As I said in my last Halloween post, Halloween has always been one of my favourite holidays — as a kid, I liked it even better than Christmas! But Halloween can be well over $100 once you factor in a new costume, decorations, Halloween candy, and any costs associated with parties you go to. Here are a few things I have done to save money on Halloween :
1. Shop thrift stores. They often have old costumes for really cheap prices, or you can make your own costume using pieces you find. Going early is smart, as the costumes get snatched up quickly. Many times I have cut up old thrift store clothing and created something new. If your costume is really creative, chances are you won’t be able to find a commercial costume already made for it anyway.
2. Shop your closet. You may be able to re-use a costume that you wore in front of a completely different group of people than who will see it this year. Or come up with a creative new costume using items from your closet. You can use Google to find some great costume ideas. My friend once work a white dress with leggings and safety pinned 6 circles to her shirt that said Lego, and went as a white Lego brick. It was hilarious and one of my favourite frugal Halloween costumes ever.
3. Swap / borrow costumes. You’ve probably got some costumes hanging in your closet from Halloween’s past that you don’t plan to wear again. If you have friends that went to different parties than you did, you can swap costumes with them and end up with a new to you costume for free. After I decided very last minute to go to a Halloween party last year my friend let me borrow a costume of hers. I didn’t have to spend any money on a costume, or feel left out of all the fun ! Though I did opt to wear black leggings under the sexy nurse outfit that was just a bit too short for my liking.
4. Stick to parties instead of bars. You can save a lot of money by bringing your own alcohol and treats to a party at someone’s house instead of going to a Halloween-themed bar night. To be honest, parties are usually more fun because there is more room and you can actually hear each other over the music. If there aren’t any parties going on, you could get really motivated and host a party of your own. Grab some dollar store decorations and a few cheap snacks and you’re good to go! If you MUST go to a bar, make sure that you get your costume for next to nothing so that you can minimize overall spending.
Halloween is a special occasion so it can be tempting to spend a lot, but at the end of the day it is just one day of the year and you don’t want to let it ruin your budget. If you spent hundreds of dollars at every holiday, you’d be down $1000′s of dollars a year that could be spent somewhere more important. Try not to get caught in a hurricane this Halloween season, and stay safe! Happy Halloween!
Cute picture :) I think the best costumes are the ones people put effort into and make themselves or use thrift stores!
Also, I heard last week that every year, the US spends upwards of 8 BILLION dollars every year on Halloween!
Ahhh! That’s a lot. I’m sure Canada is no better!!
I’m not a huge Halloween fan (I think it’s cute for kids but weird for adults), but witty costumes are always my favorite- and seem to be the cheapest way to go.
It`s true, costumes that are clever are very attention catching !
The thrift stores are mad this time of year especially with the students looking to make up a costume. Some great tips you have and house parties are much better than going to the pub any day. Cheers and Happy Halloween! Mr.CBB
They truly are ! Especially in areas near schools. House parties are SO much better. I think there is only a short period of time that bars are actually fun for.
Making costumes with clothes you have is a good idea esp if a parent has saved some old outfits. Dollar stores probably have lots of costumes too. For a number of years as a kid I went out as Little Red Riding Hood, then I had a clown costume. I just suddenly remember the face mask for the clown costume.
BTW I love the pic too. Happy Halloween!
Thanks ! Hope yours was well too! Those costumes sound cute.
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Haha that picture is the best! If I had gone out, my costume was going to be Zooey Deschanel. Dress, “quirky” tights, thick-framed glasses, and a half up half down hairdo with my hair extensions in and I was done. I’m hoping New Girl is still on next year so I can actually wear it! I saved a lot of money just staying in and eating halloween candy though, haha.
haha thank you ! I LOVE Zooey! The New Girl is so freaking hilarious. I also, am in love with Nick. And I definitely think she’ll at least be famous enough next year for it to work!