Thinking about Halloween...

BOO! Ha!





OK last year I posted this on my blog on the 3rd of Nov. I know it was after Halloween, but the reason was I wanted everyone to stock up on the 75% clearance of Halloween supplies that go on sale every year AFTER Halloween is over. I hope you did. I did but then I moved and my Halloween box was one thing that I sold or gave away at the yard sale. So Boo hoo, no more BOO! I have to start all over.

That is OK because I can still be smart about our Halloween costs. Here is some of the ways I thought about saving last year:


Costumes:
My son’s costume cost me a whopping $3.00 this year! Even now I think of how I could have saved more on it. The best things about his costume were that he loved it, and we got RAVE reviews wherever we went last night. Everyone loved his costume and that made him happy because he is always seeking the limelight. Hey what kid doesn’t love attention? He went as a “ROCK STARR” and this was perfect for him because that is something he is into right now, music and performing.

How I saved was to think about his costume. What is he into? Music and performing, and he loved to play the guitar. What do we already have? He has a toy electric guitar that I purchased at a thrift store last year for $1.50. He had a Rock Star T-shirt that his aunt bought for him a while back also. He also has a Trick or Treat bag left over from last year. He wore jeans and tennis shoes which we already have. I also put two extra long sleeve shirts on under his T-shirt so he would not have to wear a coat. I need face paint. I painted his face to look like Paul Stanley from Kiss, (which is a white face with a black star over one eye.) I had some face paint left over from last year, or you could use old make-up. What else do I need? I need something to make him glow in the dark for safety. So I bought a blue glow-in-the-dark necklace, which was $1.00. I also bought some blue hair spray paint for $2.00 to give it the best ROCK STARR effect.

Three dollars for an awesome costume that everyone loved! Next year I am going to save even more buy trying to buy some of the glow sticks and necklaces on Halloween clearance sales, and maybe a couple cans of colored hair spray if I can. This kind of savings can be done with any kind of costume if you really think about it.

Another way to save your green is to save your Halloween stuff for next year. Put all of the teeth, patches, swords, face-paint, costumes and anything else in a box and save it every year. You can add to your box as the years go and then every year the kids can have fun digging through the box to make their new costume.

Save even more by buying now to save later. Go to the stores this week when they have their Halloween stuff on 75% off clearance and get make-up, costumes and decorations for next year. The candy is my favorite way to save. I wait until Halloween candy is on sale for 75% off and buy a couple bags to use to stuff my kids Christmas stockings with. Or you can make a candy/treat basket for someone as a Christmas gift.

Some of the cool Rock’n Roll type Halloween stuff would be perfect for your teenagers all year long. A super cool glowing eyes skull would be an awesome night light and a perfect Christmas gift if for your teen. For younger kids snatch up some of the clearance costumes and make a awesome dress-up box for a great Christmas present that would provide hours and hours of imaginative fun away from the T.V.!

Do you have any fun ideas or ways to save at Halloween? I would love to know, so leave me a comment.