Mummy -used again. Green fabric in strips (if you have an old camo blanket or clothes, use that) and both hot glued and sewed on. Same with hat.
I reused the mummy costume to make the swamp monster.
- That Hunger Girl. Not shown, but used a black dress from thrift store and sewed a black cape to it (piece of black material) and she carried her brother’s bow and wore her own boots.
- Girl Pirate. Okay this is my yearly costume. What can I say, I was born a buccaneer! And I already own everything! White top, black skirt (or pants), with scarf tied at waist. Waist coat (thirft store if you don’t have one), black boots and the hat. I got my trusty velvet pirate hat years ago at Jo-Ann’s Fabric store. It lasts a long time! Add jewelry- the gaudier the better.
I told my kids this year they had to create their own outfit, so I am curious what they will come up with!
Tips to Creating a Homemade Halloween Costume:
- Get an idea of what you want.
- Scour local thrift stores, Good Will, and Dollar Stores if you need items or accessories.
- Consider signing up for JoAnn‘s coupons (they text it to you also) if you need to purchase fabric. They have 40%-50% coupons. Also Hobby Lobby sells fabric and offers that weekly 40% coupon.
What creative Halloween costumes have you made?