Like most kids ours are super excited about Halloween the moment the candy and decorations hit the store shelves. With their excitement of dressing up comes the begging for the store-bought costume. My wife and I remember being children so we remember the lure of the fancy brand new store-bought costumes. Most kids want one and, admit it, we were no different. Like most things in our lives Halloween requires budgeting. I would love to buy our girls the new Littlest Pet Shop or Disney Princess costume but it’s just not cost effective or sensible for us to spend $20 plus on a new costume per child for only a few hours worth of wear. Here are some things we have done to make Halloween and dressing-up more cost effective for us and some easy do it your self at home costumes.
- We have a dress up trunk. Our dress up trunk is stocked with second hand costumes and fancy clothing we picked up for cheap at our local Goodwill or at after Halloween sales. In it we have cheer leading costumes, Spiderman wear, fancy dresses, cowboy hats, boots, rodeo skirts, princesses dresses, bracelets, lab coats, nursing scrubs and the list goes on. We spent about $40 over the course of a few trips to the store and we have countless outfits not only for Halloween but for every day pretend play.
- Dress the kids up like a rock star. This is fairly easy to do with little cost. You can dress them in their own jeans and “rockster” t-shirt. Pull girls’ hair up into to funky sporadic ponytails, For boys, you could spike their hair: get some spray-in hair colour and paint on tattoos with washable face paint or use temporary tattoos. I don’t know how many years my wife says she dressed up like a punk rocker because it was the easiest thing to be.
- Be a black cat. All you need to do is dress in all black. Stuff a black sock and safety pin it to the top or your child’s pants (make sure to fasten the safety pin on the outside of the pants for safety reasons should the pin come undone). Use some face paint to paint the whiskers and nose (you could even paint ears on the forehead OR make your own ears using a headband and gluing/fastening black triangles cut from construction paper or card stock to the headband)
- Construction worker. I’m sure most of us have an old plaid shirt hanging around. Why not cut the sleeve off and have your child wear it over and old plain t shirt. Add in some jeans a pencil behind the ear a play tool belt or maybe Dad (or Mom) has a tool belt that could be used. You then have yourself a little construction worker ready for a night of trick or treating.
- Sports Player. Maybe you have an old or new jersey hanging around. Soccer, hockey, baseball, football. Dress them up in their jersey and for each sport give them an accessory that co-ordinates. For hockey wear a helmet or bring a stick, for soccer bring a soccer ball or wear a sweat band, for baseball add a baseball cap or carry a bat, for football add some black under eye paint and shoulder pads.
Other fast and easy costumes if you have a dress up trunk already or an extensive wardrobe are could cow girl/boy, doctor, nurse, princess, fancy dressed lady going to tea, or policeman.
If you have the extra money and the desire to do so pick up Halloween costumes when they go on sale after Halloween. You will save yourself paying full price and then if you put it away you will have a new costume to give your child next year without the brand new price tag. We were lucky enough to pick up 4 costumes at our local shopper drug mart last year for only $2 each!
Please share your costume ideas with us. Its always nice to see what other costume ideas others have come up with.
One of my son’s fave costumes was our home made ghost. We took a white dress shirt that hubby no longer wore and shredded it. We cut the sleeves off and cut them into strips which we sewed all over the front and back. (rough sewed as I am nowhere near considered a seamstress)
We bought from the dollar store white face paint and covered his face with dark under the eyes and we also bought glo sticks which he wore around his neck and arms which of course everyone should do anyway as a safety feature.
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Another year I saw for sale a brown robe at Zellers, I guess someone stole the mask or it got damaged so they were selling the robe for $5. My son wanted to be a zombie but we felt the masks were too gory for his age. So we face painted him green with a couple of scars and went to the dollar store to buy those pre packaged spider webs, spiders and worms and glue gunned all over his robe.
this is a fantastic post
One of my son’s favourite costumes was made out of a hunting shirt and hat. We attached the small single serving cereal boxes to the shirt. We had made “bullet” holes on the boxes and he carried a toy gun. When asked, he told everyone that he was dressed as a cereal killer! He was about 10 or 11 at the time.
When mine were little, we were lucky enough to have a poofy orange coat…match that up with some orange jogging pants (which we had as well) and a green hat & voila…a pumpkin through the ages…another year, my daughter was given a red coat with a hood…yup, red riding hood was created….the little ones understand dress up but weren’t so crazed it had to be a full costume.
Went to value village ages ago and found a white dress = we attached some baubles and ribbons and a tiara and my daughter went as a white queen…
Now they are older (except little guy who is 4) and they like the ‘punk rocker’ look – some make up, glitter, a few pieces from dollar store and they’re happy…little guy likes to stay home and hand out candy so he can see all the kids in costume
Make a spooky day!
Last year we bought our kids their Hallowe’en costumes when they were marked down just before the big day. We paid approximately $15 each for their costumes – one was Batman the other was Wolverine. Our boys have played with their costumes the entire year and it was only within the last six weeks that the Batman mask cracked. We didn’t spend a fortune, the kids got to be what they wanted, and we definitely got our $30 worth. Having said all that, when I was little my parents never bought us costumes so we had to look around the house for stuff to wear. One year, I remember my Mom sent me to school wearing an apron, a chef’s hat and had me carry a rolling pin. Just before I left for school she tossed flour on my face and told me that I was a chef! To this day whenever I roll out dough, I remember that costume!
LOVE this thread. I’ve always loved Halloween and loved making costumes! Once, a few friends & I went to a Masquerade Dance and I was dressed as a lobster, and they were fishermen. We won 3rd place! I got a homemade gown at Value Village, and dressed it up from there. The same year, I found a homemade pumpkin costume for a small child for $4! BEST $4 I ever spent! It has been used for my neice & nephew and my son will wear it this year. Hopefully! 🙂
We always made my costumes growing up, but sadly I didnt inherite the seamstress gene 🙁
I purchased my sons costume from Childrens place this year. It was on sale for $23, and I had a 30% coupon, it came out to around $15.00. For a 1 year old, I cant ask for a better price on a costume!! (especially one that is warm and comfy lol)
Fabricland has a sale on reflective tape that can be sewn onto totes and clothing. Give the costumes that safety feature for visibility.
I agree with RC – this is a great post! Don’t forget the Dollar Store for cheap accessories and decorations.
Such great ideas! Remember that we are from all over Canada, and here in SK, you have to plan a costume which can fit over a warm jacket – or sometimes even a parka! Hallowe’en weather here can run from just cool, to cold and rainy, to full-on snow!
Definitely check out second-hand stores; at Sally Ann we have lucked out with items for just a few dollars, namely a Dracula cape, and a black graduation gown which played a number of roles over the years, and was often borrowed.
Best costume ever for our son when he was eight – an ‘alien-brothers’ costume I made. The base is using a cheap jacket from VV. You make two heads (stuffed pantihose) and sew cheap toques on them. Then sew another toque in the middle of those two – which the child wears once he puts the jacket on. Each head is attached with velcro on each shoulder. For the alien heads, you do a bit of soft-sculpture sewing for nose and mouth – but what makes them very freaky are the eyes – you just cut out eyes from fashion models from magazines (easy to find the right size), and it’s odd how creepy it makes them look.
When out for treats, our son had the best reaction to his costume ever – like when the person calls everyone else in the house to see it! Plus, he got extra treats!
Last year my son has mommy costume. It is cheap, easy to make and you will have lots of fun making it. What you need is a toilet paper and tape. Just make sure your kids go to washroom before.
One year I made a garbage can out of cardboard and silver paint, including a lid that was a hat. When my daughter ducked down her head it would look like the lid was on. It was a big hit and all it cost was the price of a can of silver paint and some duct tape.
Another time I made her into a bag of jelly beans. I used a big super heavy duty clear plastic bag, cut holes for the arms and legs (reinforced with packing tape so it wouldn’t rip), filled it with small multi-coloured blown up balloons and then closed the neck with a ribbon woven through the top of the bag. Another success! Cost? Got the bag for free at work and paid $2 for the balloons at the Dollar Store.
What about adults? Halloween isn’t only for kids!
Check out Kijiji too! Lots of used costumes that might have only been worn once!
We did the paper bag princess one year (robert munsch book)
We got a big paper leaf bag and cut some holes for head and arms, went to the $ store, and bought orange hair spray and a crown. My daughter was so excited and so was I …costume for $5!
To acquire? Goodwill, Value Village, sales at the Real Canadian Super Store, cheap sheets from Walmart and so on. Invest in a few versatile pieces.
To dispose? Younger children in the family/circle of friends, the kindergarten classes or simply back to Value Village.
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