How To Be A Creep On The Cheap

In yesterday’s blog, we took a look at a special article by Jim Ellis that explained that creating a Halloween costume does not have to be a costly experience. In fact, making your own costume is one way to celebrate the spooky holiday while not even having to spend a dime.

In his special to QMI Agency, Ellis lists a few ideas about how to have a happy haunting experience without forking out the big bucks. His first tip is simply to “shop early to avoid last-minute crowds and craziness.” At this point, that means getting to the stores this week as the end of the month is fast approaching!

Set a budget and decide in advance how much you want to spend on a costume, says Ellis. This is always an important part of making sure your money is used wisely. In fact, it’s not much different than the conversations our licensed funding specialists have with our clients. When you plan out exactly what you want to use your money for, your desired outcome will be within closer reach.

“Combine new and used items for an original look at the best price,” recommends Ellis. Going back to some of his suggestions from yesterday’s blog, Ellis notes that, to save money, buying a costume may mean picking and choosing from a number of different, inexpensive items to create an original and unique look that is easy on the wallet.

“Look in different departments,” he says, “you never know what you might find.” In other words, you don’t even have to be shopping for a Halloween costume to create one. For all you know, the perfect superhero cape could be a table cloth you find in the houseware section of a department store!

“Bring a picture for inspiration and so you won’t forget details when shopping,” says Ellis. If you know exactly what type of look you’re going for, your shopping experience will be that much easier. You may even want to draw your ideas so that you can match your concepts to the items you find that most closely resemble them.

And finally, “check back often if you don’t find the piece or costume you’re looking for to complete your costume.” According Sara Gaugl, the marketing manager for Value Village, “100,000 pieces are on the floor of each Value Village store at any given time and 5,000 are added each day.”