How To Have A Happy, Affordable Halloween (Plus Homemade Costume Ideas)

October 16, 2017

Witches. Zombies. Skeletons. Glowing pumpkin faces lit by candles. When it comes to Halloween festivities, the only thing scarier than the costumes and decor is how much everything costs.

Luckily, we're here to help! Here are a few tips we came up with to help you kick off the holiday season with "boo"-tiful savings — sprinkled with some sweet, homemade costume ideas.

1.     Set a budget.

Of course, as your community bank, we're pretty big fans of setting a budget. There’s a reason for that — creating one sets the rules for the fun, while allowing creativity to stretch your budget as far as possible. Give each of your kids a set amount to spend (it doesn’t necessarily have to be equal). Also, don't forget to set aside funds for candy and decorations!

 COSTUME IDEA: Money Tree (from coolest-homemade-costumes.com)

2.     Hunt the after-season sales.

Scour the stores after Halloween passes to get great costumes and decor at a fraction of the original cost. This is ideal for families with young children (who won’t have as much of an opinion about their costumes), but it’s also a great time to pick up great deals on dress-up clothes kids can wear all year round.

 

 COSTUME IDEA: Wacky, Waving, Inflatable, Arm-Flailing Tube Man (from coolest-homemade-costumes.com)

SUPPLIES NEEDED: Neon shirts of any color, tissue paper, two sheets of construction paper matching the shirts.

3.     Use what you have.

Finding ideas for creative costumes with items around your house is pretty much why the internet was made. Hop on Pinterest, do an image search, and put your own spin on it. Don’t take this holiday too seriously. It’s meant to be fun!

 COSTUME IDEA: Crazy Cat Lady

SUPPLIES NEEDED: Bathrobe, hair curlers, old-style glasses, baby powder (for gray hair), and every tiny stuffed cat you own.

4.     Take dress-up outside.

If you have a dress-up bin for your kids, you have Halloween costumes — you may just need to tweak them a bit to make them sidewalk savvy. Princess dresses can be turned to fairies with a pair of homemade wings. Superheroes may just need a painted on mask. Take a cue from your kids and use your imagination!

5.     Start with a t-shirt.

It’s amazing what you can do with a blank slate—or a blank t-shirt. Again, the internet has some great ideas for both kids and adults so you can take the “guesswork” out of finding a great costume.

 COSTUME IDEA: Guess Who? Board Game Pieces (from coolest-homemade-costumes.com)

SUPPLIES NEEDED: Blank T-Shirts, poster board, scissors, fabric T-shirt paint & marker.

6.     Don’t forget the candy.

Keep an eye on the grocery store coupons and "buy one, get one" deals, and buy in bulk when you can -- especially if you're anticipating a lot of trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Another way to save on candy is to substitute bags of popcorn (already popped) in Halloween baggies, or to hand out some other type of goodie (toys, pencils, stickers) that you happen to have a surplus of.

 COSTUME IDEA: Jelly Bean Bag

SUPPLIES NEEDED: Clear garbage bag, balloons, printed logo of your favorite jelly bean.

From all of us at Security National Bank of South Dakota, have a safe, happy, and affordable Halloween!

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