Halloween Costumes for the Frugal

My sewing machine is broken and I refuse to spend valuable time and resources on a fake “holiday” like Halloween. I try to focus on the positives of this day, like creativity and resourcefulness. How much mental capacity does it take to go to a store and plunk down good money for a prefabricated costume?

For the past week, my kids have been wondering what they were going to dress up as. Not wanting to take time away from all of my outdoor projects, I told them they were smart enough to come up with something. I had a ladybug costume for my toddler that someone had given me secondhand – I am not averse to recycling costumes and this one is cute and warm. That’s one down.

Walking with an old homeschooling friend on Tuesday, I discovered that she had taken the same tack with her children. The oldest daughter is helping the other three come up with costumes, and my friend really had no idea what they were going to be. She trusted they would dress up as something good and wholesome. As in our family, it is understood that the horrific or occult are off-limits on all days. My daughter later reported that my friend’s daughters are all going to be American Girls.

Their ideas have come together. My son is going to be a baseball star. That is no big stretch for him. He has several baseball uniforms from past years, and aims to be a baseball star when he grows up.

My middle daughter is going to be a football player, padding her shoulders under one of Daddy’s RAIDERS jerseys, and wearing a baseball helmet with a protective face piece across the front. Again, this part is reflective of the example I have strived to show them, that girls can be strong and athletic.

My eldest daughter is going to be Joan of Arc, and I am so proud. When she showed me her outfit she had such a look of valiance. She beamed in the part of the female saint warrior and martyr.