Wow... if you can't afford $250, you might not want to be doing a pirate theme to start with. Also, you might want to consider putting away a little money each month if you're going to get serious about Halloween to begin with. I don't try to buy all my decoration needs in September/October with the money I have on hand. I know I'm going to need $500-$1,000 and put away $50-$100 each month for that purpose.