10 WAYS TO SAVE ON HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!
Posted By: Shane Montgomery Times Read: 1831
1. Be Flexible
The more flexibility you have with the Halloween costume you wear, the easier it will be to find one that fits your budget. For example, if you have your heart set on being a gorilla, you may have to pay quite a bit to get a suit full of fur. If you are open to dressing up like any zoo animal, on the other hand, you can purchase the inexpensive lion costume that only consists of a mane, tail, and paint-on whiskers. In fact, if you don’t care what costume you wear, then you can go to any costume store and pick out the least expensive costume.
2. Go to a Consignment Shop
You can find some awesome deals at consignment shops on costumes that probably were only used once, or may have never been worn at all. Last year, I took my son to a consignment shop to pick out his costume. I went to a consignment shop that specializes in children’s clothing, and they had a whole rack dedicated to Halloween costumes. While they had many costumes available, they did not have a lot of variety. For example, in my son’s size, they had four tiger costumes, three pig costumes, three cow costumes, and a turtle. We chose one of the tiger costumes, and it only cost us $7, or one-third of the original price. Finding a used Halloween costume for an adult can also be challenging. Many consignment stores andthrift stores have an array of Halloween costumes available, but you may only find one of two outfits in your size.
3. Use Online Classifieds and Auctions
If you like the idea of buying a used costume at a fraction of the original cost but want more of a variety than consignment shops provide, check out Craigslist, eBay, the classified ads for your local newspaper, and PennySaverUSA.com. I have a friend whose daughter really wanted to be a gorilla for Halloween. Knowing that she couldn’t afford a new gorilla costume, and knowing that she wouldn’t find one at a consignment shop, she ran a quick search on eBay. Within minutes, she was able to find the perfect little gorilla costume for a reasonable price. Craigslist, classified ads, and PennySaverUSA also offer used costumes for sale, and information about Halloween costume sales and swaps.
4. Trade with a Friend
Ask around to see if any of your friends would like to do a costume swap for Halloween. This can work for adult costumes, but it works especially well for kids’ costumes since kids constantly grow and move into bigger sizes. Again, flexibility helps because you have a limited number of costume choices if you trade with friends.
5. Shop Late
If you want to buy a costume from a store, sometimes you can get the best deals when you wait until the last minute to purchase your costume. Buying your costume the day before Halloween or the day of Halloween can save you up to 75% off of the original price. By the end of the month, most people have bought their costumes, and stores just try to get rid of their remaining stock.
6. Shop Early
On the other hand, you can also save money when you shop early, and by early, I mean a year early. If you already know what costume you want for the following year, buy it on Halloween, or the day after Halloween, when all costumes are deeply discounted. Just make sure you fully commit to the costume and that you can pick out the correct size for any growing girls or boys.
7. Sell Last Year’s Costume
Just as you can buy a costume on eBay or Craigslist, you can also sell your old costumes on eBay or Craigslist. Use the money you make to buy yourself a new costume. You may also want to sell your old costumes by having a garage sale, especially if you have old costumes.
8. Utilize Hand-Me-Downs
If you have older kids or older cousins who can pass on their old costumes to your little ones, use those costumes, especially when your little ones don’t really understand Halloween. Not only will you get a second use out of the costume you paid for, you also won’t have to buy another one. Also, if you think a costume can be worn again, save it for next year.
9. Limit Options
Limit your kids’ options to keep costs down at Halloween. If your child has a specific costume in mind that costs more, suggest that he or she can be a pirate or a ghost instead. If you limit their options, you can reign in their spending and help keep Halloween costs under control.
10. Take Part in the thredUP Costume Swap
thredUP.com connects parents so that they can swap children’s items. This year they are holding a Halloween costume swap. It works just like any other costume swap, where you look for costumes, and offer your costume as a swap. It costs only $5 to cover the cost of shipping. The thredUP costume swap helps families find gently used costumes for very low prices, all from the convenience of home.
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Really cool shirts perfect for Holloween:
