5 Ways to save money on Halloween costumes

This post was also featured on ABC Action News in Tampa, Florida. Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch the video.

As you know from my previous rant, I believe the price of kids’ Halloween costumes is ridiculous and preposterous! So, when a local TV station asked to do a segment on how to save money on them, I was happy to do the research. Here are my favorite 5 ways to save money on Halloween costumes.

1. Use social media.

We use it for everything else, so why not harness Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to save money on Halloween costumes? I have no shame in posting the costumes I need on my page, as well as on local garage sale groups I am a part of. If you’re not sure how, head to Facebook and search your county or city and “garage sale,” and you’re likely to find groups of people who are looking to buy, trade and sell. Last year, I borrowed the baby’s cow costume and my son’s cowboy boots from a Facebook friend for our Cowboy Family (and Batman) theme. *wink*

2. Borrow!

This is how I found my son’s lobster costume for one of my most favorite family costumes ever, the Surf & Turf! I posted in a local moms Facebook group that I was looking for a baby lobster costume, and a nice mama near me was only too happy to loan it to me for free. As one would expect, I wasn’t able to find a toddler steak costume for purchase, so I grabbed an old brown towel, ivory felt and black ribbon to make this one. (There’s more info here on how I put together the look!)

3. Go online.

We all know about Craigslist, but I recently discovered thredUP, which is an online community where people from around the country basically resell used clothes, and there are some great deals on Halloween costumes right now. (The company isn’t paying me to write about it; I just wanted to share because it’s a great idea.)

4. Go to consignment or thrift stores.

As you know, this didn’t help me much this year, but a couple years back, I found my older son’s Superman costume at a local consignment sale. I think it was like 6 bucks. #winning I was expecting our third son in this photo (and had literally barfed 30 minutes before this photo was taken so excuse the scowl), so I also printed a Superman symbol and taped it to my belly.

5. Make your own! 

Get creative, and use Pinterest to find tons of DIY costume ideas. Here, I used an old onesie, felt and glue to make my son’s fishie costume and hat. (The how-to is here!) I was newly-pregnant with our second son here (always morning sick during Halloween for me!), so I also pinned a felt fishie on my belly and called it a day. (And yes, that blue maternity dress has seen a lot of wear and tear!)

Share your tips for saving money on Halloween costumes in the comments!