There is nothing quite as miserable as an entire household brought down by a stomach bug. Last week, it started with Little Mister – brought down for a couple of days – and ended with my husband – also brought down for a couple days. Me, on the other hand, was brought down for an entire week! I’m only just starting to feel better.
Needless to say, after a week of trying to feel better, I finally get to share a post I had planned to share last Monday.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already October! Today was the first day that it finally started to feel like fall. I was out shopping last night, the cold front blew in while I was in the store, and when I got back in my car, suddenly my car was blasting heat instead of cool air!
With October, something wicked this way comes… Halloween!
I love driving down the street and seeing Halloween decorations. The skeletons in a yard that’s scattered with tombstones. I love being scared with scary movies. If I go through a haunted house, sometimes I make it my personal mission to get the actors to break character, such as the one time I told a wolfman that he looked like a wookie, just in order to keep myself from being too afraid.
But, as a parent, nothing compares to watching your children be so excited to get dressed up in a costume and rush from house to house saying, “Trick or treat,” and have some candy or treats dropped in their bucket.
On the other hand, trying to figure out a costume, especially if on any kind of a budget, can be incredibly difficult. So here are 5 of my favorite budget-friendly costumes! They all cost between $20-30, but all have parts that can be used throughout the rest of the year, such as pajamas, overalls for winter, or dresses.
The Lion King – Simba and Nala
My best friend sent me this one that her kiddos are doing! With the movie that just came out, this is perfect timing, too! One of the best parts is that you can reuse the pieces afterwards as pajamas.
Start with brown pajamas, such as these by Avauma or these tops and bottoms by Primary.com. Next, add the lion headband and tail from Target’s Hyde & Eek Bootique! The headband comes with a mane, but you can just trim the mane off to make it a Nala costume. Nothing quite like an easy costume for the win!
Every year Target has simple headband-tail combo sets for $1-5. In previous years, I have purchased the fox and the dinosaur. After Halloween, the sets are added to our dress up wall for playtime through the rest of the year!
The Incredibles
Incredible, Incredible, Incredible
Catching the bad guys
Pow pow pow!
Little Mister will walk around the house for days singing Mr. Incredible’s theme song after watching the movie. If you’re looking to do a fun family costume, look no further than The Incredibles.
Start with red pajamas, such as these by Avauma or these tops and bottoms by Primary.com. Next, add some black underwear briefs. You could also do black swim bottoms or these undershorts from Primary.com. Use black felt to make cuffs for around the wrists and calves and finish with a superhero mask from your local craft store and black shoes. Don’t forget to print out the Incredible’s symbol to attach to the front of their shirt!
I personally would put my children in Converse shoes because I know they’ll be running from house to house, so I want them to be comfortable.
Minions
Little Mister was actually a minion his second Halloween and it was so easy. I found overalls from Oshkosh that were perfect because they lasted the rest of the winter. I added a yellow t-shirt and found a minion hat from Etsy – although there are some you can also find in your local costume store. Finish off the look with a banana for them to hold. Makes for a healthy snack, too, among all the candy from the night.
Add Converse tennis shoes and your Minion look is complete! If you’re looking to make this costume even more budget-friendly, check out your local children’s resale shop for overalls.
Beauty and the Beast – Belle
When I was little, my favorite movie was Beauty and the Beast. I will embarrassingly admit that I remember running down the hill at the daycare I went to, pretending to be Belle, and singing. With Belle, you have two costume options – her blue village dress or her yellow ball gown.
For the village dress, start with a blue dress – such as this one from Primary.com. Add a long-sleeved, white polo under the dress and fold a white flour sack towel over a pretty white ribbon for the apron to complete the village dress look. For the ballgown, start with a yellow dress – such as this one from Primary.com – and add long yellow gloves from your local costume store or Target.
A big plus is that the blue dress could double as an Anna costume if your daughter is a Frozen-fan or when the sequel comes out next month! A light blue or white polo, a black vest, and some braids (though these appear to be optional as Anna in the sequel no longer has the braids) will complete the costume transformation!
The Addams Family – Wednesday Addams
I throw this one in because the new animated movie has just been released this month. Wednesday Addams is classic Halloween, no matter how many times they remake her. Her sullen look is simple and so many of the pieces can be reused later.
A white polo, black cardigan sweater, and black skirt is all you need. Add braids and you’ve completed the Wednesday Addams costume! I recommend practicing the un-bemused look in the mirror to really perfect it for when the door opens. Perhaps a “Trick or treat or whatever,” to really complete the character.
What are your kids thinking of dressing up as this Halloween? Share your pictures with me on Facebook! I’d love to see all of your kiddos dressed up for the event.