4 Mom-Approved Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas

The closest I got to Halloween as a child was through classic movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Casper.” That’s because I grew up in a religious household that chose not to celebrate Halloween.

Since I didn’t embark on the adventure of costume wearing as a child, it’s become a first-generation tradition in my household. Although fun, my third year in, I'm realizing how expensive this costume business can become.

Americans are expected to spend about $104 on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. If you’ll be participating in spooky season festivities, keep reading for a few mom-approved tips for how to save on costumes.

Set a budget to avoid spooky spending

If you’re anything like me, when it comes to spending on creative ventures, you become a kid in a candy store. However, splurging on a Halloween costume can be counterproductive to your financial goals.

Karen Heffren, a mom from Tucson, Arizona, and owner of the DIY blog Desert Chica, says she’s always been frugal, and that’s no different on Halloween.

“When it came to costumes, I didn't want to spend $25 on a costume that wasn't great and my kid would wear for an hour,” she says.

Consider setting a hard limit on how much you’ll spend. If you’re unsure how to calculate what you can afford this year, remember your costume money should ideally come from your discretionary income. That’s what’s left after you meet all of your core financial needs.

If you use the 50/30/20 budgeting system, costume money should come out of your 30% wants category, while 50% goes to needs and 20% to debt and savings.

Push your creative boundaries with a DIY costume

You’d be surprised how much you can save by making a Halloween costume using items around the house. Heffren was first inspired to DIY Halloween costumes about 17 years ago when her family became a single-income household. She shares DIY costume ideas on her blog to help people who may need inspiration and says you don’t have to be a super crafter to use this option.

“You just have to be able to think about what skills you have, and then just modify your ideas to make it work,” she says.

Inspired by my research and interviews for this article, I plan to be Whitney Houston this year and have all the items I need at home already. I’ll use a black leather jacket, big hair, red lipstick, a white shirt and leggings. There are multiple resources you can consult for DIY costume research, such as Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, blogs and TikTok.

It’s also important to keep track of your DIY costume spending along the way so it doesn’t end up costing significantly more than a ready-made costume. If it does cost more, the extra expense may be worthwhile if the costume can be repurposed, which we’ll discuss more below.

Choose costumes that can be repurposed

Kalia Johnson, a content creator and mother in Dallas, made a grape costume for her son last year, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving because most of the items are still functional. The inspiration for the costume came from her son playfully putting balls from his ball pit into his onesie.

“The reason why I like this costume is because we still use all the items that we used for the costume,” she says. “He still uses ball pit balls. He still uses the bamboo sleeper as pajamas. He still uses the beanie if it [is] cold outside.”

The only items Johnson bought were the leaves she used, and they cost a couple of bucks.

Heffren, too, is a firm believer in using items that can be repurposed. She uses hoodies as an example.

One of her most memorable costumes was Olaf from the movie “Frozen,” and she used a hoodie and felt fabric to make it. Another example? Heffren says you can use a white button-down shirt, cardboard, an angry face printout, black slacks and some felt material to create the Anger character from the “Inside Out” movies.

Heffren recommends using duct tape or sewing items onto the costume base so you can easily repurpose it or fix mistakes. I plan to take this advice and use a hoodie and felt material to build my son’s Sonic costume this year.

Consider using pre-loved items

Using secondhand items for a Halloween costume is another way to save money.

Some places where you can buy a used costume or items for a DIY piece include Facebook Marketplace, eBay, OfferUp or your local thrift store. Keep in mind that one of the challenges with getting a ready-made costume may be finding one that you like and that comes in your size. If you want to coordinate costumes with loved ones, going this route could be difficult.

Heffren says people should remember that costumes don’t have to be perfect. That means you don’t have to coordinate your entire family’s costumes, nor do you need to turn costumes into a grand and expensive DIY project.

“I think you just have to set realistic expectations and it's just for fun, you know? It's not Picasso, right?”