pub date 10/1/10
A. Use what you already have in the house as much as you possibly can to avoid having to spend a lot on costumes every Halloween. Let’s face it, the children grow every year, but in most cases your budget doesn’t, so start with anything that your children might have used last year and pass along or freshen up the costumes as ‘hand-me-downs’.
In many cases you can easily add bits or take them away to modify or create a whole new look.. For instance, a pirate costume one year can be a three Musketeers costume the next. A black witch costume one year can be a black cat costume the next. You may still need to buy a few accessories, colored felt, fabric, face paint, headbands and the like, but this will still greatly reduce the costs of your Halloween costumes.
Also consider getting patterns online and using fabric remnants. A vampire, witch’s or magicians cape with appropriate clothing underneath (a white shirt and black pants or a dark colored dress) is simple and fun to make. Then all you need are fangs, a broom stick or a magic wand. You can keep the cloak for years for other costumes or hand-me-downs.
