Great Halloween costumes can be expensive, but there are many different ways to look your best and get a great bargain at the same time.

Pre-Packaged Store Bought Costumes:

There are many different types of Halloween costumes, the first being pre-packaged costumes. These are the sort of costume that you would buy in a Halloween costume store or online, where everything you need for that outfit comes in one bag. In addition to all the articles of clothing, it may also include a wig, shoes (or shoe covers), jewelry, glasses, and any other accessories necessary to the costume. Often, you can find basic and deluxe versions of the same prepackaged costume. The basic versions are cheaper, and this lower cost is reflected in the quality of the costume. It will usually have cheaper fabrics and less detail. If you want a more authentic looking costume, it might be good to spring for the deluxe version. Pre-packaged costumes can seem very expensive, but when you think about all you're getting in it, they're usually really a very good deal.

A lot of people buy their pre-packaged costume in costume stores that seem to pop up everywhere the month before Halloween, but buying these costumes online is also a great option. Online, they might have more costumes to choose from, more sizes, and are less likely to be sold out when it starts to get closer to Halloween. Plus you won't have to deal with crowded stores. When looking online, you'll find that there's lots of categories to choose from, like: characters, historical, professions, scary, animals, humor, and fantasy. Another category that sort of takes from all of these categories that of sexy costumes.

A popular trend in pre-packaged costumes is basically the sexy version of whatever the normal costume would be. Some popular examples include sexy little bo peep, sexy alice in wonderland, sexy nurse, sexy cat/bunny, sexy french maid, and sexy pirate. These costumes are similar to the regular costumes, but more revealing. A common trend with sexy costumes is a very short circle skirt with a little petticoat underneath. These costumes are great for any girl who's looking to catch some eyes of the opposite sex.

Renting Costumes:

Another option to get a good deal on a Halloween costume besides purchasing one is to rent one. When you rent a costume, you're often able to get a elaborate well-made costume for a fraction of the cost it would be to buy it. Sometimes theatre companies will rent out their costumes to the public, so you could get some really great authentic costumes there. You can also rent costumes at a lot of Halloween costume shops.

Thrift Store Costumes:

Another way to get a great costume for a tiny price is to look at thrift stores. Thrift store Halloween costume shopping allows you to really be creative, as you find different items and put them together to form a costume. This is a great idea if you're looking to be someone from the past few decades (like a hippie or someone from the 70s or 80s). This could also be a good option if you're looking to be a character from a show or movie that's relatively modern and wears ordinary clothes. If you're looking for a costume for a profession, you can also find a lot of uniform things as thrift stores, like for doctors, nurses, cops, and military. For example, you could be a doctor or nurse for your costume and buy a pair of scrubs at a thrift store for just a few dollars. That's a pretty good bargain on a costume.

Homemade Costumes:

The last option for cheap costumes is homemade costumes. There are really two types of homemade costumes: those made by people who are skilled at sewing, and those that aren't. First of all, making your costume at home can possibly save you some money if you're able to sew and you're okay with putting in the time and effort. Fabric can be expensive, but there's often good sales around Halloween. Most costumes you would make at home wouldn't be cheaper than some of the pre-packaged costumes you could buy, but you could get something of much higher quality and much more unique. Fabric stores also sell patterns for costumes, which makes it pretty easy if you know how to use a sewing machine.

There's also homemade costumes that can be made by people who aren't skilled at sewing, you just have to think creatively. Of course, there's always the ever popular ghost, but there many other creative options, you just have to think outside the box. One great example, is "dirty laundry". For this costume you cut a large hole in the bottom of a laundry basket, stick it around your waist, fill it with clothes and a bottle of detergent, and voila, you're dirty laundry. Costumes like this can potentially be the cheapest, because you can make them from this you just have laying around the house.