How to Find Cheap Halloween Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about what you and your children are going to wear. Halloween gives you the opportunity to try on a new identity and let your scary, funny or just plain crazy side show. However, Halloween costumes can be expensive, especially if you have to buy them for several children. If you are a frugal person, it can be hard to justify spending a lot of money to buy a costume that will only be worn once.

If you want to save money on your Halloween costumes, you need to start planning early. While it is possible to throw together a cheap Halloween costume at the last minute, the longer you wait, the more likely you will be to break down and buy a costume out of desperation. So, get your creative juices flowing and start looking for that perfect budget Halloween costume.

The simplest way to get a Halloween costume is to buy it, but paying full price for multiple costumes can really add up. Fortunately, there are several places you can buy cheap Halloween costumes; you just need to know where to look.

Buy Cheap Halloween Costumes on Sale

Simply buying your Halloween costumes after Halloween can save you between 50 and 90 percent off the original price. Not only can you find discounted Halloween costumes, but the accessories, decorations and party supplies will also be on sale.

If you are buying a costume for a child, make sure you pick one in a slightly bigger size so that it won’t be too small for them by the time Halloween rolls around the next year. Also, choose costumes that you are reasonably sure your children will want to wear.

Find Cheap Halloween Costumes at Thrift and Consignment Stores

Some parents donate their used Halloween costumes to the local thrift store or try to sell them on consignment. Most of these costumes have only been worn once or twice and are still in great shape. Spend some time browsing through the thrift and consignment stores in your area to see if you can find any inexpensive Halloween Costumes.

The selection may be limited, but if you can keep an open mind, you may be able to find the perfect costume at an exceptional price. Don’t limit your search to traditional Halloween costumes. Used clothing stores are great places to find uniforms and other items that can be turned into great costumes with just a little bit of creativity. If you are looking for a particular costume, call the stores ahead of time to see if they have one in stock before you spend your time driving around town.

Consignment Sales May Have Inexpensive Halloween costumes

Consignment sales, not to be confused with consignment stores, are offered once or twice a year and usually follow a theme such as children’s clothing or household items. Check your local community message boards or parent’s forums to find out when the children’s consignment sales will be held in your area during the summer and fall. You will often be able to find several used Halloween costumes for sale at a very reasonable price.

Halloween Costumes on eBay

Ebay is a great place to find a wide variety of Halloween costumes from the comfort of your living room. You can find both new and used costumes, as well as Halloween costume patterns. Make sure you take into account the shipping costs when making your bid so that you don't end up spending more than you expect.

Look on Craigslist for Halloween Costumes

Craigslist is another place to find cheap Halloween costumes for sale. Your selection will be limited, but you don’t have to worry about shipping and can actually see the costume before you buy it. Start looking for Halloween costumes on Craigslist early and frequently because there is no guarantee someone will post a costume for sale when you need it. As soon as you see a costume listed that you want, act fast because cheap Halloween costumes get snapped up very quickly.

Free Halloween Costumes from Freecycle

Join your local Freecycle group if you are not already a member. Freecycle is a great way to find free stuff and to get rid of things you are no longer using. Like Craigslist, your selection will be limited and there is no guarantee that someone will post an offer for a costume at all. With Freecycle, you can post a request and see if anyone has a costume they want to get rid of. Make sure you include the size and gender of you or your child when you make your request.

If you have friends with children, they probably want to save money on their Halloween costumes just as much as you do. Get a group of your friends together and hold a costume swap. Have everyone bring the costumes that they won’t be using that year to a central location and let the children and parents look through them. Everyone benefits by getting a new (to them) costume to wear at no cost. You can decide with your friends whether the swap is permanent or if the costumes should be returned after Halloween.

If you don’t want to organize a formal swap, you can simply ask a friend or neighbor with older children if you can borrow some of their costumes. Most people will be glad to see their old costumes being used and will let you borrow whatever you need.

You can also try your hand at making your own Halloween costumes. There are many easy Halloween costume ideas that you can make even if you can’t sew a stitch.

If you are going to make your own costume, be sure to take into account the cost of the pattern, fabric and accessories. If you are not careful, your homemade Halloween costume can end up costing more than simply buying a costume from the store at full price. Shop sales, browse clearance racks and use coupons to get the best deals on all of your Halloween costume supplies.

If you want to make a Halloween costume but faint at the sight of needles, use glue and safety pins to put your costume together. Choose materials that are easy to work with and don't require any sewing to make the finished product look good. For example, felt is a good, inexpensive material to work with because you don’t need to sew the edges to keep them from fraying and it holds together well with just glue. You could also use a pair of pants and a shirt as the base of your costume and use glue or safety pins to attach the embellishments and accessories.

Think out of the box when you are making your Halloween costume and use materials from around your home. You may be able to come up with a great costume that you can make with only the supplies you have on hand. Remember, the less you have to buy for your costume, the more money you will save.

For example, with a little bit of paint and some scissors, you can turn a humble cardboard box into anything from a robot to a box of popcorn. Dress up as a roman by wrapping an old white sheet around yourself, or cut a hole in the center for your head and use scissors to rip and fray the edges to make a ghoul costume.

Instead of falling back on traditional Halloween costume ideas, why not dress up as something original. Sometimes, the funniest or most creative Halloween costume ideas are the easiest and least expensive to put together.

• Dress up as a pull toy by tying a rope around your waist and wearing roller skates.
• Dress up as a dead cat by wearing a black shirt, black pants, a cat's tail and ears. Add nine different types of fatal wounds to your costume to show how you died. For example, you could tie a noose around your neck, paint tire tracks up the back of your shirt, and cut the end off a plastic knife and glue it to your shirt as if you have been stabbed.
• Become a bag of fall leaves by cutting leg holes in the bottom of a large garbage bag. Tie the top of the bag over your shoulders and stuff it with crumpled newspaper to fill it out. Attach fake leaves around the top edge of the bag so that they poke out of the top.
• Make a macaroni and cheese costume by wearing a yellow or orange sweatshirt and sweatpants. Cut styrofoam wreath forms in half and paint them orange to make the noodles. Glue the painted styrofoam onto your clothes.
• Become a tourist by wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, flip flops, sunglasses and a large beach hat. Wear a camera around your neck and carry a map.
• Become a candy cane by wearing all white and using red duct tape to make stripes on your clothes.
• Dress up as cotton candy by wearing all white or pink and using safety pins to bunch up and attach pink tulle netting to your clothes.
• Make a dynamite costume by dressing in an all red outfit. Attach a sparkly wire and star table centerpiece spray to a headband and wear it on your head.
  

As you can see from the above ideas, you don't have to resort to spending a lot of money to find a great costume for Halloween. Whether you want to dress up as something scary, funny or weird, there are plenty of ideas to choose from.