Everyone likes to make a big deal about the spookiness of Halloween, but it really is a fun holiday- there’s candy and there are costumes! The scary part is thinking about the hit your wallet will take shopping for the perfect Halloween costume, especially if there is more than one child in your family. But don’t be spooked by that anymore, because I have some tips that should make it a little kinder to your wallet this year.

• Have a talk with your kids before you go shopping. Let them know that you want them to be happy with their costumes, but that you must stick to a budget, and that you can work together to find something that will be great.
• Look around your house for old costumes that can be reused or reinvented. You should always save old costumes from previous years so that a younger sibling can wear it later, or use parts of it to create a new costume. And you might be able to put together an original costume from regular things you have around the house, with no need to buy a costume at all!
• Borrow costumes from friends and relatives. We do this in my family some years, and parents and kids have all been pretty happy.
• Invite neighbors and friends to bring costumes from previous years and host a costume swap!
• Shop in consignment stores and thrift shops to save money. You can even earn some money from your used costumes by selling them in consignment stores, eBay, or Craigslist.
• Make your own costumes. This is the era of DIY, so work it! Get ideas and inspiration from Pinterest, blogs, and local craft stores. You’ll save some money and have something unique and creative.
• Search online for coupons and discounts.
• Instead of spending lots of money on an elaborate costume, put some effort into doing something fabulous with face paint, which is safer for kids than covering their faces with masks, anyway.
• If you and your kids can stand it, wait for the last minute when stores sell their costumes at deep discounts. You have to be willing to take a chance and be ready to improvise because you never know what will be available, but you could score incredible deals.

So go for the most frightening costume, if that’s what you want, but don’t let the shopping scare you away!