Creating A Cost-Effective Costume

Halloween is quickly approaching. And parents everywhere are in the midst of scrambling to decorate the home and prepare their children for trick-or-treating festivities. For some parents, Halloween is a time when they feel the strain of having to shell out extra cash so that the kids can have a good time.

However, as Jim Ellis explained this morning, in his special to QMI Agency, celebrating Halloween does not have to be an expensive activity. In fact, you can find a number of inexpensive ways to both decorate and dress up by visiting local thrift stores. He writes that Value Village is a great place to find cost-effective costumes.

One of the reasons for this, is that the store employs “costume consultants” in preparation for the big, scary celebration on October 31st. These friendly employees – all decked out in “holiday drag” – provide assistance to those looking to get all spooky without emptying their wallets.

The best way to do this, writes Ellis, is to DIY. You know, “Do-It-Yourself”? In other words, you can always create your own costume by using a variety of different supplies. Even creating your own original pirates, superheroes, vampires and zombies can be done with just a little bit of imagination.

Sara Gaugl, the marketing manager for Value Village, advises shoppers to pair up the store’s previously-owned pieces with goods from accessory kits or even their wig department! Among the most popular costume ideas this year? According to Gaugl, pop sensations Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are definitely in.

Movies such as Black Swan and The Smurfs are also inspiring a lot of costume ideas this year. And believe it or not, Value Village is even offering online makeup tutorials so that shoppers can get the looks right. “Browse every department,” recommends Gaugl, who is sure that enough mixing and matching will make the perfect Halloween costume.

Of course, you don’t have to visit a thrift store to get all of the pieces necessary for a great Halloween costume. You just may have all of the right ingredients lying around the house! In tomorrow’s blog, we’ll take a look at a number of Ellis’ tips on how to DIY instead of buying your costume this year.