Buying Halloween costumes for your kids can become expensive especially if you have more than one child, who needs a Halloween costume. Most often kids wear their Halloween costumes a couple times each year for Halloween and maybe a costume party or parade and then we never see the costume again unless they use it for pretend play.
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Here are seven ways to save money on Halloween costumes for your kids.
1. Buy secondhand costumes from resale or thrift shops.
The key is to start looking early and often. Most thrift and resale shops start putting out Halloween stuff in early September and continue through October as new stuff comes into the store.
2. Buy secondhand costumes from garage sales or Facebook yard sales.
If you are not already part of a Facebook yard sale group you will want to do a search and ask to be added to your local group. While some people may try to sell their Halloween costumes year round, most people start selling Halloween costumes in September. Garage sales are a different story. People hold garage sales when it is convenient for them and sale a multitude of different items regardless of the season or holiday.
3. Borrow from a friend or family member.
I try to get rid of stuff once the kids no longer need it, but I know we have some Halloween costumes from previous years hanging in the closet. There have a been a couple times when our kids have been the same thing two years in a row, but most often they are ready for something “new to them” each year. I bet you have a friend who has a costume or two lurking in their house.
4. Re-purpose a costume from a previous year.
Use the previous year’s costume to make something new. We have not done this for the kids, but my husband was a jail inmate one year. The next year we bought an eye patch, fringed the shirt and put a piece a rope around it for a pirate.
5. Make their costumes.
This does not mean you need to make a trip to the fabric store and dust off your sewing machine. Read this post for inspiration and ideas on non sew DIY costumes for kids: DIY Halloween Costumes for Boys & Girls.
6. Use what you have.
Our kids have a dress up trunk full of dress up stuff we have collected over the years. The costume does not need to be a theme. It could just be putting a bunch of stuff together and looking silly. Let the kids get creative.
7. Buy accessories from the Dollar Store.
Our Dollar Tree has tons of accessories: wings, tiaras, shields, and swords to name a few. Piece these items together with clothing or costumes your kids already have.
What are your tricks for saving on Halloween costumes?
