Price of Halloween costumes enough to scare you silly

WASHINGTON (10/3/07)--It's goblin and ghost time--fun for all. But if you're not careful, what you spend on Halloween can be a trick instead of a treat (National Retail Federation Sept. 24).

Consumers are expected to spend an estimated $5.07 billion on Halloween this year, with the average person planning to spend almost $65--$5 more per person than last year.
Before running out and spending more than you have to:

• Shop around. One frugal mom in Madison, Wis., trying to grant her son's wish to be Davey Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean, was astonished to find the costume selling for almost $80 on the Internet and at Halloween specialty stores. She found the same costume for $12.97 at a national chain retailer in town. The coveted Black Spider-Man costume ranged in price from $14 to $59.99 for a kid's size seven to eight at different stores. It may be time-consuming, but taking time to comparison shop can save you a lot of money.
• Make your own. Use items around your house to make costumes. Who doesn't have a pair of old funky earrings and a scarf to be a hippie from the '60s? Old bib overalls, a flannel shirt, and a hat can make a farmer. An old bed sheet still makes a great ghost.
• Host a costume exchange. Invite parents and children to your house for a costume exchange party. Kids usually start thinking of what they want to be by early September, so send invites ahead of time and plan for the exchange in early October. Set up a room in your home for the "costume store." Have kids write their names on their original costumes so they get them back after the holiday. Turn the event into a Halloween party. Have the kids bob for apples and decorate pillowcases to use for trick-or-treat bags.
• When possible, avoid Halloween specialty stores. These stores typically have a varied inventory, but because they have only a few months to make a profit, you'll rarely find discounted items. If you must shop at these stores be sure you love what you're getting and check return policies--because the stores are temporary, many are not set up to do returns or exchanges, or even offer merchandise credits.
• Shop after Halloween for next year's costume. This isn't always a win-win situation. If your kids are young enough to not care what they are or you're putting something away for yourself, you might be able to get by. But kids as young as two and three can be very particular about what they want to be. The frugal mom is stuck with a devil costume her three-year-old was supposed to wear this year--he's insisting on being Captain Jack Sparrow.

And, if it's not enough trying to find the perfect costume for your kids, what about your pet? One out of 10 households that celebrate Halloween plans to dress up the pampered pooch as well. Devils, pumpkins, witches, princesses and angels are the top five costumes this year. Miss Frugal Shopper once dressed up her eight-pound Pomeranian as a cat--using a marked-down baby's hat and bib.

courtesy of cuna.org