Costumes

Hi, I have a 3 1/2 and 2 year old and I have found very cute costumes at Old Navy for $20 or so, but the kids wouldn't wear them. I have found the best solution to be to go to Wal Mart and get a pair of theme jammies (Super Man, Bat Man, etc.). Kids love them and you can re-use them and less than $10.

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How about organizing a costume swap? I am thinking of doing that this year, because I have several costumes, but they either don't fit or my kids don't want to wear them. I want to get a bunch of friends together (or I may do it through my church) and bring all of our costumes and see what we can get or maybe even just borrow from each other.

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Definitely Craigslist! If you're after something super specific, you might not find it...but if you just want a cute costume in the appropriate size, there should be tons. I've gotten several for about $5 each.

eBay! I found my daughters "Petable" bat costume last year for only $20 (a HUGE savings)! A lot of savvy vendors buy them up at clearance and then sell them the following year...so they are new, nice and who cares if they are last years models!?

I don't know if you have a Paper Factory where you live, but I got some "dress up" cloths (costumes) there for $5. Also, definitley yard sales, I just got one yesterday a nice heavy duty cow one for $5 also!

Have you tried Freecycle? I've also found that making costumes are fun (if you have the time!!)

Check out Gymboree. I never buy their clothes because they too spendy but their Halloween costumes are adorable and inexpensive!
http://www.gymboree.com/shop/dept_category.jsp?FOLDER%3C%...

Good luck!

I'm not sure how soon you need them, but I always buy them the day after Halloween for the next year at a great discount.

Try a Fall Consignment Sale Event - we always have tons of great costumes! October 3 & 4 at Cascade Shopping Center in Renton or there are several others in October too!

Good Luck!
K.

K. Koitzsch
Owner and Chief Operating Officer
Just Between Friends of Seattle
JBF Consignment Sales, LLC
www.jbfsale.com

E-mail: ____@____.com or ____@____.com
Address: JBF Consignment Sales, LLC, PO Box 68041, Seattle, WA 98168
Phone: ###-###-#### Fax: ###-###-####

Join us for the JBF Seattle Fall 2009 Sale - October 3rd & 4th at the Cascade Shopping Center in Renton!

Check out "Why We Love JBF!" on You Tube!
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EBAY! I get my daughter's costumes there every year. Very cheap and usually unique and adorable! Make sure they come from smoke free home!

We got my son's UPS outfit at Party City last year for 19.99 and the elephant the year before from Old Navy for a really good deal too.

Ditto looking online (craigslist, freecycle, ebay, etc)

We only usually get 1/2 a costume ;)

Which only makes sense, if you think about how cold and nasty it usually is on halloween here. It's not like we're in SoCal with 70 degree clear weather on halloween that can deal with thin costumes, or costumes where there's skin showing. We need polar tech, umbrellas, and sweats!! So half of his costume is ALWAYS either a pair of sweatpants or a hoodie that he'll use for the rest of the year. When he was Harry Potter, we actually got double the use...because we went with the polartech hooded quidditch top (which is just a sporty maroon with yellow striped hoodie), in addition to the sweatpants we bought him. Lighting bold scar with eye liner, broom made from a branch out in the yard, and crafting straw from Michaels rather than spending 50 on the costume and 30 for the broom. We paid about 10 bucks (in stuff that wouldn't be used again and again).

You can "dress up" the part that isn't costumey, so it fits with the costume. Obviously a matching color, but then you can get creative...

When he was a lion, I used a big fat drapery tassle and braided rope as the tail tied around his waist, and the top part of the lion costume (came from the midwest, it was a actually filled with down, how warm and snuggly is that?), rather than buy the bottoms that came with the costume that had the tail attached... Drapery tassel from pacific fabrics: 2 bucks, and braided rope 1 dollar per yard, used less but spent the buck. 2nd half of lion costume: $25.

For my nephew, we used elmers glue (washes out in the machine, no worries at all, doesn't even stain :), and glued scales made of holographic plasticky wrapping stuff on his sweat pants to help with his dragon top, and for my neice we made papermache seashells (painted with acryllic, so they wouldn't melt) for a mermaid costume one year...another year it was fairy wings (nylons, spraypaint, glitter, feathers, two garters for arm bands, and wire hangers...although you can just use nylons and wire hangers and paint),and a french twist and makeup over her normal clothes.

Good Luck

I always get our costumes online. Search for Halloween costumes or for the specific costume you are looking for. Every year I'm pleased with my online findings! Another great option is to make the costume yourself. There are so many clever websites that give instructions for quick homemade costumes.

Good luck!

I usually go to walmart, but check the sales at party city.