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- Son: Age 6
- Daughters: Ages 3 & 3
- Stay at home
- Group Co-Leader
- Spooky Halloween Savings
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Are you terrified of spending too much money this month? Here are some tips to help you stay on budget this Halloween season:
Costumes
Making your own costume can be a big money-saver, but only if you keep it simple and avoid spending a lot on fabric and accessories. There are some great photos and instructions for homemade costumes here at Disney Family:
http://family.go.com/entertainment/pkg-halloween-costumes/pkg-halloween-costume-crafts/
Do you already have a dress-up box of clothes? Challenge your kids to create their own costumes using what you have around the house. See above for a list of costume suggestions.
To purchase a costume for less, look on Ebay or at consignment sales and yard sales. Most costumes are worn just once and are in excellent condition. Consider the value for the money youre spending; I bought a $10 bunny costume off Ebay last year for my then 2 ½ year old, but its been worn at least once weekly since last Halloween! With young children, costumes can just go to the dress-up box. With older children, theyre often not worn again.
Trade costumes with your friends, neighbors, church group or moms club members. Whether an organized trade or just one-on-one, its easy to borrow a costume for a few weeks and then return it.
Trick-or-Treating
Match store sales to coupons for maximum savings. For example, my grocery store had a Buy One, Get One Free sale on bagged candy for $3.49. I used two $1.00 off coupons and paid only .75/bag. You can find candy coupons in your Sunday paper or printables online:
http://www.nestlefamily.com/CelebrationCorner/Default.aspx
If you prefer to shop a warehouse store, youll find that in general non-chocolate candy (such as lollipops, Smarties, etc.) is less expensive than chocolate.
Consider giving away non-food treats like erasers, pencils or stickers. Ive seen large bags
at party stores, Target and Walmart.
Another method is to only purchase treats you dont mind having as leftovers, such as pretzels or goldfish. These can be added to kids lunchboxes or packed for long car rides.
Decorations
Have your kids make their own, such as an orange and black paper chain or hand-drawn ghosts. Use the projects they bring home from school as well.
Check out the easy Halloween crafts via Family Fun:
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/halloween_ms_crafts/
For more grown-up décor, shop your home for baskets, vases and candles that can serve as fall décor. Use produce such as pumpkins, squash and other fall vegetables for color.
Instead of decorating specifically for Halloween, use a fall theme, and you can leave decorations up from September through November, saving you both time and money.
After the holiday, remember to look for after-Halloween clearance sales at your favorite storesTarget, Walmart, party stores, drugstores, etc. You can often find themed clothing, costumes, non-food treats , and decorations on sale for 50-90% off. Pick up items for next year, and dont forget where you store them!
Happy Halloween, Everyone!
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- Daughters: Ages 34 & 32
- Grandsons: Ages 2, 2 & 17 months
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- FamilyHost_Annabelle - October 31, 2009
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Great information, CouponsCoach! And the info can be applied to any time of year. :)
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Go Green! Eat Lean! Live Clean! - Belle
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- Son: Age 3
- Stay at home
- AnnabelleMcB - November 01, 2009
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Thanks! I've gotten the Halloween costume at a consignment shop every year. They outgrow them so quickly and sometimes only wear them a few times, so used ones are often in great shape.
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