There may be a recession going on, but one thing is a constant for Moms in October and it’s that their kids are excited to dress up on Halloween. Maybe you’re even excited to dress up on Halloween or have a fun party to attend and hopefully I’m going to help everyone out here. For the crafty conscious as well as the budget conscious I’ve put together some Halloween ideas for the very crafty and for those barely able to cut a straight line!
Need ideas? Here’s a fabulous gallery, as well as Flickr.com where all you have to do is type “Halloween costumes” and you get a wealth of fabulous ideas.
I was going to throw up a few of my favorite costume patterns here, but yikes! Check this site out—it’s pretty much the bible on “how-to” instructions for Halloween including renaissance hats and costuming for larger figures.
I did find a few “wow” how-tos in the patterns department: An advanced and gorgeous idea for adult females is Rose’s dinner dress from the Titanic but whoa! Out of my league but a “wow” if you’re a seamstress. Plus, a really wonderful girls’ pirate outfit (a HUGE improvement on anything you buy in a store):
Craftster.org (a mecca to those of us who craft) has their gallery of costumers here:
However, some of us just aren’t that crafty or we run out of time and here are some ideas for you:
- Trade costumers (with friends or family).
- Purchase used costumes. One quick look at Craigslist.com in my area showed 312 listings for costumes going for as little as $1.
- Buy at a thrift store. Last year I got some cute costumes at our local thrift store for a LOT less than buying them new (I think the whole trip was $15). It’s also great for last minute.
- Raid your own closet. My favorite costume when I was a kid was a hobo outfit, made from big old clothes of my parents.
- Shop the day before Halloween to get the sales.
- Buy this year for next year the day after Halloween.
As I mentioned earlier, my kids always get costumes that they might wear later. Our teenage babysitters donated all of their childhood costumes to us a few years ago and the kids love dressing up in them, not just for Halloween! I find that my kids really don’t think any more of the expensive costumes and they all end up in a HUGE dress up chest that they go to all throughout the year for fun on a rainy afternoon.
Originally published on Frequently Wrong but Never in Doubt
