It won’t be long before little ghouls and goblins are running around, knocking on doors, and saying “trick or treat.” If you normally buy costumes, you know how expensive they can be. You may be wondering how to save money on Halloween costumes.

The following are ten ideas you can use to cut down on your Halloween spending:

1. Check online. With a little time and effort you can find websites for stores that sell Halloween costumes for less than buying them in a local store. You’ll probably find a better selection at a much better price. Don’t forget to figure in shipping costs when determining what the final price will be.

2. Go to auction websites. While you’re online, look at auction websites such as eBay, uBid, Bidz, or UpperBid. It’s often amazing how inexpensively you can get items using this type of site.

3. Find a children’s consignment shop. Children usually don’t wear costumes more than once or twice, so they’ll still be in good shape. Consignment stores are a great place to find costumes for less than retail.

4. Have a costume swap. Your friends’ children may have costumes they’d like to get rid of. Ask about swapping with ones you still have.

5. Use items you have around the house. Does your child have a black sweat outfit? Find some antennas and wings and you’ve got a cute butterfly. You can use these clothes after Halloween, as well.

6. Look at yard sales. Like consignment stores, yard sales are another place to look for gently used Halloween costumes. The best part of shopping at yard sales is they’re usually cheaper than consignment stores.

7. Wait until the last minute. Sure, the pickings may not be as good as at the beginning of the Halloween buying season, but most stores mark Halloween costumes down by as much as 50% the day of Halloween.

8. Make your own. There’s really no need to spend a lot of money on Halloween costumes when you can make your own. It’s easy to dress a child up like hobo if you look around at what you already have. For a hobo, use torn baggy clothes, paint some dots on their face to look like stubble, and give them a bandana sack on a stick.

9. Check out the dollar stores. This type of store usually has items that can spark your imagination. Knight sword and shield, ninja accessories, and items for a princess are normally found. Use those $1.00 items and build up your costume from there.

10. Don’t forget the trash! One of the easiest costumes to make is a pizza delivery person. All you need is an empty pizza box, a paper hat, and a fake nametag. You might also want to have a wad of play money so you can give change.

Learning how to save money on Halloween costumes is easy. With a little bit of forethought you can make a wonderful Halloween costume for your child without breaking the family budget. And, since your child will likely only wear the costume once, you can take it to a consignment store and recoup part of your money.