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Ok, so it is October 20th or so, and your kids are extremely excited about getting their Halloween Costumes for the night of the 31st. There friends are already showing off what they plan to wear, and before you even get a chance to talk to your child about it, they are already wanting you to buy them the $100 costume that all of their friend's parents are buying them. Here are some practical guidelines that you should consider before freaking out about this Halloween. Read them over, and talk to your child so that you can keep it fun, and keep your budget from falling into a million pieces.
First, realize that half of all Halloween costumes that you see in the stores can easily be made with cheap items you can find in any old dollar store. You probably already knew this, but your child doesn't, so naturally they want you to buy them the one in Wal mart. Before going any further, it is important to point out that the object of this article is to direct you to a happy medium of saving money, and keeping things fun for your child. The worst thing you could do, would be to cut two holes in a sheet and tell them that they are a ghost. That worked in the 70's, but today, kid's costumes are so realistic looking that the old ghost costume simply won't do it. So, do what you can to make it cheap, but don't be so cheap that Halloween isn't fun anymore.
So, the first thing that you should do, is sit your child down and determine just what sort of costume they would like to wear. Get a piece of paper, and brainstorm with them. Most likely, they would have several options for you to help them choose from. If they are having problems deciding, then ask them to think of their favorite cartoon characters. Write down a few of them. Then ask them about what they would be if they could be anyone in the world. Maybe a police officer? Or a doctor? Not all Halloween costumes have to be scary you know. After you have come up with a few good options, you can move to the next step.
Now it's time to see what you need in order to make each costume. Next to each idea, write down the difficulty level, and the amount of materials needed in order to make the costume believable. After you have a good idea about which costume is the most possible for you to make, write down which items you currently have in the house, and which ones you don't have. Now it's time to go shopping! If you follow these guide lines, you will have already saved yourself plenty of money. In most cases, you can get the few items not found in your home at the dollar store for less than $5. Not only is it cost effective, but it's a good way to bond with your child, and make the entire Halloween experience that much more fun!
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