August 25, 2010

How Much Would You Spend for a Halloween Costume?

I can't believe it's already time to start thinking about Halloween. With four costumes to prepare, perhaps I should have started sooner!
I've never made my daughters do a "theme" for Halloween. One year they all dressed as witches, but they each asked to be witches. Last year they all dressed like flowers because they all asked be flowers. This year, they all want to be different things.
Yesterday, I made the mistake of letting them look through a costume catalog that arrived in the mail. Tortilla is convinced I am going to shell out nearly $50 ($49.99 to be exact) for a Sleeping Beauty costume. Sleeping Beauty is her favoritest princess ever. EVER. She just recently stopped naming every new stuffed animal and doll Sleeping Beauty. But now she thinks the world might end if she isn't allowed to wear the costume she saw in this catalog. Oh, and even though she has a pair of play dress up shoes with Sleeping Beauty on them, she doesn't want to get them dirty so she wants me to buy the coordinating shoes, too. Is she getting any of it? Nope. However, I did find a "make-it-yourself" princess costume online that doesn't require any sewing. She seems to be happy with that. I can sew, but I don't own a sewing machine.
I started thumbing through the catalog. $25-$55 for infant costumes. Really?! Toddler and kid costumes start at $30. Adult costumes can reach $100. I get that not everyone has the time, luxury or talent to make costumes... but these prices blow my mind. I realize there are some stores that sell cheaper costumes... but still, how much is too much?
I've only bought costumes for the girls once. They were one-year-old. I hadn't planned on dressing them up for Halloween. Then Hubby and I were shopping and happened to walk by the costumes for infants. I couldn't help it. Suddenly I had to dress my babies for Halloween. I spent $10 per outfit... and then the next fall I sold them at my mom's of multiples sale for $5 each.
So far the girls want to be a princess (guess who!), a ballerina, Minnie Mouse and a pirate. All of those seem fairly doable, although a Minnie Mouse skirt may be hard to do on a budget. (Polka dots? Petticoats? This could be complicated).
For those of you who think it's too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes, just remember: any day now, stores are going to start putting up their Christmas displays!
****Don't forget to enter the David Garrett Rock Symphonies giveaway

7 comments:

MandyE (Twin Trials and Triumphs) said...

I, too, have been marvelling at the prices of costumes recently (not to mention that it's already time to think about Halloween!!!). I got a link to a certain website via email (let's just say it rhymes with Bottery Parn), advertising costumes starting at $29. I clicked over, just to browse. It seems like there might have been ONE costume at that price, but most of the others were $49 and $59. I can't begin to imagine...especially with more than one child!

I got our girls costumes last year, closer to Halloween. They were on a big discount already and I had a coupon, so I think I spent about $12 each. I hope to sell them on consignment this year.

I'll buy our girls costumes again this year, but it won't be for another 6 weeks or so, and I won't spend more than $29 for BOTH. I've somehow gotta finance the outrageous candy expenditure that comes with living in a neighborhood here! HA!

SarahMarie said...

I have 3 kids, my sister has 2. We also have a (used) Scooby Doo costume that will fit my one-year old nephew. The rest of the kids will make up the Scooby gang. We will just make our own costumes.

Sadia said...

Last year, I spent a total of about $80 assembling my two daughters' costumes. That's the high end for me.

Ebay is a good spot for second-hand costumes. This year we'll likely do that and Goodwill.

MaryAnne said...

I paid $11 for a ladybug costume for Lily this year, and that's the most I've ever paid. Johnny plans to wear the same costume he wore last year (it was huge on his last year, so should still fit this year), and Emma will wear some of her dress-up clothes, I think. I bought Johnny's infant costume secondhand at a mother's club sale.

Unknown said...

Good luck. I raised my kids in the days when only the super mom's made costumes. The rest came from a drug store or were of the child's own invention.

Still, if you begin now, your kiddies should look awfully cute on Halloween.

Kim said...

I alternate—one year, we'll go all out and I'll buy the girls great costumes. The next year, we put them together ourselves from whatever we've got laying around the house. It's fun both ways!

reanbean said...

I bought two brand new costumes last year (a bear and a monkey) for $5 each at a Mothers of Multiples sale. The costumes were way too big, but I rolled up the sleeves and pants and they worked. They can definitely wear them again this year, and maybe another two down the road, but I think I'll shop the fall MoM tag sales and check out the costume sale at Children's Orchard (do you have one near you?) and keep my eye our for cute alternatives. Now that they have interests, it might be fun to dress them up to reflect those interests. Good luck with your Halloween shopping!

Post a Comment