Thread: How much money do you guys/girls invest in your costume?

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It seems like some of you invest a lot of money into your costumes, especially for something that is only used one day per year and maybe never again.

I often see people purchasing very high priced masks or costumes. Do you wear these things every year? It would seem a waste not to use them as much as you can if you payed a lot of money for them.

Well, my costume has been 5 years in the making, and among those 4 put together, probably $150 has been spent (100% made by me). 4 different masks, that have been transformed into 4 different scarecrows. Not bad for $30/year.

well I spend different amount each year, how ever cant really talk bad about doing that because the same thing can be said about something like a wedding dress, then things cost ALOT of money and are only used for one day. But with a Halloween costume you can be super creative and you can get alot more then what you pay for if you not buying them nasty store bought costume....well most of them are nasty

well I agree with that last statement. I think I've bought one costume in my life for Halloween, the rest I just put together stuff around the house. I'll buy some fake teeth or make-up here and there though.

Years ago I had my costumes made because I wanted something well made and the exact character I wanted to be

But after Hurricane Katrina and today's bad economy, I most definitely don't do that anymore.

I have just taken my French aristocrat outfit and turned it into the Vampire Lestat bu adding a vampire red line cape, an amulet and a pair of fans, all for under $60.

I also created my Martha Stewart character ( with four outfits and the kitchen apron). The most expensive items were the MS wig and the MS apron. All the rest from top to bottom I got from thrift stores. The whole thing cost less than $100.





I even have purchased some simple outfits from Party City types like a friar's costume. Nothing too hard.

Will I do another investment in a costume in the future? I probably will but until then being frugal is the password.

TC

I used to buy store bought and spent between $30-$50. Now I put them together and it probably costs more but I am all about the details. It's worth it to me. I do try to reuse items and save my costume pieces for future use if possible.

Well, I think if I tried to put a number on it, I don't know if there is enough space here for the zeros! LOL! Seriously, I put out major cash about every two years for something new. Then try to perfect it the second year to justify the cost. I think I spent 4 or 5 hundred trying to design my Darth Vader costume and about 2 or 3 hundred on my Ghostbusters costume easy. This does not include the gas money or time spent looking for "parts"! But it's worth every penny in my opinion.

Nothing outlandish for myself, personally. As the host of our Haunt, I have been the Ghost of Elvis in the past, and a decent wig costs around $50.00. The Jumpsuit can be cobbled together for very little money. Our ScareActors are another matter, however. I figure, if somebody cares enough to spend that much of their Hallowe'en Night scaring kids with us, they deserve the very best. Last year's version of "Psycho the Clown" cost about $80.00, without the Chainsaw. This year we are outfitting a pack of Werewolves for a little over $300.00 for five people. Oh, but they will be the highlight of this year's show!

During my son's first Halloween 15 years ago, there had to be at least 50 power rangers. I decided from then on the kids could be whatever they wanted but it had to be homemade. There were two years we had to buy costumes due to budget and time limitations, but they were so depressingly pathetic we swore never again. We try to make them from scratch every year with the exception of some "parts" bought because we don't know how to create our own, but we cannibalize them as much as possible to personalize it.

It probably costs us around $50-$100 per costume each year depending on fabric and what I already have laying around the house. Also we have reused fabrics for other costumes as well as incorporating the old costumes into the haunts each year when we can. So I figure the recycling justifies some of the costs.

It's not about what you spend; you can buy hundreds of ready-made costumes online and wind up looking the same as other Halloween-ers.

I like to shop around online with my own creativity in mind. I piece together my own costume with various items, and I don't have to spend lots of money that I don't have! You can always re-use something you have done in a previous costume in a new one. And try to make the most of items you already have.

Saying this, there is absolutely nothing wrong with splashing the cash if you have it, it's completely up to the person in question. And you can always sell off what you don't intend to keep/use again.