Home Made Halloween

Indian- fringed t-shirt with feathers

Dice made from spray painting boxes

It's Halloween! Time for parties and trick or treat! Time to bob for apples! Time to head out to the Halloween specialty store and purchase a $30.00 costume for each of your children...? Add to that the cost of candy for trick-or-treaters....yikes! You'll need a loan to cover the cost of Halloween. Not this year.

regular zombie

Volleyball zobies

This Halloween, it's time to think 'outside the box' for costumes.  I'd like to issue a challenge: how can you and your kids have a cute Halloween for little to no money? Over the years we have been quite creative.  My kids have dressed as A Pair of Dice, Diva Ghosts, Crocodile Tears, and Crazy Bath Lady (that one won first prize!) to name a few.  Sometimes the kids come up with the idea and we figure out how to do it creatively, and sometimes we work with what's on hand. Easiest year: Volleyball Zombies.  Hardest year? The year I turned Colleen's stroller into a crayon box and dressed them both as crayons. My only rule is the costumes have to be no-sew, because despite taking home-ec in high school, I am a dunce with a sewing machine. My most disastrous year? The kids wanted to be the Statue of Liberty and a race car driver.  They were cute, but everyone kept calling them a princess and a Power Ranger...fail!

Crazy Bath Lady

First step: What do you have on hand that you can use to create a fun costume? Overalls + flannel = scarecrow...ripped jeans,bandanna & plaid shirt= hobo, bathrobe & curlers= crazy bath lady, rip up an old t-shirt and add some face paint for an instant zombie,  old prom or bridesmaid dress can be either a beauty queen contestant, or 'Carrie', concert tee + big hair + guitar hero guitar = rock star, old sheets can be turned into mummies or ghosts. Overcoat, old glasses &baby powder can turn a cute little boy into an old man.Crutches + gauze and some fake blood can make an accident victim. You get the picture.

"Crocodile tears"

Can't think of anything to use at home? Head to the thrift shop! They can be great sources for inspiration, not to mention that they sometimes have actual Halloween costumes for a fraction of the cost. Look for: doctor's scrubs, Hawaiian shirts, aprons, any black dress to make into a witch costume, leotards for kitty cats or add leg warmers for an 80's style aerobic instructor, suspenders and plaid pants for a nerd outfit, just to name a few.

Once you have the basics, head to the dollar store for face paint, make up, props and glow-sticks.  (They have bags of candy, too!!)

Another idea is to host a costume swap! Invite other families with kids near yours in age and swap costumes for a new-to-you look. make sure everyone brings one to get one, to keep things even and that also allows for plenty of choices.

Too many choices? Too many kids? Try a theme (haunted luau) or group costumes (zombie volleyball team).

Diva Ghosts- boas & false eyelashes glued to sheets

Whatever you decide, you can't go wrong- and soon you will discover that half the fun is creating something from nothing!

Happy Haunting!