Kat’s Money Corner: Frightening and frugal Halloween costumes
This year, my son Jack wants to dress up as Captain America for Halloween. Which is great, except I’m forced to realize that as he gets older, it gets harder to make him a costume he wants to wear. Instead, I’m cruising websites like Amazon.com or Costumes4Less.com to find what I need. However, rather than buy the entire costume, I plan to put it together, piece-by-piece. This week I walk through ways to save on your kids’ costumes.
Your Little Devils (In the Details)
When I was a kid, my mom dressed my brother as Superman by piecing together lots of different clothing items, including a pair of my red tights. He looked adorable and it was a costume that didn’t look like all the other kids’ costumes. I use this example to confirm a theory I have: What separates a really great Halloween costume from a mediocre one is the attention to detail.
As I mentioned, Jack is set on being Captain America (but last week it was the Green Lantern, which means next week, he’ll want to be a Ninja Turtle). http://www.thescrapshoppeblog.com/2012/10/captain-america-thor-costumes.html. I’m fairly certain that I can get away with a less-than-perfect DIY (and likely warmer) costume if I splurge a bit on the accessories. In accordance with little boy logic, why bother with a costume if you don’t get a great shield (or sword, or hook hand, or light saber) out of the deal?
The Whole Gang
Another great detail that can take a homemade costume from “meh” to “amazing” is to make it a group effort. Family Halloween costumes aren’t just fun, they also make for some great memories! http://www.costume-works.com/creative-family-costume-ideas.html# Does your family have a favorite movie or storybook you could replicate? One of the cutest costumes I’ve seen was a farmer, farmer’s wife and all their little chicks.
Sweet as Candy
What or whomever your kids decide to be for Halloween, the real trick to a DIY costume isn’t just paying attention to the details, it’s also accepting that it may be a one-time wear. Don’t stress about your sewing skills or lack thereof. There’s just about every color of duct tape available these days and, of course, there are thousands of tips and tricks on Pinterest and around the Web. Just pick up as much as you can from the thrift and dollar store and give yourself license to be creative. http://www.brit.co/10-of-our-favorite-diy-halloween-costumes/
Kat's Money Corner is posted on Dollars & Sense every Tuesday. Kat Hnatyshyn, when not blogging or caring for her little ones, is a manager with CommunityAmerica Credit Union. For more financial chatter, click http://twitter.com/savinmavens or visit http://communityamerica.com
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Kat’s Money Corner: Frightening and frugal Halloween costumes."