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You guys KNOW I just LOVE Halloween.... Like I say each and every year, Halloween is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the holiday season and I am always ready to get the holidays started!
Just in time for Halloween (only about 20 days away!!), I am pleased to introduce you to Kate Frankenberg from MyCabbage and Off the Grid Chicago. She is sharing some quick and easy tips for inexpensive costume ideas. This is perfect for everyone out there who is looking to save money (without looking like it!!) or for anyone who has procrastinated and (still!!!) isn't sure what the plan is - you know who you are (wink! wink!). Thanks so much for stopping by, Kate!!
Read on for some of her great ideas....
Quality Halloween
costumes on the cheap
If
you are anything like me, on October 29 you are scrambling to pull a Halloween
costume together at the last minute. This bad habit usually lands me at the
local Halloween pop-up-shop shifting through $60-$100 dollar picked over
costumes leaving me unsatisfied with both my costume and the dent made in my
Halloween budget. With a little planning and budgeting, it doesn’t have to be
this way!
Handmade
Nothing
is cheaper than making your own costumes for you and the family with some cardboard,
scissors, paint and a little creativity.
Felt iron on material is also a quick and easy way to make something out
of nothing. If you have a creative idea and are a little bit crafty, using
these materials will make it easy to execute. One year my friends and I got
together and dressed up as “Rock, Paper, Scissors” (definitely not a costume
you would find at the store!). If you don’t have a craft bone in your body,
check out crafting websites like Etsy where you can buy other handmade costumes or pieces of costumes that you can
assemble on your own.
Raid your friend’s
closets
One
man’s trash is truly another mans treasure. Bring your costume collection from
previous years over to your friends’ houses and do a “costume swap”. Their kids
probably have outgrown a few of their costumes and yours have too. This is a
perfect way to feel like you have a “fresh” set of costumes without spending a
dime.
Rent-a-costume
Sometimes
you need a costume that is just out of this world. I, for one, am sick of
owning a bunch of costumes that you can only wear once because they are so
memorable. Instead of making big purchases on those costumes, find a your local
costume rental shop. They have high quality costumes that you can rent for
under $100 dollars. Get their quick though; the good costumes always are rented
out the fastest.
Thrifting
Make
sure you check out your local Goodwill for Halloween costumes on the cheap. The fun of going to the thrift store is
that it is kind of like a crab shoot, you never know if you are going to find a
hidden gem or just the costume you were looking for at the right price! Don’t
be afraid to get creative and “edit” a few items if you find elements of your
costume idea that might work. An added bonus: when you purchase from Goodwill you
are providing jobs to those who are at a disadvantage!
Hopefully
these few tips will help you have a very scary Halloween without breaking the
bank.
Kate Frankenberg is a passionately
curious writer, DePauw University graduate, and digital marketing professional.
By day you can find Kate marketing all things MyCabbage, a simple way
to keep all your daily deals, gift cards and coupons in one place and share
with your friends so you can plan something together. By night you can find her
working as a volunteer Marketing Chair for the Junior Council of Lurie
Children’s Hospital and writing for her website,
a blog about Chicago startups, nonprofits, and outstanding individuals.