Last night we went to the community fall festival.  There were games, vendors, inflatables, candy, horse rides, face painting, and all kinds of fun stuff.  It was all free! 

Last night Alligator Girl wanted to be a ballerina.  She already had the outfit.  Her cousin had recently outgrown it and passed it down.  Alligator Girl was excited to wear it out in public.

Cuddlebug was a baseball player.  We had the hat and shirt and he got the baseball bat last year for Christmas.

Tonight, Alligator Girl was a chef and Cuddlebug was a knight.  I had bought the chef outfit earlier this year from a clearance sale for only $4.  I was going to save it for her for Christmas, but she wanted to be something unique for Halloween, so I went ahead and gave it to her.  She definitely was the only chef around.  I got Cuddlebug’s knight parts at Dollar Tree for $1 each.  I wasn’t sure if he was going to use them for Halloween, but at $3, I couldn’t pass it up.  I knew they’d make cool dress-up clothes.

J’s not legally adopted yet, so I can’t show you pics of him.  The first night he wanted to be a ninja.  I was so thankful that Linette posted these homemade costume ideas because one of them was for a ninja.  Tonight J was a baseball player.

The kids (and adults) had a great time and very little money was spent.  I hope this encourages you know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

Was your Halloween thrifty?

images (c) Karen Weideman

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Black Knight Costume

Pocahontas

Parents has some cute costume ideas.  You probably have many of the items needed already at home.

• Scuba Diver – uses 2 liter soda bottles, tubing, and goggles
• Beauty Queen
• Basketball Player
• Artist
• Mad Scientist
• Rock Star
• Magician
• Doctor
• Chef
• Zoo Keeper
• Construction Worker

Handmade Costumes – Most of these costume ideas are for smaller children.

• Little Lamb – This one is my favorite. It’s so adorable!
• Dalmation Puppy
• Crazy Caterpillar
• Rooster
• Goldfish

From Better Homes & Gardens

• Mac and Cheese Costume
• Chinese Take Out
• Milky Milk Shake
• Sweet Skunk (so cute!)
• Owl/Wise Guy
• Man at Work
• Woodland Sprite/fairy
• Rock Star
• Swatted Fly
• Spooky Spider
• Spooky Spider
• Cute Bat
• Magic Tree
• Silly Clown
• Grandpa Gus

Were there any costumes that you liked?

image from sxc.hu

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If your kids are like mine, they like to dress up all year long.  Take advantage of the Halloween costumes that are on clearance right now.  Tonight, I saw a Batman costume on clearance for $10.  The original price was around $30 or more.  Kids like to dress up and these would make great Christmas presents.

Happy saving!

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Trick or treat!  Right now Diapers.com is offering up to 40% off their Halloween costumes.  In addition, there is free shipping on all costumes.

I don’t know about you, but I find it boring to walk around department stores and see the same costumes each year.  What’s worse is paying the money for a costume and then seeing three other children walking around with the same costume as your child.  Ordering online offers a different selection and individuality from others.  My favorite costume at Diapers.com is the adorable lion costume.  Which one is your favorite?

Don’t forget, Diapers.com is donating one of these cute costumes for our Blogtoberfest.  You could be a winner!

image from diapers.com

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BabyCenter also has a do-it-yourself section on their website.  Get crafty and download simple and free patterns to construct a skeleton, leopard, kitten, pirate, jailbird, carrot, or strawberry.  

Enjoy the savings!

image from BabyCenter

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1.  Start with a foundation, such as a sweat suit, pajamas, leggings, tights, etc.

2.  If you can’t sew then use glue or some other adhesive.

3.  Look around the house for everyday things that can be transformed.

4.  Embellish your costume with glitter, glow-in-the-dark paint, fringe,  boas, etc.

5.  Use bathing caps and headbands to attach ears or antennas.

6.  Don’t wait until the last minute.

7.  Check your local dollar store for accessories.  Sometimes you can find wands, crowns, make up, and more.

8.  Let the kids help.  They can have creative ideas and suggestions that you hadn’t thought of.

9. Choose fabrics that are easy to work with such as felt and flannel.  You wouldn’t want to spend money on costly fabrics such as silk and velvet, which are hard to work with.

10.  My favorite tip:  Look online for ideas.  There are plenty of websites with do-it-yourself ideas.  Most come with instructions and pictures. 

For more Halloween ideas, click on “Halloween” under the Thrifty Mommy categories to your right.

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I guess how much you spend depends upon where you live.  I’m sure that in the last 10 years, we haven’t had more than 10 children at our house trick-or-treating.  Maybe it’s because there are so many church and school festivals and other activities going on.  

I have a friend that lives in a neighborhood that has a few hundred houses.  She says that every year she spends more than $100 on candy and each year she runs out.  Can you imagine?

So, we want to know.  How much money do you spend on Halloween?  Please vote in the poll and leave any comments below. 

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I remember when I was a kid and I needed a costume for my church’s Christmas play.  My mom had to make one and I’m sure she paid more for the material than they now cost at Oriental Trading. 

Oriental Trading also has Christmas ornaments, decorations, children’s craft kits, stocking stuffers, and novelty items.  You are sure to find a wide selection to choose from. 

Shipping tip:  Order with someone else to save on shipping.  The gals from work and I used to order together.  We didn’t pay much shipping at all.

Do you have any tips to share? 

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Until then, here are my thrifty finds.

What a face!  This is my 15 month old son.  He is dressed as Pooh, who is dressed as a bee.  My aunt used to work at the Disney Store.  She got this cute costume for about $5-6 after Halloween a few years ago.  My daughter also wore this for her second Halloween.  The only problem is that the shimmery stuff on the wings started coming off before she even wore it, so we had to peel it off.

Another silly face for you.  She was squinting in the other pictures.  When we told her to stop, she tried to pull her eyes open.  Silly girl!  This is my 3 year old daughter.  I got this costume at a consignment sale.  I can’t remember if it is Old Navy or Gap.  The great thing about this costume is that it has a separate one piece black fleece suit which I think would be great for playing outside on a cool day.  You could also use a pair of thin black pants and shirt instead of the fleece if you had a warm Halloween day.  This was a great deal at $4.

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Martha Stewart has a free pattern on her site that can help you produce 7 different costumes, such as the cape used in this Elvis costume.  There are also directions to help you complete the Elvis costume, including a template for making a rhinestone eagle design on the back of the cape.

Do you hate to sew?  I don’t like to sew, so I was happy to see that Martha Stewart also has directions for 8 no sew costumes.  One of the no sew ideas is shown in this picture of a mom and her baby.  Cute idea for those of you looking to find a way to coordinate your baby’s costume with yours. 

Of course, Martha Stewart also has ideas for decorating, recipes, crafts, and Halloween.  You will definitely find plenty of inspiration.

Thanks to Darlene for passing this information on to me.

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