Think Outside The Halloween Aisle: 5 Savvy Sources For Costumes

Halloween is one week from today and hopefully you’ve already secured your costumes.

Never fear, however, if you’re a slacker mom like me because I have been known to throw together a fabulous snow princess costume at the last minute (luckily my thrifting juju was on that day!) With younger children especially, under age 5, it’s pretty easy to concoct a creative and inexpensive costume. Plus your child will really enjoy working on this project with you!

Here are some ideas outside the usual WalMart or Target costume aisle for great Halloween costumes:

Thrift stores. Last year my oldest daughter had a lovely Disney Little Mermaid costume I found on Ebay that she wore to my inlaws’ church for trunk or treat. On Halloween eve, however, she declared she wanted to be a “snow princess.” Desperate and telling her I’d only help her put together a costume if I could do it for less than $10, I hit my local Goodwill stores. It took two stops but I found a beautiful floor-length ice blue shimmery dress. A few silver sparkle snowflake ornaments later from the dollar tree and she was the prettiest snow princess in town.

Ebay. If you can hit Ebay early, especially in the summer, you can find fantastic deals on costumes or items that can double as costumes, such as leopard tights for girls or camo pants for boys. Don’t forget to search in your child’s clothing size category and not just the specific costume category on Ebay. 

Dress up stash. Don’t forget to take inventory of your own dress up wardrobe at home. My 3-year-old wore a cute homemade black kitty costume (another Ebay find) made from a black pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that my older daughter had worn two years prior.

Other people’s closets. Call or e-mail your friends and family to take inventory of the costumes you already have. This is a great way to save money and recycle old costumes. If you have daughters like me your moms from soccer or dance may have quite a few costumes or dance outfits.

Linen closets. Three years ago my oldest daughter was a ghost and her costume was practically free. I cut a hole in a white crib sheet and with some inexpensive (less than $1) black felt, I glued a “face” on the sheet and I also glued the words “boo” to the back of the sheet. Doesn’t she look adorable? She was so proud of her ghost costume.

What creative ideas do you have for avoiding the expensive costume aisle?