Because Halloween should be about the memories—not the $50 costume they’ll wear for three hours.

Halloween is one of those holidays that can get expensive really fast when you have kids.

The costume is $35. Then they need the matching sword. And the gloves. And the wig. And apparently some tiny plastic bracelet that is absolutely essential to becoming whatever character they’ve decided to be this year.

Multiply all of that by four kids, and suddenly I’ve spent a couple hundred dollars on outfits they’re going to wear for approximately three hours.

No thank you.

I have four kids, and I absolutely love Halloween. I love watching them get dressed up. I love walking around the neighborhood with them. I love seeing all the kids running from house to house with their friends and coming home ridiculously excited about a bucket full of candy.

But I don’t think spending a fortune makes any of that more fun.

So I’ve developed a few rules over the years that let us fully enjoy Halloween without letting October destroy our budget.

Rule #1: I Don’t Pick Their Costume Until They Actually Care

When my kids are little enough that they can’t tell me what they want to be for Halloween, I’m not spending $40 or $50 on a brand-new costume.

That’s what the costume bin in my basement is for.

We have accumulated plenty of costumes over the years. Superheroes. Animals. Characters. Random accessories. Costumes from older siblings that still have plenty of life left in them.

If you’re two years old and can be happily persuaded that the Paw Patrol costume sitting in the basement is actually the greatest thing you’ve ever seen?

Congratulations.

You’re Chase this year.

Once my kids are old enough to have their own opinion and can actually tell me what they want to be, that’s different.

Halloween is magical for kids, and choosing their costume is part of the fun.

But until then?

I’m shopping the basement.

Rule #2: My Costume Budget Is $20–$25 Per Kid

Even once my kids start choosing their own costumes, I have a limit.

I refuse to spend more than about $20–$25 on a Halloween costume.

That doesn’t mean my kids don’t get to be what they want.

It just means I shop around.

Most of the costumes my kids want can eventually be found at places like Target or Amazon within that price range. You don’t have to buy the first $49.99 version you see.

Search around.

Look at different brands.

Check the reviews.

Compare Target with Amazon.

Look for last year’s version of the same character.

Kids aren’t checking whether their costume came from the premium costume collection.

They just want to be Spider-Man.

Prime Day Is My Halloween Costume Hack

One of my favorite tricks is waiting for Amazon’s October Prime event before buying Halloween costumes.

The timing is perfect.

It’s usually early enough in October that you still have plenty of time before Halloween, but close enough that retailers are already competing for Halloween shoppers.

So instead of panic-buying costumes in September, I’ll put the ones we’re considering in my cart or save them and watch the prices.

Then when the October sale hits, I check again.

A costume that was $32 might suddenly be $22.

Multiply that savings by four kids and now we’re talking about real money.

The only exception is if one of my kids chooses something unusual that’s already selling out. I’m not going to save $8 just to spend October 29th desperately searching the internet for the last size-small dinosaur costume in America.

Sometimes paying the $20–$25 and being done with it is worth it.

Skip the Accessories

This might be my strongest Halloween opinion.

Your child does not need every accessory pictured next to the costume.

The costume is $24.

But then there’s the matching sword for $12.

The gloves are $9.

The mask is another $14.

The special shoes are $18.

And somehow your $24 Halloween costume has turned into a $77 Halloween costume.

I skip almost all of it.

If we already own something that works, great.

If an accessory is truly necessary to make the costume recognizable, I’ll consider it.

But I’m not buying six separate accessories just because the manufacturer conveniently sells them separately.

Here’s what I’ve learned after several Halloweens with kids:

They aren’t going to remember the accessories.

Your child isn’t going to be 25 years old reminiscing:

“Halloween 2026 was incredible. Mom really came through with that matching plastic bracelet.”

They’re going to remember running around the neighborhood with their friends.

They’re going to remember ringing doorbells.

They’re going to remember dumping all their candy onto the floor when they got home.

They’re going to remember trading candy with their siblings.

They’re going to remember the neighbor who gave out full-size candy bars.

That’s Halloween.

The $14 plastic sword isn’t Halloween.

Before You Buy Anything, Ask Your Friends

Kids grow ridiculously fast.

That means there are costumes sitting in closets and basement bins all over your neighborhood that were worn once.

Ask around.

If your child wants to be a firefighter, send a message to your mom group:

“Anyone have a size 5/6 firefighter costume sitting around?”

There’s a surprisingly good chance someone does.

And they’re probably thrilled to get it out of their house.

Then next year, return the favor.

This works especially well when you have friends with kids slightly older or younger than yours. Costumes can essentially rotate through several families before they’re actually worn out.

Costume Swaps Are Genius

Our town does something that I absolutely love.

One Saturday morning in October, our local library holds a Halloween costume swap.

You bring in costumes your kids have outgrown or don’t want anymore, and you can take another costume home.

That’s it.

No complicated selling.

No listing something on Facebook Marketplace for $8 and answering 14 messages asking, “Is this available?”

😂

You bring something your family no longer needs and hopefully leave with something your child can use.

It’s such a simple idea, and it makes so much sense.

Most children’s Halloween costumes are in practically perfect condition. They may have been worn for a school parade, a Halloween party and one night of trick-or-treating.

Why shouldn’t another kid wear them?

And if your town doesn’t organize a costume swap, make your own.

Get a few neighborhood families together.

Ask your mom group.

Coordinate with your child’s classmates’ parents.

Have everyone bring their old costumes and let the kids pick.

It costs virtually nothing, keeps perfectly good costumes out of the trash and saves everyone money.

Build Your Own Costume Bin

If you have multiple kids, don’t immediately get rid of costumes after Halloween.

I keep ours.

And after a few years, you suddenly have your own little Halloween store sitting in the basement.

This is especially useful with younger siblings.

That $22 costume doesn’t seem quite as expensive when three kids eventually wear it.

And costumes don’t have to be used exclusively for Halloween.

My kids can use them for dress-up and imaginative play throughout the year. So if I’m buying something anyway, I’d much rather buy a costume sturdy enough to survive the dress-up bin than an elaborate costume that’s uncomfortable and gets worn once.

Secondhand Doesn’t Mean Less Special

I think sometimes parents put pressure on themselves to make every holiday picture-perfect.

We want the adorable coordinated costumes.

We want all the accessories.

We want the Pinterest-worthy photos.

And there’s nothing wrong with any of that if you enjoy it and it’s comfortably within your budget.

But your kids don’t need an expensive Halloween to have an amazing Halloween.

A $10 secondhand costume can create the exact same memory as a $70 costume.

Actually, the kid wearing the $10 dinosaur costume might be having more fun because his mom isn’t following him around saying:

“PLEASE DON’T RIP THAT. IT COST $70.”

😂

Four Kids Changed the Way I Look at “Small” Expenses

Having four kids has made me realize how quickly seemingly small expenses multiply.

A $40 costume doesn’t sound outrageous.

Until you need four.

Now it’s $160.

Add accessories and you’re easily over $200.

And Halloween isn’t happening in isolation.

There are school activities.

Sports.

Birthdays.

Christmas is coming.

Groceries.

Family outings.

Vacations.

College savings.

Retirement.

A hundred other things competing for the same dollars.

That’s why I don’t look at saving $20 on a Halloween costume as being cheap.

It’s being intentional.

If I can spend $20 instead of $50 and my child is equally happy, I’ll take the extra $30 every single time.

Multiply that mindset across four kids and across years of birthdays, holidays, clothes, toys and activities, and it becomes significant money.

A Budget Doesn’t Take the Fun Away

This is something I wish more people understood about budgeting.

A budget isn’t supposed to eliminate fun.

It’s supposed to help you decide what is worth spending money on.

Halloween is absolutely worth celebrating in our house.

But the thing worth spending on isn’t necessarily the costume.

Maybe I’d rather spend that money taking the kids to a pumpkin patch.

Maybe we buy cider and donuts.

Maybe we have friends over.

Maybe we carve pumpkins together.

Or maybe the money simply stays in our bank account.

That’s okay too.

Spending more doesn’t automatically create a better childhood.

What My Kids Will Actually Remember

Someday my kids will be grown.

I don’t think they’ll remember whether their Halloween costume came from Amazon, Target, the library costume swap or the plastic bin in our basement.

They probably won’t remember how much it cost.

And they definitely won’t remember whether I bought the matching bracelet.

They’ll remember their siblings getting dressed beside them.

They’ll remember running down the sidewalk with their friends.

They’ll remember shouting “TRICK OR TREAT!”

They’ll remember coming home exhausted with buckets overflowing with candy.

They’ll remember Halloween being fun.

And that’s really what I’m paying for.

So I’ll happily set my $20–$25 costume limit, shop the October sales, raid our basement costume bin, swap costumes with other families and skip the unnecessary accessories.

Because I’m not trying to give my kids the most expensive Halloween.

I’m trying to give them a childhood full of really good memories.

And thankfully, those don’t have to cost very much.

— The Concrete Millionaire Mom Next Door