Easy and Very Cheap Halloween Costumes

We've been celebrating Halloween for so many weeks now that yesterday's festivities were almost anti-climatic. I woke up earlier than usual to get ready and help the kids get dressed and ready for the day at school.

Neal and his 6th grade performed a line dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Their performance was scheduled at 8:15 at his school. I dropped Amberly off at her school at 7:30 and told her to eat breakfast at school. Then I picked up the car pool kids and we hurried to their school. While I waited for the Thriller performance, I was thoroughly entertained by the costumed kids and teachers. Neal's school loves Halloween and it shows. Neal has been so excited for us to see his dance. He is the dead basketball player.



As soon as the dance was over, I bolted from that school to hurry home and get Thomas ready for Kindergarten. The Halloween parade at his school was just 15 minutes after kindergarten started. I sat with friends as we watched some very cute and scary children parade through the gym. The parade was well organized this year.

In the afternoon, the kids dressed in their costumes again to hit the neighborhood for some Trick r Treating. Our neighborhood is perfect for it and the weather was nice and mild. Our family is always one of the first families to set out but we were able to stay out for about two hours, go to most of the homes in our neighborhood and get loads of candy.

I don't love Halloween (we already know this) but I do want my kids to have a good holiday. However, this year I did my very  best to make the kids happy without spending much money. Tricky. Very very tricky.

Thanks to the box of costumes that we've saved over the years and some creativity, we were able to get through the Halloween season for just a few dollars. Really.

Amberly used the white tutu from her Corpse Bride costume and her wings from her fairy costume to put together an angel costume. She found the tinsel in our Christmas box. She was an angel when she went to the Daddy Daughter party, the family party and at school but last night she suddenly changed her mind. She wrapped herself in her pink pashmina scarf and called herself Aphrodite. Money spent : $0

Lilly was pretty indecisive about what she wanted to be for Halloween. For months she has talked of being Rapunzel and we let her continue to grow her hair out in preparation. I don't know exactly how or why it happened but earlier this month Amberly talked her out of being Rapunzel.  Some weird sister thing. Lilly still didn't know what she wanted to be until I dressed as a cat for the Transition Sister Carnival and for an Adult Halloween party that Utah Dad and I attended. Lilly decided that she too would be a cat for Halloween. She used the ears that I made by hot gluing card stock to a head band and we painted her whiskers and nose on with face paint. Money spent : $1.50 for a package of 4 head bands.

Molly recycled a costume that Lilly wore for Halloween a few years ago. It was one of our favorites and we decided to use it one more time. With the cute ribbon tutu and some ear barrettes, Molly made a very cute Minnie Mouse. Money spent : $0 (I paid $30 for the costume when Amberly was in dance several years ago but I think it could have been made for much less.)

Can you tell what Thomas is? Most adults were not sure but his little friend from kindergarten guessed as soon as she saw him. "You're a Nephite!" (Nephites are a group of people from The Book of Mormon.) Specifically, he is Nephi. Neal wore this costume when he was four years old and it has come in handy as a shepherd costume for several Christmas nativity pageants. Because I don't sew, it's the easiest costume ever. I just cute brown felt to fit over his body and cut fabric to tie around his waist and head. We had to make a new shield and sword. I cut them out of card board and spray painted them. Thomas then glued on jewels. Money spent : $3.99 for spray paint and $1.99 for the jewels (I had some in my craft room closet but was too lazy to look for them.) I can't remember how much I originally paid for the felt and fabric.

Neal dressed up as a dead basketball player. Since the NBA season won't be happening this year, we thought it was most appropriate. He wore the Jazz shirt that he won as a top reader at school several years ago and we painted his face and gelled his hair. By the way, he will be getting a hair cut tonight.
Money spent : $6.99 for a face paint set that included fake blood.

Utah Dad and I didn't dress up last night for Trick r Treating. We had already had enough of that. When we attended a party together last weekend, we went as the second scariest thing that came to mind--Occupy Wall Street Protesters. We looked online to see some of the signs the protesters were carrying and recreated some of our favorites. Money spent : $0 (I already had the poster boards.)

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween. Now on to my favorite holiday -- THANKSGIVING!