Finding cheap Halloween costumes isn’t quite as hard as you may think. Each year, my kids start thinking of completely new Halloween costume ideas. Last year, my nephew decided he wanted to be an elevator. My sister made his costume out of a medium-sized cardboard box that she painted. It was cheap to make and easy to put together. He loved it, which is all that really mattered.
Now, if you’re not into making your own Halloween costumes, we’ve got a few ideas for you below. The big secret is that some of the best places to find the cheapest Halloween costumes are spots you’d never imagine.
Photo Credit to ArturoYee on Flickr
Purchase Your Costume New
Shopping for a new Halloween costume is a very fun event and the best place to look for your new costume is on the word wide web. You can find many retailers to choose between. You should do business with a Halloween costume store that has a good reputation with a lot of possibilities. The main benefit of picking a costume by way of the internet is cost and selection. Many stores offer costumes quite cheaply.
Stores in your area are another way to get cheap Halloween costumes. They won’t have as good of inventory as an internet retailer, but they should have a decent amount of makeup, costumes, masks, wigs, and props. You may feel better buying a costume locally since it is faster to return it if you need to than purchasing from the web.
Local stores like Wal-Mart and Kmart generally mark down their Halloween costumes closer to October 31 to get rid of as much as possible. Often, they will mark all Halloween items 50% to 75% off. The only downside to this is that you may not get the costume you wanted because it will be sold out. If you or your kids don’t mind settling for whatever is available, try waiting until the last minute!
Used Costumes
Getting a used Halloween costume can be hard to beat, and if you are short on cash, it just might be the best option. Now don’t let the word ‘used’ keep you from trying this idea out. Think about it – normal people only wear their costume once or twice and then they sell it, right? You can get a great deal on a costume that has barely been worn.
You may also find bits and pieces of costumes that you can throw together to make something new entirely. If you come up with a costume idea and make a list of the items you need to finish your ensemble, putting it all together should be quite easy. You can possibly find the pieces to concoct an entire costume with little time, effort and money.
Where can you find used costumes?
- thrift stores
- yard sales
- flea markets
- garage sales
- family
- friends
- newspaper
- going out of business sales
- online auctions
- people you work with
If you’ll be buying a used costume online, be sure to check and double check the costume and ask for as many detailed photos as you can get. Also, try and get a money back guarantee. Used costumes are a wonderful idea since you may only be using the costume one time.
Give Some Thought to Renting a Costume
If you have a costume store in your area, ask about costume rentals. This is another great choice for Halloween especially if you want something extravagant. Be sure to check with the store early as costumes rent out fast!
Many times you have to put down a deposit and the fee for renting the costume will depend on how long you are going to keep it. During the Halloween time of the year, for example, you can foresee to spend more for a costume than any other time of the year aside from Christmas and Easter.
With the cheap prices of costumes on the internet, it may be best that you just buy one. You can always resell it later if you never use it again or think about passing it on to friends or relatives.
