Halloween costumes at Goodwill-score

[TVRodriguez]

I admit it: I used to go to Party City, let the kids choose the picture of the costume from the wall of costumes, and pay whatever it cost to buy each of them the one they chose, brand new.  But last year and this year, I visited Goodwill and bought used costumes for $3-8 each.  Last year I went by myself, looking for shorts for myself and happened upon the costumes and bought some on my own, but this year I took the kids.  They had so much fun choosing from the rack!  And since they were so cheap, and they liked them, I let them each choose two.  They also encouraged me to pick one for myself, and there was a great "King Robe" on the adult rack that was $6.  I later saw the King Robe on the Party City website for $40, which is more than I paid for the 7 costumes I got on Saturday.  Nice.

[tonysemail]

i've been shopping for halloween costumes and the prices are pretty outrageous.
halloween spirit is selling a $40 ninja costume and it doesn't even come with any accessories.  what a rip off.

I ended up going the thrift store route for my daughter.
Here's a store with a decent selection for anyone near Santa Clara, CA-
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kid-to-kid-santa-clara

I got my daughter's costume for $9.
Unfortunately, it didn't come with any accessories, so I'll be stopping by the dollar store to look for a sword.

[TVRodriguez]

True, the accessories didn't come with the  $3 costume.  Most of the time, though, my kids don't want to wear the mask anyway. Except for Darth Vader.

[Scubanewbie]

I agree that the prices are insane!  I've always made the kids costumes but this year for other reasons I can't.  Older son wanted to be a skeleton so glow in the dark skeleton PJs (that he can wear afterwards as PJs), plus dollar skeleton mittens from Walmart, plus a mask I'm making out of felt = a pretty frugal costume. Done and done!

[BeanCounter]

We have found over the years that the best costumes are created out of cardboard boxes. One year it was a robot. This year it is Minecraft TNT. Once Halloween when I was a kid, I took a cardboard box and made it look like a drop leaf table, complete with a table cloth and two place settings glued on. In the center I put a foil covered platter. I then cut a hole through it and stuck my head on the platter. I swear I got some whole candy bars that year for my costume!