Everyone has at least
one embarrassing Halloween costume story from their childhood. 
Maybe your
parents were on a tight budget, and they put your costumes together from things
they could find around the house. While everyone else was wearing their plastic
masks and store-bought superhero and princess outfits, you were stuck playing
cop or soldier with your dad's old work uniform and a metal colander on your
head. Or maybe your mom fancied herself a seamstress or craftswoman, and made
Halloween costumes from scratch, which was tantamount to wearing hand-me-downs
to school. Or perhaps after one of those embarrassing parent-induced costume
situations, you decided to make your own with disastrous results.
Now that you're a parent, you understand that your mom and dad did the best they could, and that your mom was actually pretty creative, even if it seemed like her costume ideas were crazy at the time. At the same time, you don't want to put your kids through any embarrassing experiences if you can avoid it. But times are tough, and Halloween costumes your child will wear once, and probably grow out of while they're trick-or-treating can be difficult to justify spending money on, or at least, spending full price. Luckily, you don't have to. Here are three ways you can send your child out on Halloween in a great costume, and still stick to your budget.
Use a Coupon Code
If you haven't already been shopping with coupon codes, also called discount
codes, you've been missing out. Coupon codes will get you discounts on
everything from clothing and school supplies to big-ticket items like
flat-screen televisions and furniture. The best part is you save money while
buying new items.
Halloween costumes
are important to kids and your child may be insistent on dressing up as
something trendy. If this is the case, they may need a brand new costume. Because
they are seasonal, and such specific items, it may be difficult to find a
coupon code just for costumes.
What you do in that case is find a store that offers a wide selection of
Halloween costumes, like Target, and then look for Target coupon codes. You can
find codes that offer a percentage or dollar amount off your total purchase
price, or that provide free shipping. Either way, you'll be able to get your
child a new costume, without the new costume price tag.
Buy a Used Costume
Let's be honest. Most
kids don't want to go trick-or-treating as the same character two years in a
row, and even if they did, by the time the next Halloween rolls around, they'll
have outgrown the costume you bought the year before. The good thing about this
is, because costumes are usually only worn once, you can buy a used one that's
still in excellent condition.
You may find costumes at thrift stores or yard sales, but before you drive all
over town looking for a Halloween costume, check out auction sites like eBay.
You'll be able to search for the specific character your child wants to be for
Halloween, and have the costume shipped directly to your home. The best part
is, you can put that costume right back up on eBay when your child is done with
it, and make a little of your money back.
Get Creative with Makeup
If you ever supplemented a Halloween costume with makeup when you were a kid,
you know how much fun it can be to completely inhabit a character, even just
for one night. In fact, makeup, if done well, can almost take the place of an
actual costume. If you're having a difficult time finding just the right
Halloween costume, or all the ones you find are a bit out of your price range,
it's time to implement a creative solution with Halloween makeup.
A costume, a hat, a mask, certain shoes, or other accessories are great ways to
dress up, but nothing changes an attitude like makeup, whether it's creating a
cute animal face, or going all out with a horrifying zombie look. It can allow
you to get away with using old clothes or other accessories from around the
house, and relying mostly on the makeup to make the costume work. It's a great
way to create a costume while saving money.
Halloween is a fun holiday that your kids—and you—look forward to and want to enjoy, but it doesn't have to break the bank. Use coupon codes to celebrate Halloween without going overboard, and save the real spending for the December holidays. They'll be here before you know it.
Maria Davis is a freelance writer specializing in topics such as parenting and budget living. There's nothing she loves more than finding great deals and teaching her kids life lessons through living well for less money.
*photos from Flicrk, courtesy of Ted Johnson and d70focus
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