With average consumer spending on Halloween hovering at $7 billion for the US, according to a study done by The National Retail Federation July 2014, it’s safe to say we love to spend money on Halloween. With costumes, candy, decorations, and more, it’s easy to overspend your Halloween budget.

I love getting dressed up for Halloween, but I don’t want to spend tons of money on a costume I’ll likely only wear once. After all, the fun of Halloween is dressing up as something different every year!

Here are a few tips to help keep you under your Halloween budget in at least one area: costumes.

Look in the Back of your Closet

Do you have any long-forgotten athletic uniforms you can use to dress as a sports star? Maybe you have an old prom dress you can use to be a prom queen or princess. If you have an oversized coat and sunglasses, you could even go as an undercover movie star.

These things can make good Halloween costumes with just a few purchased accessories to go along with them and complete the look.

Check Second Hand and Thrift Stores

In large communities there may be specialty second hand costume stores, but in rural areas like where I live, we have to make do with your regular run-of-the-mill second hand and thrift stores.

Even so, there are plenty of costume ideas to be found. As long as you don’t have a very specific costume idea or character in mind, it’s not too hard to put together a costume at these stores. It’s easy when you go in with general ideas, like being a queen, or dressing in clothes from different time periods. After all, some of these stores seem to specialize in out-dated fashions from the ‘90s.

Swap Costumes With Others

We’ve talked all about how having a clothing swap with your friends can help over-haul your wardrobe for next to nothing, and you can do the same thing with Halloween costumes. Sharing costumes back and forth with several friends ensures that none of you will have to buy costumes, or put any together at thrift stores, for a few years at least. The best part about this idea is that you can each get whole costumes for free!

DIY-it, Really

If you have just a few random pieces from all different costumes, it’s time to get creative. Maybe you can make something by putting it all together, or maybe you can craft yourself something with cardboard and some paint. One of the most creative costumes I saw last year was a home-made “minion” costume, complete with old overalls and some yellow face paint. IPods are also easy DIY costumes you can make.

Dressing up for Halloween is fun and it can even be frugal if you plan ahead and take the time to look at your options before shopping at your community’s costume shop or rental place.

How do you come up with cheap Halloween costumes?

Image via Flickr by istolethetv