My kids are a little spoiled. For the past couple of years, we’ve been able to buy them each a Halloween costume, sometimes new, sometimes used from the thrift store. But this year we had neither the time nor the money to make or buy new costumes. But the kids aren’t suffering a bit—this is what we did:

Throw a Bunch of Materials at Them and Let Them Create. I dragged out all of the old costumes and scrap fabric we had in the house, and the kids (ages 5-10), came up with their own ideas and their own costumes! I helped only a little, with ideas or fabric or yarn. While they were at it, they made some Halloween decorations for the house, too, with paper and pipe cleaners.

Buy a Costume for a Dollar. I couldn’t believe it. Our Dollar store actually had a few really cheap Halloween costumes for a buck!! My seven-year-old didn’t care that the ninja costume was super cheap. He looked like a ninja and that’s all that mattered!

Try Trading. See if anyone you know has old costumes to trade with yours. This is real easy to do if you’re a part of an email Freecycle Club or something similar.

The Simplest Costumes. We all know the easy sheet ghost costume. But don’t forget these others:

• MUMMY: use torn strips of white fabric or even toilet paper, and wrap, wrap, wrap!
• GOTHIC: be a goth cheerleader, fashion girl, bride, whatever. Just do it all in black. Include some cheap fake tattoos.
• WITCH: witches are super easy. You can buy a cheap witches hat just about anywhere. Then just wear a black skirt or dress outfit. Add some funky tights if you can.
• NERD: The thrift store comes in real handy for this one. Find a bunch of clothes that clash. Shoot for plaids and polyester. Don’t forget some dark-rimmed glasses, preferably with white tape on it somewhere.
• 50’s, 60’s or 70’s: These outfits are easy to put together from your mother’s closet or the thrift store.