Halloween is just around the corner… time to start looking for those Halloween costume deals!
I love Target.
I’m pretty sure the majority of moms I know love Target. I mean, who doesn’t love Target?
One of the most wonderful gifts this magical shopping destination gives us is GIANT reminders that a holiday is coming. There’s usually a break in the summer months (after the 4th of July, of course) where there’s a sense of neutrality in any Target I enter. Until there’s not. One day it’s beach balls and umbrellas for fruity drinks, and the next, the Target dog is dressed in a witch hat, and the dollar section is filled with glittery pumpkins, skeletons, and spooky door decorations. I inevitably text someone and say, “Can you believe they’re already selling Halloween stuff?!” Then reality hits; we’ve got to start shopping for our son’s costume.
Also, let’s be honest. I could make a costume. In theory. In reality, however, I need something a lot easier. After all, it’s one night of candy extortion in the dark not the Met gala.
Why Are Halloween Costumes So Expensive?
For the last 4 years, we’ve been given the greatest gift: the ability to pick out our son’s costume without much input.
We didn’t realize how lucky we were until this year when he saw a costume in Party City with his grandmother and came home to tell us all about it. It was a character from a show he rarely watches and the costume was not great. It was one of those plastic-feeling $19 get-ups that no one would feel bad throwing out after one wear. The sort of costume that gets sweaty on the inside and provides no protection against any weather.
And that’s just the thing. I hoard my son’s old Halloween costumes like he’s going to fit into them at his high school graduation. His previous costumes of a monkey, elephant, pirate, and firefighter were all incredibly made and looked like they would last through several children. But, those come with a hefty price tag (especially since he will never wear them for Halloween again).
Since then, I’ve become determined to find the best Halloween costume deals each year. And I’ve got some ideas and success stories to share with you!
Here’s Where I Find Haloween Costume Deals
My first shop of choice is Costco.
Costco Halloween costumes typically come with all of the accessories you’ll need and the price tag is usually lower than you’d ever imagine.
The problem with Costco is you can’t have expectations of what you want in a costume before you go. Let’s face it, you won’t even know it is costume time until you randomly walk in and see them (months before Halloween). But, if you’re lucky enough to have a child who doesn’t mind what they wear, or they happen to have a costume your child has already asked for, then the gods are looking down on you and smiling.
If (by some chance) I don’t go into Costco during the 16-day period they’re available or I’m looking for something specific, I’ll start doing Google image searches. Have you ever typed in “baby elephant costume?” It’s pretty ridiculous how many varieties there are. The image search helps me narrow down exactly what I want. I’ll then take the info given from the manufacturer’s site or from a Pinterest lover who posted pics of exactly who made the costume and where they bought it and I’ll head over to my other favorite website for Halloween costume deals: eBay.
eBay is a magical place that a lot of people forget exists.
The auctions are usually not my style, so I’ll type in the make and model of the costume and click the “Buy it Now” tab.
The best part of buying a used Halloween costume is that they are generally VERY lightly used as the previous owner occupied it only a handful of times. Sellers generally share all of the information on the costume and if there are any rips or stains.
For example, our son’s pirate costume that we got on eBay was made by Gymboree two seasons prior. It had originally retailed for $45 and we picked it up on eBay for $15 with free shipping.
This year I’m hoping to find a Pinterest mom’s homemade Transformers Bumblebee costume because her hours and hours of crafting the perfect costume two years ago are my son’s shoo-in for first place in the “Under 5” category at the Halloween fair.
Where do you find the best Halloween costume deals? Let me know in the comments!
Check out these other easy Halloween costume ideas from the moms here at Vermont Moms:
- Easy Halloween Costumes – No Purchase Necessary
- Do It Yourself Ruth Bader Ginsburg Halloween Costume
- The Art of the Family Costume — Halloween Fun
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Guest Writer: Holly Baumbach
Mom, wife, and content specialist.
