Save Money on a Costume This Year With These Creative Halloween Ideas

This works in a couple ways. If you have young kids, they won't know any better: Chances are, you can make some kind of costume for them from the clothes you already have. But the same is true for you. You'd be surprised what might come to you - 70's pimp, vampire prom queen, cheezeball '80s gym teacher, slutty librarian. And you can 'zombify' any outfit too, as long as you're willing to rip the clothes and cover them with a little fake blood.

This kind of goes with the first one. But if you get a little clever, you don't even need to raid your closet. For example, Yahoo's idea - which almost sounds like abuse - is if you have two kids, tie them together and say they're dressed as a "pair." Or dress as a jogger and a rocker and say you're Iran and Iraq. Get it?

Just go NOW. By next week, there won't be much left. Obviously you'll spend a lot less than you would at a costume shop, and if you have little kids, there might even be a few legitimate costumes they can choose from.